OT - Washington DC

[bskts4bj]

Hello Ladies of the East . . . . and those who have visited.

My DH & I are planning a 4d/3n trip the last week of June -- any restaurant suggestions?? Hotel suggestions??? We are planning to rent a car.

TIA,
Brenda

 

[Faerie]

You really don't need a car, parking is a nightmare up there. My friend and I did a week in DC and used the Metro all week, just bought a 7 day pass. We stayed at a Hilton in Dupont Circle I think. It was a block from the metro.

 

[Tinker326]

Hi,

My hubby and I just returned from DC two days ago.... wonderful area.

We stayed at the Renessaince on 9th & I Street. It's about a two block walk to the metro & right by Chinatown (tons of resturants, clubs, shopping), the Spy Museum & Ford Theater. We got it through Priceline & paid $110 a night. It's a 4 star hotel. The only complaint we had was a) no hot tub (for our sore feet!) and b) the walls are rather thin. But other than that- fantastic.

We just ate at Brewery across from the spy musuem (forget it's name) and the wood fired pizza was the BEST I've ever had. Then we did the typical Hard Rock Cafe touristy thing (also suprisingly good food!).

No need for a car. Traffic is horrendous and parking is expensive. Metro and feet will get you to all the touristy attractions.

Hope that helps a bit! Enjoy your trip . It's a great city.

 

[Lisa]

I love DC, often go there on busy. However, I can only get around thru the metro, would be lost if I had to drive it.

If you are flying in, I would recommend not renting a car, stop at the Smithsonian Museum at the airport and get yourself a DC guidemap. It's is 4 x 6 and laminated. One part shows the different metro lines, and the other part has the streets and all the important attractions. It's called the Washington Popout Map, sells for $5.95. Well worth it.

My favorite places to stay are the Marriott at Crystal City (Blue or Orange Line). There is also a Westin at Balston Sq. (orange line) and a nice Holiday Inn at Rosslyn (Orange Line).

My favorite restaurants are: The Dubliner on M Street near Union Square. Great Irish pub. The Rio Grande on Fairfax Avenue near the Balston Square metro stop, and Orleans at Rosslyn (fantastic prime rib). On top of the Holiday Inn at Rosslyn is a restaurant that has an awesome view of the Potomac and great prime rib too.

Enjoy DC, the museums are awesome.

 

[marlynnp]

Definitely DO NOT rent a car - all you'll do is pay $30 a night to have it garaged. You'll walk a lot and taxi's aren't bad. DC is one of the few places left on the zone system verses meter/mileage which means you don't pay to sit in traffic. And don't be afraid to use the Metro.

I stay at Marriott and both the JW on Pennsylvania Ave and the Marriott at Metro Center on 12th are very nice. The JW is a little fancier and closer to the White House and the Mall - but the lobby is being renovated this summer.

Morton's of Chicago has a downtown location and is always good. For Italian, Tosca on F street is wonderful. If you want some drinks and more casual food checkout Old Ebbitt Grill - several bars, good wings and a raw bar with a fantastic selection of oysters.

If you're in the Capitol Hill area - The Capital Grille has some great steak (and other stuff too) - it's a favorite restaurant of the politicos, esp. the Republicans.

hth

 

[Yzerbear19]

I love DC, often go there on busy. However, I can only get around thru the metro, would be lost if I had to drive it.

If you are flying in, I would recommend not renting a car, stop at the Smithsonian Museum at the airport and get yourself a DC guidemap. It's is 4 x 6 and laminated. One part shows the different metro lines, and the other part has the streets and all the important attractions. It's called the Washington Popout Map, sells for $5.95. Well worth it..

I love these maps! I have one for DC and one for Chicago. I like that they fit nicely in your pocket so that you can don't quite look like a tourist when walking around with a giant paper map. They have lots of the museums listed and other places of interest.

Enjoy DC, the museums are awesome.

Agree!!! I love DC!!! The first time we went we stayed in Arlington and I didn't care for that. This last time we stayed at the Days Inn on Connecticut Avenue about a mile from the Zoo and a block from the metro. It seemed like a nice area. We drove there from MI, parked the car and didn't use it again until the day we left. We took the metro EVERYWHERE! The metro is fun and fast and affordable. Be warned that the escalators down to the metro can be kind of steep and scary!

Be sure to pack really good walking shoes. And the Smithsonian museums are HUGE! Be sure if going to them that you plan a whole day there since there is so much to see and do. Smithsonian website: http://www.si.edu/ Also be sure to go to the Zoo to see Tai Shan! He is so adorable!

I highly recommend the Holocaust Museum. Its very, very sad, so have some kleenex ready. You can get the tickets for it online ahead of time for a small shipping charge. Or go to the museum and wait for tickets that day, but they tend to go fast.
Website: http://www.ushmm.org/

I love all the monuments, though I think I like the Lincoln Memorial the best. For the monuments I suggest taking a backpack or purse with some bottled water to take with you since it can get quite warm in June. I think when we went in mid-June last year it was high 80s and low 90s. So you want to stay hydrated when walking around there.

