Washington DC trip report

[MidgeD79]

We stayed at the BestWestern Fairfax for 3 days and used the city bus and Metro to go to the Museum of American History and Museum of Natural History. It cost $66 round trip to get there from our hotel. The bus/metro were clean and we always had a seat. We drove to Mount Vernon and my 14 year-old dgd liked it the best. That night we did the DC at Night lights tour and it was very good but long (3 hours). It didn't rain until the morning that we left and it was VERY HOT!!! I spent as much time in the pool as the kids did. I'm glad we went, but we won't be going back anytime soon. If it's going to hot, I'd rather be at WDW.

 

[minniebeth]

Thanks for the trip report, MidgeD79! We are going soon. We are still searching for some inexpensive lunch ideas other than the museum cafeterias. Can I ask you what you did for meals during the day? Any other suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[MidgeD79]

We ate lunch at the museums. There was no way I was going to leave the building and go search for another place to eat. The most we paid for to eat at the museums was $43 for 5 of us and much of the food was thrown away because we couldn't finish all of it. Drinks are $3.95 with free refills. After that first meal we started sharing food and drinks -usually 3 drinks a sandwich or two with fries and a cup of fruit. We were hungry, but didn't need a lot to refresh us- much like at WDW. On the way back from Mount Vernon we stopped at a Denny's close to our hotel. I was the only adult and drivng in a strange place was intimidating. I found out you can make u-turns unless otherwise noted.

 

[Christine]

It cost $66 round trip to get there from our hotel.

YOWZA!!!!! Was the price of the hotel worth the difference in transportation costs? Just wondering. That seems really high.

As for the meals in the museums, I would have probably done the same. It's really a lot of trouble to leave unless you can time the completion of a museum at the lunch hour. We also split a lot of meals at Disney so that's probably what we'd do also, if we ate in DC. Kids tend not to eat much.

 

[MidgeD79]

The hotel was $129 for Tues, Wed, Thurs and $79 for Fri. We didn't have to pay to park our car and there was a refrigerator/microwave in the room. We did have cheaper options of eating other than downtown DC. We could have cut the cost by half if we rode the Metro after 9:30 am and before 3pm, but that would have cramped our "rope drop/beat the crowds" museum plan. Most of the hotels that I saw in DC cost more per night, had a $30-$40 per night cost to park your car and many didn't have a swimming pool or refrigerator. It was worth it for us to have all of the extra things that we wanted.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We are here in Baltimore and we will be touring DC this weekend and the following week. We did go to DC this past weekend to do a White House Tour that I set up a few weeks ago and it was really neat. We left after the tour because it was raining.

OP, I found DC very confusing!! What was the best way that you found to get around? We are thinking about using the Metro. I think you can get weekly passes.

 

[czycropper]

wdwmomof3 - use the Metro which is very convenient and the maps at the MetroStations are wonderful. If you drive in and not used to DC it can be confusing mostly because of all the circles but after you get the hang of it, it's great. I lived there for many years and it's still my favorite city - have a great time visiting and keep cool since this is the hottest time to go visit - yep, I was one of those that would be on vacation in late July/early August because of the weather

 

[NotUrsula]

$66 per day? How many people are we talking about? For that you could take 5 people in from Baltimore RT on the MARC train, so I'm presuming you had a large group.

 

[Tina]

I'm curious about the $66 too. I don't think a cab all the way to the museum would have cost that much!

 

[MidgeD79]

We only drove into DC once and that was for the the night time tour of the monuments. I used mapquest and found the Old Post Office, but parking was another story. I found parking sign near the Old Post Office, but had to go around the block because we had passed it. It was in the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. I wouldn't drive in DC if I had a choice. There were 5 in my party. It cost $1.60 each way per person for the bus and $5 each way for the Metro per person.

 

[MidgeD79]

I think the passes are restricted to certain times of the day - from after 9:30 am and before 3 pm. Does anyone else have a definate answer?

