Washington DC metro question

[tweetylori]

Ya'll are making me more excited to go now!! We're definitely going to do the Crime and Punishment Museum and the Spy Museum... those are my DH's top of the list... Newseum, I hadn't really thought about it. (mostly because I hate watching the news!!) but I'll go out to the website and take a look. That was one that our Congressman recommended also.

Has anyone ventured into Chinatown to eat at night? We're going to be near Chinatown, so I thought that might be fun to do at night to get some good food.... I've been pouring through the guidebooks where to go for breakfast & dinners that aren't overly expensive. It's a bit overwhelming!!

And Grace&Carolinesmom I believe you're right... from what it looks like, you could spend a month there!!

Oh, one thing we REALLY want to do (since most everything closes around 6 pm) is to take a night tour of the monuments either by bus or trolley. That looked really cool to do and you get out and walk around..... I'm looking forward to photographing the monuments at night. Has anyone done the night tours? Are they worth it ?

Food options in Chinatown are very good, depending on what you're in the mood for. My absolute fave of all time is Matchbox, but it can be very very crowded at peak times. What kinds of food might you be interested in and I could make other suggestions as well?

 

[Swimalie]

I went out to Newseum's website and found 2 things that I REALLY got excited for .... the 7th floor balcony (all I kept thinking was AWESOME picture opportunity of the Capitol!) and the 4D movie....of which now my DH can't live without going... so we're definitely going now!

I did find that you can take a day cruise to Mt. Vernon.... that looks really fun. We hadn't thought about that. We were going to do the metro/ bus to Mt. Vernon, but this looks like a nice route. (although it's about $ 45 pp).

I hadn't thought about NOT doing a night tour, but you make a good point. We can certainly walk, that's for sure. Is it relatively safe to walk around at night at all the monuments? I know like in any city, you want to be aware of your surroundings at all times, but if we can just walk the National Mall at night to the monuments, I'm all for that....

We moved to the area and did the cruise to Mt Vernon and it is well worth it. Check some of the local discount sites that people have mentioned for a possible sale.

I see you have a 7 year old. I have an 8 year old and am not ready to take him to the crime and punishment or holocaust museums. We have done the spy museum and won't go back. Not worth it until they are older and can do the spy in the city program. I recommend, if you can drive there, the Air and Space Udvar Hazy museum. It is by Dulles airport and well worth it.

 

[sydneysmom]

We went the opposite - we didn't end up at ANY museums that we had to pay for, other than renting a car and paying for parking at Udvar-Hazy (worth every penny, BTW), but our food budget was more than hotel and transportation combined. We live in small town nowhere so we tend to go a little nuts with the nice, ethnic, and creative dining opportunities when we're visiting big cities.

We did hit a couple of less expensive places, though. The cafe at the Native American museum on the Mall is excellent, very unusual and well-prepared and nothing like you'd expect of museum cafe food. Their focus is on foods native to the Americas and serve some really interesting dishes - we had bison burger, a rabbit and venison stew with cornbread, pork and chicken tacos, and a trio of sliders (turkey, bison, and I don't remember the third). Bolt Burgers, which IIRC was at 11th or 12th and L St NW, serves great burgers with some pretty interesting toppings. Plus they have a Coke Freestyle machine, which my kids always love.

We decided to do the Crime and Punishment Museum, Newseum and the Spy Museum. All of those sound really good.... we'll see if we actually have time for all. I also do want to see Ford's Theater. Our Congressman has us booked for a tour of the Capitol, the National Cathedral and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. (I should be glad everything closes early... we might need the sleep!)

I looked up that menu at the Native American museum and it looks good!! We're making a note of that one to try for lunch. I really appreciate your advice !!

There is confusion here on the thread that needs to be cleared up regarding the smart trip cards, fare passes and fare cards.

There is a $1 surcharge added for people using paper Metro Farecards. These are paper fare cards that can be bought in vending machines with differing dollar amounts.

A fare pass like the 7 day fast pass, the 7 day short trip pass, etc are paper BUT there is no $1 surcharge on the paper pass cards.

The SmarTrip card is a permanent reloadable card.

As a tourist who does not plan to return in the near future, there really is no need to pay the extra for a reloadable plastic card. We really thought the 7 day short trip pass was great. It is valid for unlimited rides for 7 days as long as the trip fare is under $3.50 during peak travel times. There is no restriction for fare "cost" during non-peak travel times. The fare pass is activated the first time it is used and can be used for 7 consecutive days. Just note these are not 24 hour "days" from the time of activation but calendar days. So whether your first trip is at 8am or 8 pm, that is day one of your pass.

Now if you think your Metro trips will be way under $35 per person or you are staying for say 8-10 days, then by all means, go for the SmarTrip reloadable. We found it great that we never had to think about how much we had left on our card and that the pass was unlimited. After checking the fare tracker for peak times, there were never any trips that we would be taking that would be over the $3.50 limitation.

