OT - Washington, DC - please share your travel tips!

[disneydreamgirl]

I'm hoping some of you will be able to help with suggestions for a trip we're planning to DC in May. We'd like to stay reasonably but be able to access the transit system as I understand parking can be an issue. We'll be driving there, so will need to park our car but will only be staying three days - planning will be tight in order to jam as much in as possible! Our plans will be kid-friendly with our 11-year old totally excited to see the U.S. capital.

Thanks in advance for any tips you can pass along!

 

[AnneR]

While I live close to DC I would not say that I am an expert but I do think that you will get better pricing by staying a little further out. I would look at the METRO system and select an area that is accessible to METRO. You can ride the train into downtown DC and avoid the traffic and parking headaches plus prices are cheaper.

 

[jcb]

I've been enjoying http://www.dclikealocal.com/

You might also check out a similar thread, http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2088962

Have fun. I love to visit. Be prepared to walk a lot.

 

[OKW Lover]

If you are flying to DC (into DCA), then try some of the hotels in Crystal City. They are convenient to the Metro subway and most have free shuttle to/from the airport.

If you are driving to DC, then take a look at the Metro map and pick a place where one of the lines crosses the beltway near your intended route there. Then look for a hotel nearby the beltway that has a shuttle service to the metro station.

You really don't want to drive in DC; not because the traffic is bad (its no worse than any city) but because parking is difficult/expensive.

 

[jcb]

One of the best moves I made (DC wise) was to buy a Metro SmarTrip® Card. http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/store/

It is $30 but comes with $25 on it. Metro did away with paper transfer slips (http://www.wmata.com/bus/transfers.cfm) so if you plan to go from a metro exit and get on a bus, for example, having the card saves you money. It is also much more convenient in going through the gates. I don't have to take mine out of my wallet. And best of all, you look like you know what you are doing.

 

[jillyb]

We went in August last year. Click on the link in my signature to read about my pre-planning and the trip.

 

[FireDancer]

I now have friends who live in DC so I stay with them but before that I used to stay in the Tyson's Corners area. The orange line of the METRO goes through that area. I think their METRO is a great system and recommend, like others, staying somewhere outside of DC proper that is close to a metro station. A map is available here.

Other then the obvious suggestions like the Smithsonian and the monuments I have to recommend the Gordon Biersch brewery/restaurant.

I'll be back there for the weekend of March 19th-21st for the National Half Marathon. I love DC but I don't think I could live that close to that many politicians, I enjoy having a soul.

 

[uncleleo]

In addition to Crystal City, other hotel enclaves on top of Metro stops are Pentagon City, Rosslyn, and Ballston (search for hotels in Arlington, Va. and look for those words in the names). I'm familiar with all these neighborhoods, so after you choose a hotel let me know if you want recommendations for restaurants or sights within walking distance.

Other tips from a local:

• ASAP, call your congressman’s or Senator’s office to get passes to tour the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
• If your family are hardy souls who want to combine touring the monuments with one or more Smithsonian museums in a single day, do the museums first because the monuments are lovely at night.
• If you want to go to the Spy Museum (highly recommended), buy your tickets ahead of time at their web site.
• If your family usually tours with a large backpack, don’t expect to get it past security at many public buildings and museums.
• There’s no Metro stop in Georgetown, which surprises many people.

Have a great time,
Lee

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Wow! Thanks for all of these tips and the offers for more assistance...I knew I would glean some awesome info here!

[*]ASAP, call your congressman’s or Senator’s office to get passes to tour the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

What are the odds of Canadians getting in? Is there anyone you could suggest I contact?

 

[rtobe]

My "neighbor" (that I don't know) uncleleo has great ideas. I also live in Arlington. Ballston area has some good options for hotels although pricing may not necessarily be "reasonable".

As far as seeing the Capitol and the White House. You might try your embassy for something special. There are general public tours of both.

The zoo is off the Metro as well, Woodley Park is the stop. If possible I would avoid the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend as a travel time as DC gets really crowded.

One option that is good for the initial visit to Washington DC is the Tourmobile. http://www.tourmobile.com/

While a little more expensive than Metro you can get on and off and you get the tour guide to narrate. The Tourmobile gets closer to the sites than you can via metro or parking.

Send me a PM

 

[bcvdreamer]

We have family in DC that we visit every year.

I recommend (& it's almost free, just whatever you tip) DC by Foot - walking tour. http://www.dcbyfoot.com/
We had two adults and kids ages, 9,12, 15 and they loved it. The tour guide was awesome and really engaged the kids.

Someone already suggested the Spy Museum, which was a lot of fun too. - the line was really long, so I agree with the suggestion to buy tickets online. They are for specific times.

We do drive into to DC and just park & walk the whole day, the Metro is a great.

Bring water, if you're going in the summer!

Plan ahead, which shouldn't be problem since you a Disney fan!

Get there early if you want to go to the top of the Washington Monument, it's worth it. You have to have tickets, but they're free...at least they were.

Have fun.

 

[disneym2m]

There is a Holiday Inn in Alexandria that is with in walking distance of a metro. Along the blue line. The metro stops on King Street which is really cool to visit with all the shops and restaurants.

Like others have said, staying outside of D.C. area will be cheaper. May is a nice time to go. The heat hasn't quite hit yet. I will suggest you buying bottle water. There aren't many places to buy drinks while touring D.C. unless you want to purchase from the street vendors. Also, if you find a bathroom, use it when you can. There are some at certain monuments but you never know if they are closed when you visit.

