washington dc area vacation

[funhouse8]

OK, I'm thinking of going with my daughter to Washington, DC over Easter break. I won't have a car. Where should I stay? I'm not looking for an expensive hotel just one in a good area close to all. Any suggestions. Oh and we will be traveling there by Amtrak train. Thanks

 

[LukenDC]

Hotels in DC can be pricey but you may be able to find a good deal on a discount hotel site. Good, safe areas to stay that are relatively close to the action include areas adjacent to the Mall, 16th Street between H Street and Massachusetts Ave, Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, and Arlington, VA. DC's subway system is called Metro and it is clean and safe. The downtown area is compact and perfect for walking.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[pjlla]

Do a search here for that info. There have been many posts lately about this subject. Good luck... have fun............P

 

[Jennifer S]

We went to DC last summer. It was nice - a lot of walking and it is pricey. Museums are free but everything else cost- esp. the hotels.

The have great transportation so if you can get a hotel near a Metro stop that would be great.

Do a search there was a huge thread in the summer allabout visiting DC.

Do the DC Duck tour. My kids loved it. Also I think you should be there during the Cherry Blossom festival- beautiful but busy.

Have fun!

 

[ford family]

We stayed at the Wyndham City Centre which is close to both Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom Metro stations, giving us more route flexibility, and about fifteen minutes walk to the White House.
The tram tour is excellent. You can jump on and off all day as you circle around all the tourist spots. Must do's include the Presidential Memorials, Arlington Cemetery, tour of the Capitol Building, the Holocaust Museum and anyone of the sixteen or so Smithsonians (which are free!). Don't miss out Ford's Theatre (no relation) which is a good place to visit whilst you wait for your Hard Rock reservation time to come up at the corner of that street.
The city is an extremely impressive place to visit.

ford family

 

[Mercy]

My DH and I recently did an overnight trip to Alexandria, VA... which is right next to DC. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Old Town Alexandria and the Metro runs right across the street from this hotel. You can jump on the Metro and ride into DC. The Embassy Suites was very nice and not that expensive, I think we paid about $140 a night, which included breakfast. Also, there are a lot of nice restaurants and shops right in Old Town Alexandria.

 

[funhouse8]

I just tried for the Embassy Suites they look great but the week I'm looking at is 259 per night. ouch! Any one else? Does anyone have any tips for priceline. Would I be able to get a hotel that is close to the metro or is this asking to much of them. Thanks, if I don't get a better price I just might have to put this on hold.

 

[Planogirl]

Alexandria is a great place and I had no idea that the Metro even went there! Great info, thanks.

The monuments and museums are free and all of them are wonderful. We also enjoyed seeing the National Cathedral, the Library of Congress (beautiful!) and Arlington Cemetary. I thought that the FBI thing was dull but that's just me.

I wish that we could take a train there. That sounds like fun.

 

[justhat]

I live right across the street from the Wyndham City Center (though it's no longer a Wyndham, just City Center Hotel now) and it's generally very resonably priced and in a good area. Our family often stays there when they visit. I'm not sure exactly when Easter is this year, but if it coincides with the Cherry Blossoms then that will surely drive the cost of hotel rooms up so look into that. I think the Blossom parade is 4/8 this year and peak is usually around that time so check into that.

Also, I would definitely look into the hotels in the Crystal City area. There are a ton of them and they've got a metro stop, plus some shopping right in the area. It's a safe area, but you won't be blown away by it's beauty so don't go thinking it's got a great view. It's mostly hotels and office buildings, then a couple of tinier mall type places and a real mall too, but very close to DC and very safe.

 

[disney1990]

I'll look around and see what prices I can come up with. (Do you have a price you are aiming for?) Please let me know before you decided to book a hotel in DC. There are too many areas that you don't want to be in. That said, the tourist areas, Smithsonian, Monuments and the Mall areas are fairly safe places to be.

We live in MD about 15 miles outside of DC.

 

[funhouse8]

I'll look around and see what prices I can come up with. (Do you have a price you are aiming for?) Please let me know before you decided to book a hotel in DC. There are too many areas that you don't want to be in. That said, the tourist areas, Smithsonian, Monuments and the Mall areas are fairly safe places to be.

We live in MD about 15 miles outside of DC.

Thanks so much. I will talk with you before I book anything. But right know my DH is telling me I'm out of my mind for even thinking about going to Washington by myself with my DD. (When I asked him why, He siad because you are only 4foot 11. What does that mean?) I really would love to do this but now I'm second guessing myself.
I'll check out the hotels in the Crystal City area like Justhat suggested. Thanks. Gina

 

[justhat]

I'm only about 4 inches taller than you and I live here!! Honestly, DC is a very safe city, I never feel at all threatened walking around by myself, even at night. Over the summer we'd take a walk every night before my daughter went to bed and even on nights that my husband was on call I'd go myself without a problem, and it was generally dark when I'd go. Really, the bad parts of DC are not where you'd be going cause there are no touristy things there (like SE DC) so you really don't need to worry about safety any more than you would in LI (and I say that coming from NJ, in a very small, safe NYC suburb).

 

[kilee]

We just had a thread within the last 2 weeks on the Budget Board about this. We're going to D.C. for 4-5 nights in February.

Here is a link to that thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=983746&highlight=Washington

It got to be several pages long and had quite a few good hotel recommendations in it.

 

[funhouse8]

thanks all, OK new question. If I use priceline for a hotel in Alexandria what are my chances that I won't be in walking distance to the metro. Are all the hotels in this area walkable. Can I tell them I want to be near the metro? Sorry to sound so dumb but I never did priceline and I'm not sure how it works.

 

[Christine]

Really, the bad parts of DC are not where you'd be going cause there are no touristy things there (like SE DC)

Ha!!! This is where I work!

 

[Christine]

thanks all, OK new question. If I use priceline for a hotel in Alexandria what are my chances that I won't be in walking distance to the metro. Are all the hotels in this area walkable. Can I tell them I want to be near the metro? Sorry to sound so dumb but I never did priceline and I'm not sure how it works.

In Crystal City, there is one Metro stop. One of the Marriott's is directly over top of it. If you end up on either end of Crystal City, it will be quite a hike on to the Metro station and not one I'd want to make at night.

As for Alexandria, I believe that stop is the King Street metro station and, yes, you could also end up VERY far from there.

 

[Janet Hill]

There are only two hotels within a reasonble walking distance of King Street Metro-- Hilton and Embassy Suites. There is a Holiday Inn within walking distance of the Eisenhower Ave metro station. Not a very nice looking area, but a safe area. Since this is a bit off the beaten path, it may be cheaper. I see lots of tourists using metro from this hotel as I commute this route everyday.

 

[MissBubbles]

Thanks for starting this thread - my best friend and I are debating where to go for our annual vacation and this is in the top 5. I'll be sure to search the DB too and see what advice was given in prior threads.

 

[justhat]

Ha!!! This is where I work!

I worked in SE DC too, at a kids mental health clinic off of MLK Ave, near the Anacostia metro. Not the worst area in the world per se, but I wouldn't recommend tourists to hang out there. I have to admit I was sorta happy that I had my daughter and had to quit.

I agree that some hotels can be a far walk from the Crystal City Metro, but some of them have free shuttles to the metro and I believe some have free airport shuttles, and since there's a metro stop at the airport that's always an option too. Also the Pentagon City stop can be close depending on the hotel.

 

[WDWorld2003]

Just bumping for hotel ideas..... we are considering DC for a vacation in March, also...