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Betsy
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| Posted: March 28 2012 at 8:58pm | IP Logged
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I have an appointment that I need to go to in Washington D.C. the week after Easter. DH and my kids will be going with me. We will be driving from about 6 hours away, so we need to find a hotel for one night. We would love to visit Arlington National Cemetery and one other attraction.
Chances are that I will have to do this a few times over the next few months so we are not trying to cram anything in, but just see 1-2 things each time.
For those ladies that live near this area can you give me any recommendations on hotels, like how far to stay from the city or a great place that is in walking distance from something? Restaurants? Any other helpful advice?
Thanks so much for all of your help. I am very overwhelmed just spending a hour looking for hotels! 
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 28 2012 at 9:29pm | IP Logged
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How many kids? Will you need more than one room? Is taking the Metro from your hotel into DC a possibility? Is your appointment in DC or in a nearby suburb? About how much do you want to spend?
Knowing this will help...I can ask my husband where military/gov't visitors stay when they go to meetings at his office and at the Pentagon.
Tip: Do NOT stay in the hotels on New York Avenue in NE DC. Even if they are cheap.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Betsy
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| Posted: March 28 2012 at 10:26pm | IP Logged
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Nancy,
We have  and I am hoping that we can stay in one room! My appointment is on Wisconsin Ave in DC. The metro scares me, but so does parking, so I will need to step out of my comfort zone either way. 
I am not even sure what is reasonable to spend in the area. I would like a reasonable nice hotel, that is clean and safe. $100ish is what we typically spend but I am wondering if I need to be more realistic and assume $200ish and parking or more?
I certainly don't mind staying up to an hour away if that is our best option.
Also when does morning rush out diminish and afternoon rush hour start?
Thanks so much!
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 28 2012 at 11:49pm | IP Logged
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I'll answer your questions, and then perhaps I can talk with my husband tomorrow (well, today now!) and see what he suggests.
I think you should ask your medical provider about parking (or PM me the location name and I can ask). Where you are on Wisconsin Avenue makes a difference, too - you'll need to look at a map and think about how far it is from a Metro station to your appointment office. Some parts of Wisconsin Avenue are more easily accessed by bus or (in Georgetown) by the DC Circulator (dedicated bus, one route, fare $1).
I think you should plan for $130+ in an outlying suburb near a Metro station (for one room - not sure any hotel will let you put 6 people in one room, though) and $200+ in DC itself for the same thing. Fire regulations often dictate how many people, regardless of age, can stay in one hotel room. If you stay in DC proper you will also have to pay for parking (not cheap).
Rush hour depends entirely on your location. The overall DC rush hour begins early (6:30) and ends relatively late (after 8:00). If you stay way out of DC, you need to get to the Metro early if you want a parking place (e.g. Vienna, Greenbelt, New Carrolton). Weekday parking does cost money, so that might be an issue, too.
DC's Metro is clean and pretty safe in the daytime. It is a mistake to use iPod earbuds, smartphones or iPads near the Metro train car doors, at any time of day. Sit well inside the car and tuck all the i-everythings away before you reach your stop.
Sometimes it's cheaper to drive and park than to take a bunch of people on the Metro. If you then want to move your vehicle and sightsee, that might be more of a problem. Typically, I advise daytrippers with no free parking options to go to Pentagon City Mall in Arlington (where there is a pay-to-use parking garage, with relatively low rates, go into the Mall's Metro station and make that their transportation home base for the day. If you have a really large vehicle, that might not be an option.
All info you can provide is helpful!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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4 lads mom
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| Posted: March 29 2012 at 12:04am | IP Logged
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Go see the LIbrary of Congress.....OH MY....that was an amazing building....breathtaking. I could have spent a few more hours there. The architecture is fabulous, the exhibits relevant....I can’t say enough good about it.
Also, you’ll have to trek over to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.....it left us speechless...which for a houseful of Irish, that is quite the feat. With God, nothing is impossible!  You can ride the Metro over to the CUA stop and hop off easily. I rode the Metro with my five, it was very doable, and the people that worked there were helpful. If you drive over there, I had no problem parking twice in their lot.
