Stressing about Washington, DC trip - need advice please!

[rascalmom]

We will be in the DC area for 12 nights - 7 with my family & 5 more with my younger dd, my Mom & I. I've been before, but it was with school trips and I didn't have to worry about hotels, transportation, etc.

We are flying into BWI - would a taxi be the best way to get to DC? Since it is kind of an extended trip & older dd will be leaving & going on to a conference, we are probably going to have LOTS of luggage. Hauling it all to the train doesn't sound fun, but I am concerned about the 4 of us & all of the bags fitting in a cab.

Hotels - I have 2 booked. For the first part of the trip with the 4 of us, I have the Hilton Garden Inn at Franklin Square booked. With Mom & dd, I have the Radisson Crystal City. Can anyone tell me if these are good hotel choices? I want to be in good areas - relatively safe, convenient to metro, clean, not too cramped. I keep going back & forth (okay, my family says I'm obsessing) over changing to the Omni Shoreham for at least the first part of our stay. The Washington Court or Holiday Inn could be alternatives for the 2nd part. I had originally planned to try Priceline, but am reading that some rooms don't accomodate more than 2 people.

I am still having trouble with my ankle - is a scooter rental even feasible in DC? I have found some rental sites, but I don't know if we could get around on the Metro with it.

We want to go to Monticello & Mount Vernon. Is a rental car the best way to get there? I'm a bit nervous about the DC traffic!

Help! (Now I know why we go to WDW so much - it is FAMILIAR & I don't stress over all this stuff!!!)

 

[Christine]

BWI to DC is not a quick trip. Cab fare might be hefty. I think the best bet is one of those airport shuttle services like the Washington Flyer or the Blue Shuttle.

Can't tell you about your hotel choice in DC as I am not familiar with it, but your Crystal City hotel is good. Crystal City is a good place to say and lots to do there, shopping and restaurant-wise in evening. I'm not exactly sure where the Radisson is but it *could* be a hike to the Metro (although I'm sure your hotel will shuttle you there).

I can't tell you about scooter rentals either. Sorry I'm not much help.

Monticello is not real close to DC but Mt. Vernon is. Yes, rental care would be best for both trips.

 

[LadyyRedd]

Mount Vernon should be easy to get to, it's on the Metro line.

http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/824/
www.metroopensdoors.com

Monticello, on the other hand, is about 2 hours south of DC, so yes, you'll need a rental car unless you have a very good pair of shoes!

www.monticello.org

Kimya

 

[LadyyRedd]

I forgot to also comment that cab fare to DC from BWI would probably be pricey.

Check out www.supershuttle.com and see if they would work. They are usually relatively inexpensive.

Kimya

 

[Christine]

Mount Vernon cannot be accessed by the Metro (subway) but I guess you could catch a Metro bus from one of the subway lines. In that regard, I guess it is on the Metro.

 

[LadyyRedd]

Mount Vernon cannot be accessed by the Metro (subway) but I guess you could catch a Metro bus from one of the subway lines. In that regard, I guess it is on the Metro.

Oops, you're right, it's not on a Metro stop (I didn't read the whole page, I just glanced over it), but you can catch a bus for a short trip from one of the nearby stops.

Kimya

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

http://www.wmata.com
For metro information....

I checked for Mount Vernon--you would need to travel via metro from Crystal City to Huntington and then take the Fairfax connector bus listed below:

HUNTINGTON AV METRO STATION

Take FAIRFAX CONNECTOR BUS 152 towards HUNTINGTON STATION
MT VERNON / GEORGE WASHINGTON'S HOME


We were just at Monticello this weekend---it is pretty far, you would need a rental--so perhaps renting one for just the day would work.

We left about 7am and got their at 9:30am from Falls Church. You park and get your tickets (we bought on-line and picked them up). Then you take a shuttle bus up the hill to the house and grounds or you can take the walking path. We did the children's tour (which was more than enough for me).

Hubby said he liked Monticello better than Mount Vernon. I haven't been yet--so I haven't formulated an opinion yet.

A google of DC area scooter rentals yield this page which has information for different businesses that may rent in the area:

http://local.yahoo.com/results?fr=dd-local-more&stx=wheelchair+scooter+rental&csz=Washington,+DC

 

[agnes!]

