Washington DC Suggestions

[bugatti]

I am flying in to D.C. for Memorial Weekend to attend a wedding. Will be there for 4 days and plan on hitting up some sites so this info is helpful. This will be my 3rd trip but first time I will have a few days to play around. We are flying to D.C. but did not know if anyone had recommendations on which airport to fly in to for convenience purposes? I checked BWI yesterday - they seem to have the cheapest flights - and it looks as if you can take the train for about $21/person to Union Station. I presume that is in the heart of the city?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I am flying in to D.C. for Memorial Weekend to attend a wedding. Will be there for 4 days and plan on hitting up some sites so this info is helpful. This will be my 3rd trip but first time I will have a few days to play around. We are flying to D.C. but did not know if anyone had recommendations on which airport to fly in to for convenience purposes? I checked BWI yesterday - they seem to have the cheapest flights - and it looks as if you can take the train for about $21/person to Union Station. I presume that is in the heart of the city?

 

Union Station is central to the city, and is maybe a quarter mile from the Capitol Building, so you're not too far off from the National Mall either.

 

 

If you're going to be there without a vehicle, I'd strongly suggest getting the metro railpass for at least one of the days you're there. It will enable you to get virtually anywhere in DC Metro quickly and easily, and I don't think it costs much more than 10 bucks. You can check their webpage for maps of their routes.

 

If you can cut out the time spent walking, you'll really get to hit a lot of the major sights in one day. You definitely want to spend some time walking around though - because that's definitely part of the experience.

[Hatz]

Union Station is central to the city, and is maybe a quarter mile from the Capitol Building, so you're not too far off from the National Mall either.

 

 

If you're going to be there without a vehicle, I'd strongly suggest getting the metro railpass for at least one of the days you're there. It will enable you to get virtually anywhere in DC Metro quickly and easily, and I don't think it costs much more than 10 bucks. You can check their webpage for maps of their routes.

 

If you can cut out the time spent walking, you'll really get to hit a lot of the major sights in one day. You definitely want to spend some time walking around though - because that's definitely part of the experience.

 

Actually I'm not sure it's even that far from Union Station to the Capitol. Very close (at least close in D.C. terms).

[formerkywrestler]

Wow, thank you for that recap, that was awesome TB&G. I shed a tear just reading it.

 

Sounds like an amazing and moving trip. Your students are lucky to have you take them.

As did I. Thanks for sharing.

[Zoot Soup]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I hope all these places mentioned aren't shut down by the time you get there.

[True blue (and gold)]

As did I. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks, fkyw. It is a trip that I will never forget and feel so fortunate to be able to take.

[Jumper_Dad]

We went last July. Arlington is a must, very impactful place to visit. Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the unkowns is in it's self enough reason to go to DC. We stayed away fro the subway an just took cabs to centralized locations and walked. Most everything is within waliking distance. All of the Smithsonians are great, the American history museum with the Star Spangled Banner is great. Air and Space with the Apollo Capsules and the original Wright Flyer is great as well. The National Archives are in my opinion a must see, this is the only place that we had to standin line (about 45 minutes). But seeing the Declaration of Independance, Constitution and Bill of Rights is worth it. Plus the Magna Carta, Articles of Confederation and other key documents as well. Fords Theater is nice, with the gun on display in the basement along with other archives. The Spy Museum (the only on I have listed that isn't free) is awesome as well if you are into that kind of stuff. There are some kiddie things in there but a lot of actual spy paraphenalia as well. I highly recommend the Monuments at Night bus tour, you can get tickets at Union Station.

 

FYI: GPS in DC is Useless, too many streets under construction. Get to hotel and then call a Cab. Cabs were about $8-$12 on average when we took them which was cheaper than parking and much much quicker and easier that trying to drive yourself. The only place we drove was to Arlington.

[True blue (and gold)]

I think that if I went back on my own (not part of a school group) that I would purchase a two day pass for one of the tourmobiles. They take you to many, many sites, more than we saw in our two days. You can get off at any stop and spend as much time as you want, then wait for the next bus to come by or you can walk to another stop. I think that the cost is about $60 per ticket, but you won't have to pay for parking anywhere or have the hassle of it.

 

Watusi, if you are on Facebook, I have uploaded 200 photos of my trip there. If you want to see them, PM me and you can "friend" me.

[mcpapa]

Union Station is central to the city, and is maybe a quarter mile from the Capitol Building, so you're not too far off from the National Mall either.

 

 

If you're going to be there without a vehicle, I'd strongly suggest getting the metro railpass for at least one of the days you're there. It will enable you to get virtually anywhere in DC Metro quickly and easily, and I don't think it costs much more than 10 bucks. You can check their webpage for maps of their routes.

 

If you can cut out the time spent walking, you'll really get to hit a lot of the major sights in one day. You definitely want to spend some time walking around though - because that's definitely part of the experience.

 

First time I was introduced to the concept of a debit card was purchasing a Metro railpass on our 1990 trip.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I helped a friend plan a trip with his father, a Vietnam veteran helicopter gunner, to go see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a few weeks back. It was the first time going to DC for either of them, and it was apparently life-changing for them both. When I was putting together their "dossier", I ended up getting my interest really piqued to make a trip back there. I think I'm gonna try to make a 4-day trip up there sometime in the next two or three months. I know both the WWII Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial have both been constructed since I last visited. It's getting me kind of geeky excited thinking about it.