I hope that helps

That helps a great deal, actually, thank you!! From the WMATA website, it seems like you have to order the plastic SmarTrip card and THEN purchase the 7 day short trip pass.... this makes WAY more sense... I think what we'll need to do is look at our 'long' trips and add those up (Arlington, National Cathedral, to Pier 4 and back to Reagan National) and see what that adds up to. The 7 day short pass (paper) may work just fine. Thank you for explaining that.... I'll tell you, as an outsider, their website does not explain it very good.... I need "Metro for Dummies" apparently!

Food options in Chinatown are very good, depending on what you're in the mood for. My absolute fave of all time is Matchbox, but it can be very very crowded at peak times. What kinds of food might you be interested in and I could make other suggestions as well?

That's funny that you mention Matchbox... when I was on the DC Dining site, I saw that restaurant and it looked REALLY good!! that's one that we're going to try for dinner for sure!!

We moved to the area and did the cruise to Mt Vernon and it is well worth it. Check some of the local discount sites that people have mentioned for a possible sale.

I see you have a 7 year old. I have an 8 year old and am not ready to take him to the crime and punishment or holocaust museums. We have done the spy museum and won't go back. Not worth it until they are older and can do the spy in the city program. I recommend, if you can drive there, the Air and Space Udvar Hazy museum. It is by Dulles airport and well worth it.

I told my husband about the cruise to Mt.Vernon, and he's VERY excited for that... we decided to not do the night tour of the monuments by trolley, and use that money to take the cruise to Mt. Vernon.... we figure we really want to walk to the monuments anyway, so this will be good. And I'd much rather take the cruise down the Potomac to Mt. Vernon. It looks like we can take the green line Metro from close to our hotel right down near the Pier. So that's handy!

We won't have our daughter this trip, only us... so I'm not worried about any of the museums. But I agree, if we had her, I would certainly tailor it differently.

 

[Swimalie]

I told my husband about the cruise to Mt.Vernon, and he's VERY excited for that... we decided to not do the night tour of the monuments by trolley, and use that money to take the cruise to Mt. Vernon.... we figure we really want to walk to the monuments anyway, so this will be good. And I'd much rather take the cruise down the Potomac to Mt. Vernon. It looks like we can take the green line Metro from close to our hotel right down near the Pier. So that's handy!

We won't have our daughter this trip, only us... so I'm not worried about any of the museums. But I agree, if we had her, I would certainly tailor it differently.

Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

When I was planning for our trip to DC, I found TONS of useful information on the Tripadvisor forum for WashDC. There are lots of locals who hang out there and give the inside tips on best restaurants, hotels, tours, etc. If you have never checked it out, I highly recommend

 

[hlg22]

There is confusion here on the thread that needs to be cleared up regarding the smart trip cards, fare passes and fare cards.

There is a $1 surcharge added for people using paper Metro Farecards. These are paper fare cards that can be bought in vending machines with differing dollar amounts.

A fare pass like the 7 day fast pass, the 7 day short trip pass, etc are paper BUT there is no $1 surcharge on the paper pass cards.

The SmarTrip card is a permanent reloadable card.

As a tourist who does not plan to return in the near future, there really is no need to pay the extra for a reloadable plastic card. We really thought the 7 day short trip pass was great. It is valid for unlimited rides for 7 days as long as the trip fare is under $3.50 during peak travel times. There is no restriction for fare "cost" during non-peak travel times. The fare pass is activated the first time it is used and can be used for 7 consecutive days. Just note these are not 24 hour "days" from the time of activation but calendar days. So whether your first trip is at 8am or 8 pm, that is day one of your pass.

Now if you think your Metro trips will be way under $35 per person or you are staying for say 8-10 days, then by all means, go for the SmarTrip reloadable. We found it great that we never had to think about how much we had left on our card and that the pass was unlimited. After checking the fare tracker for peak times, there were never any trips that we would be taking that would be over the $3.50 limitation.

I hope that helps

This is no longer correct. The 7 day short trip pass, etc. used to be a paper pass. BUT they transitioned it over to SmarTrip-only mid last year, and it is no longer available as a paper pass, even for tourists.

DC is a strange city in that you have, in some places, ghettos practically next door to nice areas. The first time I was there we stayed further out, around Dupont Circle IIRC, and just walking to the store took us into a neighborhood I wasn't particularly comfortable in (and I'm a born and raised Detroiter, I'm pretty comfortable with big cities as a whole). We didn't run into that at all on this trip and we walked everywhere, only took the Metro one day to get to the zoo. There's a huge Walgreens in Chinatown if you need soda or OTC meds or anything, a nice wine/spirits shop a few blocks north on 9th & M, and dining of Chinatown/Gallery Place, all of which felt safe, well-lit, and comfortable to walk to.

I have to take issue with this, as a petite female who has lived here for 13+ years and frequently walks by myself..."ghettos," really?!?