Monticello is in Charlottesville, about 2 hours away. For that you'd have to rent a car.

According to the Hilton website, a taxi would be at least $30 one-way from BWI/Thurgood Marshall to the DC/Hilton Garden Inn. Btw, I couldn't find a "Franklin Square" HGI...

Mount Vernon is about 10 miles south of DC, there are shuttles you can get there, (I think?) through Tourmobile(sp?). The estate is only open until dusk or thereabouts...in other words, don't some in the late afternoon/early evening and expect to spend time there after dark.

I'm sure that a scooter rental could be arranged, maybe even through your hotels.

The Radisson Crystal City is a former Days Inn property on Route 1 and according to their Google sentence, about 1.5 blocks from the Crystal City Metro stop (but TripAdvisor reviews say it's actually about 2 blocks).

agnes!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I forgot--can't you take a boat to mount vernon. I thought I had seen something like that...but don't remember through whom. Then you just metro to the pier and you are all set.

Any ideas?

aha found it!

Take the boat to Mount Vernon – A fun way to get to Mt. Vernon is to take a boat down the Potomac River. Kids will enjoy the one hour cruise from Old Town Alexandria – boats leave at 11:00am and return at 4:00pm, and price includes admission to Mt. Vernon. Click here for the schedule. Or, click here to pick up a cruise direct from downtown Washington DC and the Metro – this boat leaves at 8:30am and returns at 3:00pm, and also includes admission to Mount Vernon.

Boat from DC
http://www.spiritcitycruises.com/mtvernon/daytripcruise.html
Pricey--but a fun option, I guess!

 

[agnes!]

I forgot--can't you take a boat to mount vernon. I thought I had seen something like that...but don't remember through whom. Then you just metro to the pier and you are all set.

Any ideas?

Hmmmmm...let me think (without Googling, lol)...
There is a boat service to Mount Vernon that (I *think*) starts out from two piers, one on the Georgetown waterfront and one in Old Town Alexandria. The OP could conceivably catch the Metro from her Crystal City hotel to the nearest Metro stop to Old Town, but then you'd have to transfer to a bus to get to the Old Town area(or even take a taxi). It's really not an easy stroll, especially with a bad ankle. IMO, it would just be easier to take a taxi from the Radisson straight to the pier.
I think that you can get a package price for the boat tickets and for estate admission. I know that Mount Vernon has an official wesbite, I'm sure any info about the boat stuff could be found there.

agnes!

 

[rascalmom]

Thanks guys! I think we will keep the rental car long enough to do both Monticello & Mount Vernon - the other ways sound like a lot of transferring.

The Hilton Garden Inn is the one near the White House - Expedia added Franklin Square to their description.

Radisson a former Days Inn - will this be too "seedy". I want something nice (hopefully without spending a forturne!) I picked it because they have a pool & fridges in the rooms.

As far as the scooter goes, I can find a rental - I just was wondering how accessible the Metro is. I just remember their being escalators - how do strollers & wheelchairs get around?

 

[caitycaity]

As far as the scooter goes, I can find a rental - I just was wondering how accessible the Metro is. I just remember their being escalators - how do strollers & wheelchairs get around?

there are elevators at all stops, though sometimes they are not easy to spot right away.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

They will also list elevator closures--so if you stop has a broken elevator, you would go to an adjacent stop--and they have special transfer busses that are free and wheelchair accessible. I would assume that would have to include a chair lift--and then they will take you to where you would have gotten off.

If when you get off the metro--you will see the station signs on the wall and often they will have a wheelchair and an arrow.

Just make sure you are in good position to board the train--and with exception of a very busy and crowded rush hour--you can easily board the train. All cars are wide enough for the scooter and people will push aside to make room.

(They do this when I have strollers and I have seen them do this for others--I find the metro to have mostly polite people barring an unusual circumstance like the rain this week).

 

[tkd lisa]

I have taken the boat to Mt. Vernon. It is fun, but you have to walk up a BIG hill to get to the exhibit area, and then back down to get to DC. Given your ankle problems, it's probably not a good choice for you.

I also agree Crystal City is a fairly nice area. I spent LOTS of time there! I think the Radisson must be fairly new. I googled it, and it didn't look familiar, but I know exactly where it is. It's very convenient to the metro.