I can't really suggest any restaurants since we ate mostly at the restaurants around our hotel (Subway, Quiznos, etc).

Have fun and be safe!

 

[bskts4bj]

Keep the opinions coming . . . I was opposed to renting a car anyhow, you're helping my case a lot. We're flying in to Dulles ($29 OW fare from Chicago!) -- what's the easiest way to get to DC??

Thanks again,
Brenda

 

[Lisa]

From Dulles to whichever hotel you choose? I would recommend the SuperShuttle. http://www.supershuttle.com

You can make a ressie in advance. They will drive you from the airport right to your hotel. Reasonable cost.

Not sure how much a taxi would cost from Dulles. I usually fly into National.

Can anyone else help out from their experience?

 

[bskts4bj]

My DH is worried about walking on the streets and taking public transportation at night -- he doesn't want to be mugged. Should I be concerned? I thought I read somewhere that this wasn't an issue.

TIA!
Brenda

 

[soccerchick]

From Dulles to whichever hotel you choose? I would recommend the SuperShuttle. http://www.supershuttle.com

You can make a ressie in advance. They will drive you from the airport right to your hotel. Reasonable cost.

Not sure how much a taxi would cost from Dulles. I usually fly into National.

Can anyone else help out from their experience?

A taxi from Dulles to Arlington runs $45 +

Most areas around the tourist spots are very safe, but just like in ANY city, you need to be careful and remember that crime can happen anywhere.

I agree with all of Lisa's restaurant choices too, though if your hotel is in DC you probably won't need to Metro/drive out to the Arlington ones; lots of other choices in the city.

 

[New England Eeyore]

Ditto to Supershuttle - we always use them.

I always stay at the Holiday Inn Capitol - It's one block from the Air and Space Museum and *perfect* location if you want to spend a lot of time at the Smithsonian - you can walk to everything on the Mall. It's also one block from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro stop.

We always felt very comfortable walking at night. The sketchier parts of the city are really not areas a tourist would ever venture into. You will find that it really is a 9-5 city. It's like they roll the sidewalks up at night. The Metro is fantastic. Coming from Boston where the subway is quite dirty and grungy, DC's just knocks our socks off. Very safe, very easy to use.

We actually don't eat at too many sit-down restaurants because we are hooked on Union Station - the basement level has the BEST food court I've ever seen. Any kind of food you could want, they have. Great variety, great price. Union Station also has some nice full service restaurants on the upper levels. America on the main level is particularly good. If you like that kind of food, there is a fantastic Greek/Lebanese/Turkish restaurant called Zaytinya on 9th St near the Spy Museum. The cafeteria in the Museum of the American Indian also has some unique and wonderful food.

If you've never been to DC before I really recommend taking the Tourmobile bus one day - it takes you to all the major tourist attractions and the narration is wonderful. There are many companies that offer bus tours, but this one is run by the National Park Service so I find the quality of the narration is a little better, and it's cheaper to boot. The monuments and memorials are not really accessible via Metro and it would involve a lot of walking to see them on your own so using the Tourmobile is the easiest way to see them.

Also, our favorite thing to do in the city is see the Capitol Steps. They're a musical political satire group that play every Friday and Saturday night at the Ronald Reagan Center near Federal Triangle. We always laugh so hard it hurts - and they're equal opportunity satirists - the left and right take equal beatings.

If you have specific questions, keep them coming. I love Washington! After Disney it's my favorite vacation destination!

 

[bskts4bj]

Ok, I think I have DH convinced that we're not renting a car. Now, hotels. I'm just looking for something convenient to the metro that's a clean bed to sleep in -- am I to expect to pay $200+/night?? We stay at the All Star Resorts at WDW -- I'm not looking for a fufu hotel, just a clean place to sleep and shower is all it will be used for. I don't need exercise facilities, etc.

Also, restaurants -- there's a Phillips? seafood buffet somewhere down there -- anyone tried it? How about barbecue??? These are my DH favorites.

What are your thoughts?? Thanks again for everything . . . .
Brenda

p.s. Yes, had already visited the tourmobile website -- looks very good to me!!

 

[marlynnp]

Hotels downtown are expensive, especially weeknights (Fri & Sat can be A LOT cheaper) because all the business travelers and of course the convenience. Just think of it this way..... most of the musuems are free, so you don't have to pay for 'park tickets'.

I went to Phillips Once - it was blech! I don't think we've ever done bbq while there. I second going to union station for at least one lunch. And they have some neat little shops too.

Check out the old postal annex, you get an amazing view from the tower.

 

[New England Eeyore]

Yes - there is quite a big sticker shock compared to Disney for hotels. To get under $200 a night you need to go WAY out into suburban Maryland or Viriginia, which is an option, but then it's like you're commuting to your vacation. We always go for a long weekend because the price drops significantly Friday-Sun nights. With no rental car and that great airfare the hotel shouldn't make you feel too bad. And there's so many free things to do in Washington that it all balances out.

 

[Faerie]

Priceline or Hotwire can be your friend. I got a Hilton for $99 a night in May for a week 1/2 block from the Metro