Need Info for a vacation to Washington DC (to rent, top hotel)

[moondoggy51]

My wife and I have decided to take a trip to Washington DC this spring and I'm looking for some advice from City-Data members to help us decided on a vacation plan. Here's the information we need:

My wife and I are both 68 but in good health and walk for exercise so there's no physical restrictions we are concerned with.

We were thinking about flying Allegiant Airlines but they fly into the Baltimore/Washington International airport (BWI) and I'm wondering if that's a good idea or whether that's too far away as we did not want to rent a car during our stay. Our preference would be to take an airport shuttle from the airport to the hotel and then use the Metro and cabs/Uber for our other transportation needs while we're there. Can anyone tell me if flying into BWI would be OK or more trouble and expense than it's worth as we could easily fly Delta into Regan instead.

We would be looking to say in a hotel that would have reasonable access to the Metro. The doesn't have to be right in the center of everything but we want to be able to hop on the Metro in the morning if needed and then spend the day seeing the sights before returning to our hotel without being too far away from things. The hotel amenities that we would be looking for are SAFETY, free breakfast, short walking distance to a Metro station and access to the sites without costing a fortune. We are used to staying in Hyatt's Hilton. Hampton Inn's and Holiday Inn's just to name a few but with so many hotels in the DC area I don't know where to start. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

We would like to come at a time when the cherry blossoms are blooming but don't know when that is.

We're not sure how long to plan for the the trip. The way I like to plan things is to not include the days of travel in and out of a location in the sight seeing time and instead plan to see the sights based on full days of sight seeing. Can anyone suggest how many days of sight seeing are needed?

Lastly, we would love to see inside of the White House and Capital building but we're not sure if tickets are required and where to get them. Any help in this area would be appreciated as we don't want to get there and not be able to see the sites.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

[LTU2]

The Capitol building requires tickets. You have wait in line outside the Capitol. Check their website for tourist info. Be sure to go to the underground visitor center. Last time I was there it was still under construction.

White House tours are not as open as they used to be. Either large groups by appointment or passes from your congressman. Check the WH website.

I toured it in the 1970's, quite an experience for sure. The also have a WH visitor center close to it. You can not drive down Pennsylvania Avenue, but can walk the sidewalk and take pictures, etc.

I can't say about airports, I always drove down. The subway system has different stops, depending on what area you want to see.

You can ride to the top of the Washington monument, but that requires a stand in line ticket, (first come first serve, a limited # of tickets are given out each day), or pre-ordered from the National Park service website.

The Supreme Court building is right behind the Capitol building on the east front.

The National Air and Space Museum is a MUST tour.

Between the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial are the WW2 pillars. The Lincoln Memorial is also a MUST see. The reflecting pool will probably be filled, very very pretty.

The cherry blossoms usually peak in mid April, I believe. They circle the Tidal basin by the Thomas Jefferson memorial, see that too.

Also a MUST see is inside the National Archives. They have or had a 1296 handwritten copy of the Magna Carta. No photos permitted except with NO flash.

The Declaration of Independence is badly faded, but visible. Next to it is the Original 7 Articles. Next to that are the 12 Amendments, Bill of Rights, proposed to the states.

Visit if you can Ford's theatre at E and 10th st. One tour I got to walk up the stairs and look right in the Lincoln box, quite moving.

In the basement museum are Lincoln and Booth artifacts, including the gun that he used to kill Lincoln, and the suit Lincoln was wearing the night he was murdered.

On the north side of the National Mall, are two museums, visit if you can, the Museum of Natural history and the Museum of American history.

Write to the DC travel/tourism dept. for info, more than likely they will send brochures and a map.

Across the Potomac is Arlington National Cemetery where JFK, his brother Robert and William Howard Taft are buried.

Make a list of "must see" sites, then go from there. Visit the Octagon f you can.

The National Zoo is a must. Free admission, as it is a part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Plan well, you will get addicted to DC.

[kyle19125]

I would totally suggest flying into Reagan-National versus BWI. It's so much easier and with the Metro right outside the door an easy transfer into DC. For hotels there are tons of safe options and would recommend staying within DC versus schelpping out to the suburbs. The Holiday Inn on Rhode Island Ave NW (Logan Circle neighborhood) is in an upscale working professionals neighborhood several short blocks north of the White House and is surrounded by all kinds of great restaurants from casual to fine dining. https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotel...-_-US-_-WASCT# The Omni Shoreham is in Woodley Park near the National Zoo and right off the Metro. It's in a beautiful wooded neighborhood with high end homes and embassies. The metro stop has several great restaurants as well. https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/wa...medium=organic You can't go wrong with either and they're priced around $125-$150 per night.