When you are looking for a hotel. You can google D.C. metro and look at the map, so you know how the metro lines run. And how close the hotel is to a metro line.

Have fun and enjoy your trip.

 

[jcb]

I'm going to buck the trend and suggest that you don't give up on staying "in D.C."

I always stay "in D.C." and have usually been able to find a hotel "in D.C." for the same or not much more than what a hotel costs outside of D.C. I make good use of priceline and check hotel discounts on their websites.

There are several very nice hotels "in D.C." around DuPont Circle and south of there, toward the White House, that offer very competitive deals.

I'm not saying it always works just that you should compare rates. A lot depends on when Congress is in session or something else big is happening, but I've stayed at some great hotels in D.C. for less than I would have paid to stay at a Courtyard or Hampton in the burbs.

Also, many "in D.C." hotels that are geared toward business travelers will run specials for weekend stays.

 

[elemusing]

OH MY GOODNESS! This could be my thread! I too am going in May, have an 11 year old and need tips! WOW! Subbing!

 

[Gigi22]

To the OP, a three day tour of Washington is going to be really, really busy. My DH and I have visited there on a regular basis during annual conferences. We used to stay near the Library of Congress, in a small converted apartment complex called Capitol Hill Suites. If you want to stay downtown, it might be an option for you to look at.
Admission to the Smithsonian is free, the Museums are located close to each other, but the scale of everything is huge. Walking distances are significant. As adult visitors we found it challenging to visit more than 2 museums a day, so if you want to visit the Smithsonian, research it well before you go and select the museums you want to see the most.
You will likely wind up using the Metro. The subway is very good.
Washington in May can be hot and humid.
FYI, even although we visited several times, we were never able to tour the White House (even although we did contact someone at DFAIT), we did manage to tour the Capitol.

 

[jcb]

If you are going to use the Metro in DC (or anyone going to DC), I suggest you sign up for free text alerts at https://textalert.ema.dc.gov/index.php?CCheck=1

I find the alerts very helpful in explaining why (as is the case right now) the metro is a mess along the red line at one of the downtown stations.

This alert comes from DC (not just metro) so you get some advance warning of major events. For example, this alert system is used to let folks know that there will be low flying military aircraft for some training exercise, when the Nationals will be testing their fireworks and when and where Metrorail will be performing maintenance on the tracks (usually done on weekends). I was there last year when the blue line was undergoing significant weekend maintenance around Arlington National Cemetary. Knowing this, let me make sure to take a yellow line train to National Airport for my flight out, saving me a lot of time.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

We went last year with our kids who were 10, 8 and 3. We stayed at the Embassey Suites in Alexandria. The Metro is right across the street from the hotel and there's a shuttle to take you into downtown Alexandria for dinner or shopping. It was convenient and much cheaper than being in DC. A couple of tips -

Our kids really enjoyed the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. We got tickets through our Senator.

The Capitol was disappointing. Very nice movie and you see Statuary Hall but you do not get to see the actual chambers.

There is a very nice cafeteria in the National Gallery of Art. It's right across from the much more crowded one in the Air and Space Museum and next to Natural History (both of which the kids loved). We ended up spending a rainy day in the Gallery of Art and the kids enjoyed it much more than I would have expected.

Sarabi's Cubs

 

[DSNY4ever]

Oh you will have so much fun! I went a few years back for work and stayed a couple days to sight see. We stayed in technically in Virginia right along the metro line and had just a very short ride to the main mall area from there, I can't remember the hotel's name.

Try to visit the outdoor monuments early in the morning if possible. My friend and I did this and it was so quiet and peaceful and we got gorgeous pictures without all the crowds standing in the way, and then we were the first people in the museums when they opened up

We also loved Arlington cemetery, very beautiful and peaceful- but a kid would probably like the main museums more. The Holocaust museum is a very good museum- but VERY upsetting (obviously because of the topic), could be educational for older kids, but make sure they can handle it.

 

[HillPete]

The Marriott Key Bridge in Rosslyn is super close to the metro and has great views of Georgetown and the Washington Monument. It also has an indoor-outdoor pool that my kids loved. We were walking distance to M street in Georgetown and the hotel has a shuttle that takes you there for free if you aren't interested or able to walk that far. We took the shuttle to the far end of M street and walked back.

If you go to the zoo, get off the metro at the stop AFTER the zoo on the map. From there it's a downhill walk to the entrance. When you're done, walk downhill to the other metro station to go home. Say hi to the pandas for me!

Have a great trip!
--H

 

[ms*mountaineer]

We have stayed "in DC" - usually near Dupont Circle (At the hotel where Reagan was shot - is that a Hilton??). There are lots of restaurants (Greek, Italian, Thai, etc...) in that area. And a Metro station - the Metro is very nice and easy to use - you can get just about anywhere you need. So if you stay on the outskirts of town, that's just fine - get yourself to a Metro station to get downtown.

The monuments are wonderful - and you can go visit them at night too! We've been to the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam memorial after midnight - very cool. The Vietnam memorial is a must-see - there is almost always a veteran there (as a volunteer) to answer questions and give some history.

As PP said - contact your congressman/senator's office NOW and see if there is any way possible to get on a tour.