Yes, there is crime here (it's a major city) and yes, there are nicer areas and less nice areas. I would not walk around areas of Southeast DC by myself, but these are not places a tourist would find themselves in in any event. And Dupont Circle, where I worked for 7 years, is only "further out" in the sense that it is not right next to the main tourist attractions on the Mall. It is a very central, lovely neighborhood (lots of great restaurants) and I cannot think of any surrounding area that is at all questionable today (if your visit was 15+ years ago and you walked from Dupont toward Logan Circle...maybe). A tourist might go to dinner in areas like 14th St. NW, and H St. NE which are very popular, safe and trendy areas, but are still developing so you might see a boarded up storefront next to a hot new restaurant, if you find that scary. Actually, the only area I can think of that a tourist might find themselves in and that I would caution against at night, is the area to the east of Chinatown, between Chinatown and the Judiciary Square metro. The area around the courthouses can be quite empty at night and there is a big homeless shelter nearby - there is a fair amount of prostitution and drug dealing that goes on there.

 

[Colleen27]

I have to take issue with this, as a petite female who has lived here for 13+ years and frequently walks by myself..."ghettos," really?!?

Yes, there is crime here (it's a major city) and yes, there are nicer areas and less nice areas. I would not walk around areas of Southeast DC by myself, but these are not places a tourist would find themselves in in any event. And Dupont Circle, where I worked for 7 years, is only "further out" in the sense that it is not right next to the main tourist attractions on the Mall. It is a very central, lovely neighborhood (lots of great restaurants) and I cannot think of any surrounding area that is at all questionable today (if your visit was 15+ years ago and you walked from Dupont toward Logan Circle...maybe). A tourist might go to dinner in areas like 14th St. NW, and H St. NE which are very popular, safe and trendy areas, but are still developing so you might see a boarded up storefront next to a hot new restaurant, if you find that scary. Actually, the only area I can think of that a tourist might find themselves in and that I would caution against at night, is the area to the east of Chinatown, between Chinatown and the Judiciary Square metro. The area around the courthouses can be quite empty at night and there is a big homeless shelter nearby - there is a fair amount of prostitution and drug dealing that goes on there.

I meant no offense, I really like DC as a whole. I'm coming from the perspective of a Detroiter, where there's quite a divide between the places a tourist/visitor would be and the neighborhoods you'd want to avoid. It isn't easy to wander from one to the other unaware. When I managed to do so on my first trip to DC it came as a real shock.

I did say I might have the neighborhood of that first visit wrong - it has been almost 20 years, after all. It made quite an impression; we left our nice hotel looking for a place to grab a couple of sodas, and ended up at a store with bars on the windows and obvious drug deals going on out front. Like I said, I'm a born and raised Detroiter - it takes more than a boarded up storefront or two to make me nervous - but I've never experienced anything quite like that in any other city, where the distance between $200/night hotel rooms (in 1995 dollars) and street corner dealers was only a block or two.

 

[hlg22]

I meant no offense, I really like DC as a whole. I'm coming from the perspective of a Detroiter, where there's quite a divide between the places a tourist/visitor would be and the neighborhoods you'd want to avoid. It isn't easy to wander from one to the other unaware. When I managed to do so on my first trip to DC it came as a real shock.

I did say I might have the neighborhood of that first visit wrong - it has been almost 20 years, after all. It made quite an impression; we left our nice hotel looking for a place to grab a couple of sodas, and ended up at a store with bars on the windows and obvious drug deals going on out front. Like I said, I'm a born and raised Detroiter - it takes more than a boarded up storefront or two to make me nervous - but I've never experienced anything quite like that in any other city, where the distance between $200/night hotel rooms (in 1995 dollars) and street corner dealers was only a block or two.

Aha. DC 20 years ago was a TOTALLY different city. The crack houses in the area from Dupont to Logan Circle have now been turned into multi-million dollar mansions, there's a Whole Foods, popular restaurants, etc. Now there are still neighborhoods in DC that are in the process of "gentrifying" and a little rough around the edges, but it would be much harder to find yourself in a truly dangerous neighborhood if sticking to the standard tourist areas and downtown neighborhoods.

 

[Judique]

Aha. DC 20 years ago was a TOTALLY different city. The crack houses in the area from Dupont to Logan Circle have now been turned into multi-million dollar mansions, there's a Whole Foods, popular restaurants, etc. Now there are still neighborhoods in DC that are in the process of "gentrifying" and a little rough around the edges, but it would be much harder to find yourself in a truly dangerous neighborhood if sticking to the standard tourist areas and downtown neighborhoods.

I've been around the area for 30 plus years and I have to agree completely. There has been tremendous change in the whole area. Someone mentioned the area around 14th and H Street. That's a 180 turnaround just in that corridor.

Row houses a block away from the Capitol were amazing bargains - they've all been snapped up and renovated.