Washington DC/Virginia Transit System ??

[Lilacs4Me]

Anyone here know the DC area?

DH and I will be in Washington DC from May 21-25th. The first few days, we have the option of either booking a hotel and relying on mass transit or staying with my uncle and his family in the Springfield area and renting a car. On May 23, we will be moving to a hotel in the Arlington/Pentagon area for the rest of the trip.*

I have stayed with my relatives before (they insisted and they are amazing, hospitable, wonderful people to stay with and spend time with, but because of that, I feel bad putting them out for us. He has a very stressful military job, and she is an older SAHM of a 3 year old and 1-year old twins. If we stay with them, she will go above and beyond planning/cooking meals and making sure we are comfortable, and I just don't want to do that to her! And, we will need a car due to where they live, to get to the Metro station and back, which will cost more than a Holiday Inn or wherever, for 3 days. And I really don't want to drive a car around DC anyway. We would basically be driving it from their house to the Metro station and parking it all day.

So, how is the bus system in this area? I found a 3.5 star hotel in Falls Church for $60/night. Is that a good area? And is the bussing/train system good from Regan National Airport to Falls Church and back again? We will have our luggage with us when w arrive, and again when we switch hotels. We are not intimidated by the mass transit system - we live in the Chicago suburbs and take the Metra trains/busses around the city all the time. It's pretty similar to the Metro in DC.

There are other hotels in the Alexandria and Mt. Vernon areas. I know Alexandria because we went there last time, but is there transit out to Mt. Vernon from the airport?

*(staying at the same hotel the whole time is not an option - DH's work is paying for the hotel for his convention on the 24th and 25th, and it is over $400/night.)

 

[JaxDad]

I am much more familiar with the MetroRail system rather than the MetroBus system. There are a couple Falls Church rail stations, but convenience will of course depend on your specific hotel location. It is VERY easy to catch the rail from Reagan. Alexandria would be preferable to Falls Church and Mt. Vernon, I think. It is directly on the rail, on the same line and just two stops from Reagan. I used a rail/bus combo to go to Mt. Vernon in December. It was easy but not as convenient as a home base.

If you haven't done so, check out the metro website for maps and trip info.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Thanks - I did pull up the transit map and see that there are main bus routes that go through Falls Church, so I think we would be OK. But do you know how the area is? Is it safe area to walk back to a hotel from at night? I pulled up the city-stats online and it looks like it is, but I've never been there, so I just want to make sure!

 

[JaxDad]

I'm sorry, but my local knowledge of the Falls Church area is very dated. Hopefully someone with more recent knowledge will reply. Have you tried calling the hotel and asking them?

Also, did you try calling the conference hotel and ask about a reduced rate for the two nights prior to your check-in there? I doubt you will get much, but it might be worth asking...

 

[clutter]

There can be some pretty sketchy hotels in some pretty sketchy places in Falls Church. Same with Alexandria (especially the Mount Vernon area). And for that price....

Sorry, I'd stay with a name chain, and not all of them.

 

[SarahWeasley]

"Falls Church" can encompass a huge area, honestly. I don't think anyone could tell you much of anything without being more specific about what area you're talking about.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

That's kind of what I was thinking; if the hotel prices are *that* good, sometimes it's because it's not in a great area. I guess I'll just ask my uncle. But the last time I did that, the only "hotel/area" he would recommend was his house So I was trying to research through other ways first.

 

[Ladcassidy]

I always suggest that Washington DC visitors stay in one of the known chain hotels near Reagan National Airport (sometimes called Crystal City). It sounds like that is the same general area where you will be for the rest of your trip. Almost every brand name hotel you can think of is represented in that area. It is safe, walkable, has a multitude of shops and restaurants, and is very convenient to tourist DC by taxi, Uber, or Metro. (I live in the area, so am very familiar with it). Orbitz is showing rooms available for less than $100/ night over your travel dates.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I was looking there, too....there are 3.5 and 4 star hotels for $70-100 on Hotwire as well

 

[Monykalyn]

Also-if you have a specific area/hotel in mind go to the forums on tripadvisor and DC area and look/ask. The wonderful folks there helped me when I was deciding on a VRBO.