 

[eduk8r26]

We're leaving in 2 weeks for Williamsburg and Washington DC. We'll be staying at BW Fairfax also. Can you park at the Metro and avoid taking the bus?

 

[MidgeD79]

You can park at the Metro for a fee (Idon't remember how much) but it fills up quickly. I was was worried about not finding a spot and then not know what to do. The hotel was great.

 

[TDC Nala]

Heck, my monthly commute on the metro now totals $170 for just me to go downtown and back after the 18% price hike. Starting August 1 there will be an extra 20 cent surcharge per trip to travel in the ultra-peak rush hour. Also a 25 cent surcharge for using paper farecards rather than the reloadable SmarTrip cards.

Parking fees at Metro stations are pretty high. Staying in the Fairfax Best Western I'd assume you are looking to park in Vienna. The daily parking fee is $4.50. There's no charge on weekends or federal holidays.

 

[golfgal]

I think the passes are restricted to certain times of the day - from after 9:30 am and before 3 pm. Does anyone else have a definate answer?

Depends on the pass, the weekly unlimited pass does not have restrictions but the daily unlimited ones do.

 

[TDC Nala]

This is on www.wmata.com

One Day Pass $9
Pass is valid for one day of unlimited Metrorail travel on weekdays after 9:30 a.m. or all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and some federal holidays (unlimited Metrorail travel begins after 9:30 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day). Pass expires at the end of the operating day: 3 a.m. on weekends, midnight on weeknights.


7-Day Short Trip Pass $30.35
Pass is valid for seven consecutive days for Metrorail trips costing up to $3.05 from 5-9:30 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. on weekdays. If the trip costs more than $3.05, you must use the Exitfare machine to pay the additional fare. The pass is valid for any rail trip at other times. The pass will be returned for continued use during the valid period.


7-Day Fast Pass $45
Pass is valid for seven consecutive days of unlimited Metrorail travel.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

wdwmomof3 - use the Metro which is very convenient and the maps at the MetroStations are wonderful. If you drive in and not used to DC it can be confusing mostly because of all the circles but after you get the hang of it, it's great. I lived there for many years and it's still my favorite city - have a great time visiting and keep cool since this is the hottest time to go visit - yep, I was one of those that would be on vacation in late July/early August because of the weather

My DH has been working up here for a few months and this is what everyone has told him. We had to drive in last Saturday because our tour wast at 7:30 and the metro didn't open until 7am. If not for the GPS, we would have never found our way out of there.

Depends on the pass, the weekly unlimited pass does not have restrictions but the daily unlimited ones do.

I printed a map off of the internet that shows the different colored routes, but I don't see the different sight seeing things on it, so I am not sure how all of this works. Will someone explain? I am so scared we are going to get lost.

I'll tell you one more thing, this has made Disney look like a breeze!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

This is on www.wmata.com

Well, after looking at this, my best bet will be to do one day passes, wouldn't you think? There will be 6 of us and we may not need more than three days down there.

This is what I was thinking. We will be coming in from Baltimore. I was going to drive to a Metro station and ride in. So with the one day pass, I will need to be there at 9:30 to ride in, right? This one day pass will be good all day, but does it also include the Metro buses?

 

[lovemygoofy]

Well, after looking at this, my best bet will be to do one day passes, wouldn't you think? There will be 6 of us and we may not need more than three days down there.

This is what I was thinking. We will be coming in from Baltimore. I was going to drive to a Metro station and ride in. So with the one day pass, I will need to be there at 9:30 to ride in, right? This one day pass will be good all day, but does it also include the Metro buses?

Why do you need the bus? You can get pretty much anywhere touristy with the metro.

What areas are you trying to go see? For example to see the National Mall and several of the Smithsonians you can get off the blue line at the Smithsonian/National Mall stop.

There are several stops within a couple blocks of this exit so I can see why you'd be confuse. Do you have specific places you are trying to get to?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

just an FYI for those planning trips: the Newseum is offering free admission for kids thru Sept.

OP - we found the same thing at the museum restaurants, portions are large and it easy to share. Items like burritos and slices of pizza are pretty big!