We stayed by Dulles Airport for just about $120 a night if I remember right. It was easy to get to DC from there, and we actually parked ( on a Saturday, so it was a bit different) right along the Library for free on the street. We totally scored on that one. It was easy to walk all over from there. We walked eight miles in one day, taking in the monuments and seeing the White House. It was completely exhausting but OH so worth it.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 29 2012 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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You won't find free parking near the Mall on a weekday, although if you go in very, very early you might be able to find a metered spot.
With a family of 6, paying the $20 or so for parking per day might actually be cheaper than taking the Metro, depending on where you stay, as long as you park near your appointment/what you want to see and then walk from there.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Betsy
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| Posted: March 29 2012 at 11:51am | IP Logged
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The office is at 5225 Wisconsin Ave, so I don't really know were that is in relationship to anything, I think North of everything. My DH made the appointment and there is a parking garage under the building and they will reimburse for the time of the appointment but I don't know about extra time...however, I know I will be there 3+ hours for the first visit and I absolutely don't want my family waiting for me in the waiting room! :)
I just googled the address and it looks like it is close to Friendship Heights Metro. Unfortunately, walking it a problem for me. My 3yo can walk way more than me in a day, if that says anything.
Thanks for all of your help Nancy. I truly appreciate it. 
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Betsy
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| Posted: March 29 2012 at 11:56am | IP Logged
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4 Lads,
I love the Basilica. I have been there twice and it always leaves me speechless. We were actually considering trying to coordinate this appointment with Easter and going to Mass there on Easter Morning. But, I am guessing that it is really crazy busy which isn't in my best interest right now.
I will add the Library of Congress of our list to do. Right now most of the request are for anything pertaining to battles?!?! Not this visit, but maybe the next, I want to go to the Art Museum.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 29 2012 at 12:03pm | IP Logged
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Well, I'm sure they'd validate for any extra time it might take for your husband and kids to come back to pick you up... because they won't want kids in the waiting room for that long, either.
That area is really nice (Chevy Chase). It is north and west of where the Mall, Capitol, and Smithsonian are, but they are all easily reached by Metro.
If walking is a problem, you'll want to look at a DC map to see which museums/attractions are closest to Metro stations, as it can be a 2+ (long) block walk from stations to attractions. (This is especially true of the memorials.) Also, Metro escalators and elevators are notoriously unreliable; check the WMATA website for info about which ones are broken before you set up your plans for the day.
The Chevy Chase/Bethesda area has a lot of car traffic; allow plenty of extra time to get to the appointment if you do drive.
One idea for your husband and kids, if they have those three hours to kill - the National Zoo. Take Metro (parking fills quickly). It's free. Bring bottled water and food, if you like. (The Zoo food is a bit expensive and it's not very good.)
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: March 30 2012 at 12:33am | IP Logged
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Praying for a pleasant, safe, grace-filled trip and appointment, Betsy! Our visits to DC were both a total blur, but certainly memorable! One thought, if walking is a challenge ~ we rented a wheel chair in our hometown, to take along with us on one trip to DC, since two of the children we were taking had serious foot issues and experienced a great deal of pain when walking any real distance! I was SO grateful we had it with us! We actually ended up taking turns using it and had a ball! It's so much easier to enjoy visiting the sights when you're not overdoing it! Hope you have a blessed trip!
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 30 2012 at 7:13am | IP Logged
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Betsy wrote:
4 Lads,
I love the Basilica. I have been there twice and it always leaves me speechless. We were actually considering trying to coordinate this appointment with Easter and going to Mass there on Easter Morning. But, I am guessing that it is really crazy busy which isn't in my best interest right now.
I will add the Library of Congress of our list to do. Right now most of the request are for anything pertaining to battles?!?! Not this visit, but maybe the next, I want to go to the Art Museum.
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If you can get a Capitol Tour, that is nice, and fills a little about the 1812 War and the burning of the Capitol. Quite exciting.
If you are seeing the Basilica, that area has a few stops to see, like the Franciscan Monastery, John Paul II Cultural Center, and maybe a quick visit into the lovely Dominican House of Studies chapel.
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Jenn Sal
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| Posted: May 14 2012 at 1:47pm | IP Logged
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Bumping this....
