Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-26-2009, 06:38 PM
 
303 posts, read 918,111 times
Reputation: 117

Advertisements

Next Friday, I can leave Vienna no earlier than 6 pm. My plane will depart National Airport no later than 8 pm. Which is faster - to take the Metro or to be driven and dropped off (therefore no parking issues)? Are there now system-wide Metro slowdowns due to the train-sensing defects? All opinions welcome!

Also, I guess that just answered the earlier post regarding how I refer to DCA.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-26-2009, 07:16 PM
 
Location: Fairfax County
1,534 posts, read 3,725,397 times
Reputation: 509
Personally I would take Metro vs. have someone do the driving. Of course if you are traveling with lots of bags, then I would skip Metro.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2009, 07:57 PM
 
303 posts, read 918,111 times
Reputation: 117
Thanks for the advice! Would you take the Metro because you like the Metro, or because you think it will be faster? Speed will be everything! I'll have just one carry-on, as I can't be sure I'll have the time to check anything.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2009, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Fairfax County
1,534 posts, read 3,725,397 times
Reputation: 509
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppelganger69 View Post
Thanks for the advice! Would you take the Metro because you like the Metro, or because you think it will be faster? Speed will be everything! I'll have just one carry-on, as I can't be sure I'll have the time to check anything.
I think it would be faster to take the Metro, especially on a Friday afternoon when Everyone is Going This Way and That. I know that traffic is less in the summer due to school being out, vacations, etc., but I have found Friday afternoons just plain weird in the summer. I think the usual traffic patterns are out the window and you just have no idea what you are going to run into (hopefully not literally!).

And when I take the Metro I do so for speed, not out of love.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 04:59 AM
 
446 posts, read 1,648,280 times
Reputation: 151
If you are on the Vienna platform at 6pm, you should get to National before 7pm so you could have your "hour before takeoff." This sounds a bit tight and if you are checking bags or had kids or a handicapped person, I'd be even more nervous.

Good luck.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 06:18 AM
 
Location: Springfield VA
4,036 posts, read 9,244,748 times
Reputation: 1522
Traffic is going to be awfully heavy at that time. You'll take 66 to 110. I would guess 45 minutes but 66 is sooooo unpredictable. It's not neccesarily faster but it's just more practical to take the metro because you don't have to worry about paying $50 for a cab ride or begging someone for a ride. Also the metro is more predictable than the freeway.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 06:41 AM
 
125 posts, read 404,371 times
Reputation: 69
When we were there 2 wks ago we were on the metro going past National. There were quite a few people there from separate parties and I overheard their conversation about just this. They all thought it worked out great for them but I did notice they had minimal luggage. I agree with the other posters. Though I don't live there yet I'm seeing erratic traffic patterns and think the metro might be more reliable though not certain
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 09:30 AM
 
Location: Arlington, VA
2,021 posts, read 4,615,978 times
Reputation: 1673
I hate hauling luggage on the Metro when flying out of National but Friday evening traffic is just too unpredictable to chance it. I would go with Metro but I wouldn't go any later than 6 or you risk not making it in time to do the usual airport check-in, security, etc. before your 8 pm flight. You better hope there aren't any delays on the Orange Line either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 10:01 AM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,431 posts, read 25,814,526 times
Reputation: 10450
Because of the need to transfer to the blue line, I would drive. Even with heavy traffic you will get there faster. Try 66 to 29 Lee Highway and then take Spout Run pkwy to Gw Parkway.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-27-2009, 10:21 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
993 posts, read 2,491,119 times
Reputation: 309
I don't think you can leave your car for more than 24 hours in the Vienna parking lot, unless you are getting dropped off there. I would get to Vienna at 5:30pm, you never know how long it will take.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:25 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top