Visiting Washington, DC for a few days (renting, how much)

[Qacer]

Hi!

I'm going to DC for some personal business and sight-seeing. I'm thinking of going around the 1st or 2nd week of May. I need to go somewhere along Wyoming Ave. & Connecticut Ave. for business, but other than that, the rest of my time is free for sight-seeing.

I was thinking of staying at either the Marriott in Washington-Dulles airport or the Embassy Row Marriott on Rhode Island Ave. I don't intend on renting a car because I heard that city traffic is bad.

I would like to know the following:

1. Which hotel is my best option for staying? Since I'm not renting a car, I'd like to be able to minimize the amount of money that I spend on transportation.

2. How much are the cab fares? And do they run for 24 hours?

3. What sightseeing route would you suggest? I was thinking of seeing the Smithsonian and the White House, but other than that I'm open to other options.

4. Which areas should I avoid?

5. How bad is traffic? I'd like to estimate what time I should leave for my appointment.

Thanks!

[claremarie]

1. Don't stay at Dulles. It will be time-consuming and expensive to get into DC from there.
2. Cabs are easy to get in downtown DC, especially from hotels. In DC, cabs operate on a zone system rather than meters, and the zone maps can be very difficult even for long-time residents to decipher. You may need a cab to get to your business destinations, but the major tourist attractions are accessible by Metro, which is much cheaper.
3. I would strongly advise taking the Tourmobile, at least for one of your sightseeing days. It is not cheap, but it goes to all major tourist attractions and allows you to get on or off anywhere you like, including Arlington Cemetery across the river in Virginia. One option is to do the Tourmobile on your first day, sampling different attractions and museums for short visits, and then focusing on the ones that interest you most during the rest of your visit. The first two weeks of May are usually very pleasant and warm, but be aware that DC is AWASH in tourists during that time of year, especially large rowdy groups of middle-school students from the midwest, so plan accordingly (i.e. -- get to the most popular sites the moment they are open).
Some places, such as the White House, require advance planning and tickets, so do your research before you leave.
There is more to see here than you can fit comfortably into even a week's visit. You can easily spend the week just at the various Smithsonian museums. Many of the monuments are particularly impressive at night, and since the Smithsonian museums are closed then, it can be more efficient to save the monuments for after museum hours. Not sure how late Tourmobile runs, though.
Arlington Cemetery is wonderful, especially if you get off the bus and walk part of the way, and if you time your visit to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The view of DC from the front of the Custis Mansion (just above the JFK gravesite) is not to be missed, and most people miss it because they can't be bothered to walk up there.
The view from the Washington Monument is also wonderful.
The Vietnam Veterans' memorial is located near the Lincoln Memorial, and is definitely best at night, when the lighting illuminates the names and everyone's voices are hushed. It's just not the same during the day.
4. Most of the tourist areas in DC are very safe. There were some recent violent incidents on The Mall (where most of the Smithsonian museums are located), but the security there has been much improved.
5. Traffic can be very bad. If you stay at a downtown hotel, the front desk can give you a good idea of travel times to your appointments.
Have a great trip.

[saganista]

The usual thorough and excellent advice from ClareMarie. DO NOT stay at Dulles. That would just be silly, I'd think also. The Marriot Embassy Row meanwhile is a Courtyard operation, and it's located at Scott Circle. Interesting mix over there. Kind of oddly quiet, considering that it's in the middle of a big and active city. It's about a five-block walk to the Metro, though. That would be about the only real downside I could see. You can ride Metro all day for $6.50, and it's another good way to get around. Service is frequent throughout the day, and it's open until midnight, 3:00 am on Friday's and Saturday's. In addition to Tourmobile, check out the Old Town Trolley tours, they are also very good. And for a change of pace, you might check out DC Ducks, which in 90 minutes takes you on a narrated tour of the Mall, then plop -- into the Potomac River for a mini-cruise down toward National Airport and back. If the weather is nice, the city is beautiful from the water. Anyway, as CM says, after a bit of touring, you'll have to pick and choose. There is just too much to try to see it all in a few days. My usual advice is to settle on two things that you want to see or do in a given day, then have one or two in the back of your mind in case you feel like squeezing in a third. In early May, the weather should be pretty good. In August, that third thing would almost certainly be just to sit in the shade somewhere and have a cool drink! Fortunately, there are lots of places to do that, too. If you have any particular interests or things you're fond of, post away and somebody here will be able to provide some useful information...

[Qacer]

Thanks for the very detailed response, claremarie!

[Gypsy-Moth]

I agree with everyone else about not staying at Dulles. It would take too long to get into the city each day to go sightseeing, and too much money. You can get to most places on the subway (called Metro) at very reasonable cost. All-day passes are I think $5.50. No need to spend extra money on a cab most of the time and definitely no need for a car.



Be sure to say hi to Abe!