[moondoggy51]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I would totally suggest flying into Reagan-National versus BWI. It's so much easier and with the Metro right outside the door an easy transfer into DC. For hotels there are tons of safe options and would recommend staying within DC versus schelpping out to the suburbs. The Holiday Inn on Rhode Island Ave NW (Logan Circle neighborhood) is in an upscale working professionals neighborhood several short blocks north of the White House and is surrounded by all kinds of great restaurants from casual to fine dining. https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotel...-_-US-_-WASCT# The Omni Shoreham is in Woodley Park near the National Zoo and right off the Metro. It's in a beautiful wooded neighborhood with high end homes and embassies. The metro stop has several great restaurants as well. https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/wa...medium=organic You can't go wrong with either and they're priced around $125-$150 per night.

Thanks Kyle. BWI seems to be pretty far away and I was thinking that the cost of a shuttle might be fairly steep. Thanks also for the hotel recommendations as I know the mall area is pretty safe but was not sure how about the areas away from the mall. Last time I was there 25 years ago I stayed out by the Reagan and walked from my hotel to the Pentagon to catch the Metro.

Any suggestion on the amount of days needed for the seeing the sights that LTU2 was referring to in that posting? I think I spent 3 days out there and was wore out trying to see everything.

Note that if anyone has anymore info to share please post it as I appreciate all the info I can get.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by moondoggy51

Thanks Kyle. BWI seems to be pretty far away and I was thinking that the cost of a shuttle might be fairly steep. Thanks also for the hotel recommendations as I know the mall area is pretty safe but was not sure how about the areas away from the mall. Last time I was there 25 years ago I stayed out by the Reagan and walked from my hotel to the Pentagon to catch the Metro.

Any suggestion on the amount of days needed for the seeing the sights that LTU2 was referring to in that posting? I think I spent 3 days out there and was wore out trying to see everything.

Note that if anyone has anymore info to share please post it as I appreciate all the info I can get.

The National Mall area while convenient to much of things you want to see is very touristy in terms of restaurants and shops with few "locals" other than pockets along Pennsylvania Avenue or around the Capitol. Much of DC is very safe, especially the Northwest quadrant where the majority of better neighborhoods are located and where the options I gave are located. Logan Circle is walking distance from the National Mall and Woodley Park-National Zoo is about a 10 minute Metro ride to the same area. Other neighborhoods close-in minus the touristy vibe with hotel options you can safely walk to/from or take a short Metro ride include Dupont Circle, the West End and Foggy Bottom. Three days is pushing it and would suggest five if possible including travel days.

[DCforever]

BWI is further away but there is a train connection via Amtrak to Union Station in DC. Price and airport connections would drive my decision, not the airport choice. There are many downtown hotels. Which you choose would depend on what you want in historic, luxury, and price. The Willard in my mind is the top hotel, but there are many other nice ones. Look up the "Circulator" bus and use it when moving around downtown. It is cheap and convenient. National Park Service web site contains the best estimates for when cherry blossoms will be in bloom. It is very weather dependent.

[moondoggy51]

Can anyone give me any insight regarding the safety of the Crystal City area? There's a metro station on South Bell Street and there's a Crowne Plaza about 3-4 blocks to the north and a Marriott about 2 blocks south. Both offer free shuttles to and from Reagan and the rates look fairly reasonable. The last time I was in DC I stayed in a hotel within walking distance to the Pentagon and I would catch the Metro there into the city and get off over by the Smithsonian. We want to see the sights so regardless of where we stay we will leave in the morning and will return when we're ready to pack it in for the night. The thing is that my wife is really paranoid and this area looks more like an office complex area where there would be little activity at night and she worries about getting mugged regardless of whether we would be staying closer to the mall or out in the burbs. Any info will be helpful.

[Charlotte485]

Originally Posted by moondoggy51

Can anyone give me any insight regarding the safety of the Crystal City area? There's a metro station on South Bell Street and there's a Crowne Plaza about 3-4 blocks to the north and a Marriott about 2 blocks south. Both offer free shuttles to and from Reagan and the rates look fairly reasonable. The last time I was in DC I stayed in a hotel within walking distance to the Pentagon and I would catch the Metro there into the city and get off over by the Smithsonian. We want to see the sights so regardless of where we stay we will leave in the morning and will return when we're ready to pack it in for the night. The thing is that my wife is really paranoid and this area looks more like an office complex area where there would be little activity at night and she worries about getting mugged regardless of whether we would be staying closer to the mall or out in the burbs. Any info will be helpful.

It’s very safe.

There’s also an underground network of tunnels connecting many of the buildings. I know several of the hotels are connected underground to the metro and such.

[ersatz]

Crystal City's main foot traffic is driven by business offices during the day. However, there is a lot of activity in the evening driven by the amount of restaurants and entertainment available. Charlotte485 is right, the area is pretty safe in the evening, especially if you stick to walking the underground pedestrian tunnels. They are well lit and have security.

https://www.thecrystalcityshops.com/directory/map is an interactive map of Crystal City underground and the pedestrian tunnels. There are a lot of shops in the underground, primarily clustered around the metro station (Section D in the map). All hotels are marked in green. There are a large number of above ground restaurants, mainly along Crystal Drive. Crystal Drive, between 20th and 23rd streets, is usually packed with pedestrians until around 11 pm or so, particularly on the weekends.

[DCforever]

Relax Washington is a safe city.