Betsy, I hope your appointment and trip were successful! DH and I want to do a one day trip to DC on our way to PA. With 5 children, it seems as though we have met the max of one hotel room? We're hoping to spend the day in DC, arriving around noon and spending the night in the city or near by. I'm still trying to navigate what we can do and where to stay. Any additional advice will be great!!!
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stefoodie
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| Posted: May 14 2012 at 2:18pm | IP Logged
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Here's what we did when we went to March for Life: Drove to Herndon, VA the night before, stayed at Staybridge Suites -- has 2 bedrooms with a full/queen + a sofabed in the living room, so this is what we usually do and it's fine (we've got 5 kids). ~$186
13700 COPPERMINE ROAD
HERNDON, VA 20171
This is about an hour away from DC proper -- we drove to Union Station, parked, and spent most of the day there. I think parking was <$20.
Then drove to another Holiday Inn Express 3-4 hours away from DC heading home, where we got a room with 2 fulls and a sofabed (but all of it in ONE room) + free breakfast == $145.
So very doable with 5 kids. But we liked staying about an hour away to avoid traffic, etc. Driving into DC ~7 am wasn't bad at all.
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Betsy
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| Posted: May 14 2012 at 2:25pm | IP Logged
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We ended up finding a place that was just outside the city. The had a suite that fit all of us very nicely. We have already booked again for my return visit.
Hawthorn Suites Alexandria
420 North Van Dorn Street
Alexandria, VA 22304
703-370-1000
The rooms were very nice and clean! They will shuttle you to the metro, as well, which I think we will do the next time that we go up (I have over come my fear of the metro, but not driving in DC! ). They also had a free breakfast and free dinner (only through the week) that my kids thought was awesome.
HTH!
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Jenn Sal
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Betsy wrote:
We ended up finding a place that was just outside the city. The had a suite that fit all of us very nicely. We have already booked again for my return visit.
Hawthorn Suites Alexandria
420 North Van Dorn Street
Alexandria, VA 22304
703-370-1000
The rooms were very nice and clean! They will shuttle you to the metro, as well, which I think we will do the next time that we go up (I have over come my fear of the metro, but not driving in DC! ). They also had a free breakfast and free dinner (only through the week) that my kids thought was awesome.
HTH! |
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Thank you, Betsy. I called the hotel to verify the room capacity of six. They will allow six with an infant, so that can work (for now). DH isn't sure if he want's to be on that side of DC to then go to PA, but he loves Alexandria and knows it's easy to get to DC from there. We're thinking about it. 
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Jenn Sal
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| Posted: May 15 2012 at 9:46am | IP Logged
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Stef....we're thinking being out of the city is a good idea, as well! I haven't checked into where Herndon is, yet. I need to study the surrounding areas to make sure we are not backtracking.
We used the Metro with two kids several years ago and it was great! The cost doesn't seem too bad. Two children are free under the age of four with a paying adult. So, we will only ned to pay for five of us.
Here's my next question: Can you visit the Basilica, Franciscan Monastery, John Paul II Cultural Center and the Mall area in one day? We are wondering if we should make it a two-day trip to not have to rush. How is parking at the Basilica? We are wondering if we should drive there one day and then use the Metro the next day for the Mall area.
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Betsy
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Jenn Sal wrote:
DH isn't sure if he want's to be on that side of DC to then go to PA, but he loves Alexandria and knows it's easy to get to DC from there. We're thinking about it.
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For a frame of reference, it took us about 15 mins from our hotel to get to the Lincoln Memorial and 10 mins to Arlington. These times are NOT in rush hour traffic, which we hit once and it it was closer to an hour!
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stefoodie
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Unless you plan to do a lot of walking, I'd do two days instead of one. We did that when we still lived in PA. One day for the Mall area. Another day for the Basilica, etc.
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Betsy
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stefoodie wrote:
Unless you plan to do a lot of walking, I'd do two days instead of one. We did that when we still lived in PA. One day for the Mall area. Another day for the Basilica, etc.
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Totally Agree!!!!!!
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Angie Mc
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How exciting, Jenn! Good for you to get this event together for your family. Great memories for all.
Love,
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Washington D.C., help with hotel, etc.