And yes, the subway portion of the metro is very accessible. Listen to the announcements because they will occasionally have an elevator outage, which is announced throughout the system. It will say something like "Huntington Station is experiencing elevator outage".

Rental cars may seem the way to go, but recognize that traffic and parking in DC can be very difficult. Almost everywhere is paid parking (even your hotel), and the roads aren't very well marked in my opinion. I think you'll be better off with a shuttle to the hotel, and public transportation/cabs during the trip. I'd suggest you call the hotel and see if they recommend a shuttle service.

Have a good trip!

 

[mrsltg]

The Hilton Garden Inn is diagonally across the street from my office building. When we have travellers in town they often stay there. It's very nice and in a good location. There are lots of local breakfast/lunch places and nice restaurants around for dinner. The hotel is directly across the street from the Blue Line metro.

I would get a car service instead of a cab. It'll cost about the same as the distance between BWI and DC is significant.

Have a great trip!

 

[rascalmom]

Thanks everybody! I'm feeling less stressed now. We'll plan on using a rental car for Monticello.

Can anyone recommend a good car service from BWI to DC?

 

[Christine]

Thanks everybody! I'm feeling less stressed now. We'll plan on using a rental car for Monticello.



Can anyone recommend a good car service from BWI to DC?

I think someone posted some links earlier in the thread--Super Shuttle and Washington Flyer are the well-known ones.

As for the Radisson, I vaguely remember the Days Inn when I used to work in Crystal City. I wouldn't call it seedy but not one of the nicer ones. If I was staying in Crystal City, I would stay at the Marriott Gateway. It is directly over top of the Metro station so it is really just a snap to get on and off from there. If you really wanted to treat yourself, you could stay at the Ritz-Carlton at Pentagon City Mall. The hotel is located within a decent shopping mall and Metro station. Pricey, though, I'm POSITIVE!!

 

[KimDis]

If you have no concerns for cost, hire a car service. You can find a local one on www.superpages.com

I wouldn't take one of the cabs at the airport. They WILL charge you more than $50 to get to VA from BWI. At that point you are at the rate a rental car would be anyway. And with the exception of travel within downtown DC it's always better to drive in this area.

If you are reasonably good with google maps or randmcnally.com please rent a car for your entire stay. The rates are pretty reasonable at BWI. Even better, just get GPS w/ your rental. BWI is 35 minutes north of DC and 45-50 minutes away from Crysal City.

FYI you can find out about most hotels on www.tripadvisor.com
They have been priceless to me in making hotel decisions.

Enjoy, it's pretty here now that it's stopped raining!

 

[justhat]

Cabs are pricey from BWI to DC-we did it once and I think it was around $40 or $50. But if you take a Super Shuttle you're paying per person which would equal the cab or exceed it, plus you have to make stops. Like a Mears van, if you have more than x number of people then a towncar is cheaper and doesn't stop at a bunch of hotels.

I don't really know about your hotels, but I'm sure they're fine as the area is fine. My mom just stayed at the Washington Court and she liked it-it's very close to Union Station which is nice too. The Omni Shoreham, is that the Omni near the zoo? If so, that's a really nice area-very close to where I live so I know it's safe and there are lots or restaurants in walking distance. The elevator at that Metro stop is being refurbished though (the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop on the red line) so you'd have to take a shuttle to Cleveland Park or Dupont Circle if you need an elevator to get to the metro.

 

[tiggerlover]

We stayed at the Radisson Crystal City on Father's Day weekend. It was a nice hotel in a good location to the metro. It was a short block and a half walk to the metro station and there were a ton of restaurants within walking distance. The hotel rooms were very nice, we had the units with the sleep number beds, there was indeed a fridge and a mircrowave too. We were a family of three and we were comfortable in the room, not sure if all rooms are the same size though for larger groups or different bed sizes. The pool was smaller than we thought, but was fine for the time we spent there, it is inground and on the roof top. We didn't use the restaurant in the hotel as it seemed pricey to us. At the Metro there is the Crystal City shops and there is a couple of places in there you can grab breakfast that was reasonable before hopping on the metro.

Also, there is a car rental place attached to the parking garage adjacent to the hotel, I think it was Enterprise.

Have a great trip, we truly enjoyed the 4 days we were there.