More DC questions......

[chrissy92972]

wanted to add that we did see the Memorial at the Pentagon, the Washington Monument (outside), White House (outside), Capitol (outside), Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, WW1, Marines, and more with our guided tour. This tour was worth every penny. Knowledgeable Guide, enough time at each stop, comfortable motorcoach and while we walked a lot it was not miles upon miles in one day.

Chrissy

 

[stitchfriend]

Thinking of doing a Dc trip this June. I found a hotel in Alexnadria VA in the Mt Vernon area. I was wondering what the name of the Metro station is. The hotel does not have a shuttle to the metro station. They said it is 3 miles down the road. Can anyone who is a local tell me what the name of the station is? Trying to see how much it will cost me and my family. STill have to sell it to my husband on this trip. We will be going to the National Mall area. What Metro stop do we get off of? Also what stop is the Zoo?

Thank you.

 

[mikehn]

april is cherry blossom festival, it wil be crazy, plan accordingly

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

You cannot take food into the smithsonian. However I have taken granola bars so if it is wrapped up it may be ok. If you can avoid wearing a belt then don't wear one. Some places like the Reagan Bldg will make you remove it. Think airport security. Pack light.

There is a gift shop in the commerce bldg and no water bottles allowed.

If you plan to tour the capital no food or water bottles. Not even empty water bottles. They are almost as strict as the White House.

Have a great time.

 

[Prose]

With the ages of your kids, a great alternative to walking to see all of the monuments is a bicycle tour. We did the Monuments tour with this company: http://www.bikeandroll.com/washingtondc/dcbiketours.html , but there are others. You may be able to find a coupon online. Our daughter was 10 at the time and liked to be active - this allowed her to use up some energy riding the bike between monuments, so she was able to listen and enjoy what the tour guide was saying. Just as she would start getting antsy, it was back on the bikes again. We would do it in a heartbeat.

Another cool thing is the Mint, but definitely get tickets ahead of time, or ask your congressperson.

If anyone is a Top Chef fan, Top Chef Spike's burger and pizza places are only a couple of blocks from the Capitol.

 

[valee]

You can get an all day Metro fare card for $14: http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm , or use the Circulator bus (which is different from the regular DC Metro bus): http://www.dccirculator.com/
Security into the Smithsonian is pretty easy-going. Since your bag is going through the xray, and you're passing through the metal detector, just tuck your granola bars and bag of trail mix in your back pocket (done outside, of course - I've seen people stand in front of the guards and pull stuff out of their bags, intending to carry it through the metal detectors [facepalm].)
Since you'll be on the mall and Capitol Hill, be sure to familiarize yourself with our quadrant system - Northwest (NW), Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. The Capitol is the intersection of the quadrants. E.g.: The mall is west of the capital, so everything on the south side of the Mall is in SW, and everything north is in NW.
This will get important if you go to Union Station, which is on North Capitol Street, the dividing line. 14 blocks WEST, in Northwest is the Smithsonian American History Museum. 14 Blocks EAST in Northeast is ???? When I see tourists heading EAST on Capitol Hill, saying things like: "This is 4th street - only 10 more blocks to the Smithsonian", I always point out to them that they need to head in the other direction. Just check the street signs at intersections - they'll say 2nd Street NW or 3rd street SW, for example.

 

[pintamino]

Thinking of doing a Dc trip this June. I found a hotel in Alexnadria VA in the Mt Vernon area. I was wondering what the name of the Metro station is. The hotel does not have a shuttle to the metro station. They said it is 3 miles down the road. Can anyone who is a local tell me what the name of the station is? Trying to see how much it will cost me and my family. STill have to sell it to my husband on this trip. We will be going to the National Mall area. What Metro stop do we get off of? Also what stop is the Zoo?

Thank you.

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

Mount Vernon is not really close to DC - how are you planning to get to Metro from your hotel? I would just stay somewhere closer or with a shuttle. I live in Pentagon City (er, right across the street from the Pentagon in south Arlington) and I wouldn't go much further than Old Town (or in the other direction, Chevy Chase) unless you like waiting on trains, sitting on trains, etc. for the majority of your vacation.

 

[stitchfriend]

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

Mount Vernon is not really close to DC - how are you planning to get to Metro from your hotel? I would just stay somewhere closer or with a shuttle. I live in Pentagon City (er, right across the street from the Pentagon in south Arlington) and I wouldn't go much further than Old Town (or in the other direction, Chevy Chase) unless you like waiting on trains, sitting on trains, etc. for the majority of your vacation.

Thanks for the info. We will have a car to get us to the metro station.

 

[bridgie04]

A word about parking at Metro: During the week, spaces can be completely non existent after even 7 am, as all the workers who live in the suburbs park there to catch the Metro. Plan accordingly.

 

[NotUrsula]

The Newseum was a horrible downer with kids, I would avoid it (very costly, too). When the kids go with school they do a cool program, but when you go by yourself it is the bad news museum. Really awful.

Oh, I'd say it depends on your kids. Mine happen to love the Newseum; even the 4 yo liked it, and the teen was fascinated. The Holocaust Museum, otoh, we do not do; the older one has read about it and seen films, of course, but the younger one doesn't need the nightmares at her age. (I learned about the atrocities of the Holocaust too young, and I had nightmares for years.)

One of the more interesting effects of doing the Spy Museum and the Newseum on the same trip is that children see two sides of the Iron Curtain issue; there is a chunk of the Berlin Wall and one of the guard towers on display at the Newseum, and the Spy Museum has a display about the great lengths that people went to to escape from East Berlin.

Newseum tickets are a few dollars cheaper if you buy them online and take the receipt to will-call. You should do the same for the Spy Museum; the wait to get in can be VERY long without a timed ticket.

Also, FTR, there is no US Mint in DC; the nearest one is in Philadelphia. What people tend to mean when they say the Mint in reference to a DC trip is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where they print paper currency.

 

[Jridou]

Thanks for the info. We will have a car to get us to the metro station.

The nearest metro stop would be King Street, and that has pretty much no parking. The next stop up the line is Braddock road and last time I was there, that was also You'd need to drive to probably Springfield / Franconia for a large parking garage. They have spots that open up at 10 am, they go very quickly thereafter. I'd try to find something closer in.