[Moose Jockey USA]

Great advice from everyone. Given your time frame, you simply don't have enough time to see everything, so make a list of what's important to you (is it art, is it monuments? a bit of everything?). Once you've done everything on your list, then you can take in the rest at a comfortable pace knowing that you'd seen what you'd wanted to see. Start off with a city tour to ge the lay of the lad and to see what peaks your interest.
I would really devote a few days to the mall, it's monuments and the Smithsonians. Use the internet to see what exhibits are on at the Smithsonians and National Gallery of Art. I would definitly recommend the tour of the Capitol Building It was only 45 minutes and well worth it. Also the Washington Monument was worth every minute. The metro system here is better than any I have seen the world over, and extremly safe. Make the trip out to Arlington if you can.

Have a wonderful trip

[Qacer]

Thanks again for the advice ya'll!

In terms of budget, I already have an idea on how much I am going to pay for hotel (~$160 to $200 per day) and the cab fare to & from the hotel/airport (~$50 per one way). I also have an idea on how much I'm going to be paying for the metro (~$6.50 per day). I am curious about the other expenses such as food, entrance fees, etc.

I'm thinking of flying in on Thursday night and leaving sometime Sunday morning.

Any tips on this?

[Gypsy-Moth]

Most of the museums (including all the Smithsonian museums), art galleries and monuments are free. The National Zoo is also free.

I don't know about you, but I choke if I see entrees on the dinner menu for more than $20. I might do that once a year, special occasion only. I prefer spending much less than that, but someone who's a doctor or a lawyer might think $20 per person is cheap for eating out.

I like the Caravan Grill on 18th Street for Persian food. Great food, about $13 for dinner, and not crowded. (That's still on my high end when I compare it to the Afghani restaurant I frequent in Alexandria for $9.99.) There's a restaurant next door to the Caravan Grill that's big with the college crowd, often there's a line out the door waiting for a table. If you like being where the pretty people like to see and be seen, maybe that's where you'd prefer to eat. I've never eaten there because I hate crowds, so I have no idea what they serve or for how much.

In general, in Adams-Morgan on 18th Street and U Street there are a ton of restaurants in all prices ranges except nothing very swanky. This is an ethnically diverse area and appeals to a younger crowd, meaning you won't see a lot of people in their retirement years hanging out here. On the other hand, I'm in my mid-50s, and it's the area where I like to hang out when I'm in DC. It's also an area where there have been problems in the past, so as in any city at night, be aware of your surroundings. I feel safe there, but I've never gone strolling around that area at 2 in the morning by myself and probably wouldn't. That said, I love Adams-Morgan.

You haven't given any indication of what kinds of food you like, how much you're comfortable spending on meals or what kind of atmosphere you like. Like any major city, you can spend as much or as little as you want. Give us a clue, and we can make better recommendations.

[Qacer]

Thanks for the tip!

I like sampling all sorts of food. As long as it doesn't move and it doesn't taste nasty. From the prices you've given out, I think I'll budget for $50 a day for food for two people. That includes lunch and dinner. Breakfast will most likely be free at the hotel.

I just need to make up my mind whether I should stay at Jurys Normandy Inn, which is closer to my place of appointment, or stay a the Hotel Helix for a more hip experience. Or, I might settle for another hotel depending on how I weigh in the reviews from Trip Advisor. By the way, do most hotels have shuttles to the airport?

Also, how is traffic on Sunday mornings? I'm thinking of flying out at that time, and I'd like to estimate on how much time I should allocate from summoning a cab to getting to the airport. Hopefully, security checks aren't as bad in Dulles (i.e. not so slow).

[Gypsy-Moth]

I just took a look at both of your two hotel's websites. They both look like very nice hotels, and you'd probably have a nice stay in either one of them.

The Jury's Normandy is just off Connecticut Avenue, which has a lot of interesting shops and a fair amount of restaurants. It's also within walking distance of the Adams-Morgan neighborhood and all the restaurants on 18th Street. It's also fairly close to U Street, where there are more restaurants.

The Helix is quite a bit further away from these areas, and I'm not so familiar with what is near Logan Circle. It said something about the shops on 14th Street, which every time I drive down there I make a mental note to come back and explore but haven't yet.

I don't know about the hotels having their own shuttles. That's something you ought to easily be able to find out by emailing the hotels. But there is a well-known shuttle service out here which you can make reservations with by 800 number or on the internet. I use them all the time when I go to Dulles. Just Google "Super Shuttle Washington DC" or "blue van Washington DC" and you'll find them. I can't give you the link because it's against the City-Data advertising rules. You'll share a van with other travelers, but each person gets dropped off or picked up from their own hotels. Much cheaper than a taxi.

Not sure how long it will take if you took a taxi straight from the hotel to the airport, but I'd guess a good 30-40 minutes. Someone at the hotel should know that and be able to help you get a cab.

Sunday morning should not be a problem as far as traffic going to Dulles.

Have fun!