showtime2

DH and I are in our 60's and will be making a 30 day road trip from Texas to several eastern states in March 2014. We will have 9 days for leisure, Mar 17-26. We have requested WDC tours thru our congressman but don't know which days those will be. In reading WDC trip reports I read where it wasn't that far from WDC to NYC and Philly. I'm looking for suggestions on how to come up with a plan. I saw several hotel recommendations for DC and Philly. What about NYC? We are budget conscious travelers, and will be driving a suburban size vehicle. We don't mind some walking, but the weather may be cold and windy. Your thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks in advance!

nytraveler

First of all, any vehicles are worse than useless in DC, NYC and downtown Philly. There is NO place to park them. Certainly not near major sights. And based on the size you are talking about they may be too large for some garages - which often have low ceilings. At a minimum you are talking $35 to $40 per day to park it as an oversize vehicle.

In DC you can stay in nearby VA at one of the many hotels near Metro stations, take that into the city

nytraveler

and get around by foot and Metro. Not sure abuot Philly. For NYC you can check the Travel Inn on the far west side, which is the only hotel in the city with free parking. But do call them to see if they can take a vehicle that size.

Otherwise for NYC I would look at Priceline - since there are only 2 of you - and see what kind of deals you can find. Then go online to the major parking companies and see what they have in the area that can hold your vehicle (you will need to know the exact height.)

Not sure what you mean by the cities being near each other. DC to NYC by road is about 5 hours - assuming you have clear roads and don;t hit a lot of traffic. If you have bad weather/accidents etc - it can easily be 6 or 7 hours.

If you give us an idea of yuor hotel budget people can make recos, but although March is still low season for NYC _ it;s never super cheap here.

abram

Other ideas for NYC include the Skyline, which has very cheap (I think $10/day) parking and sating in Long Island, City, Queens (Verve and Country Inn & Suites are often recommended) which is a very short subway ride from Manhattan.

showtime2

Thanks to you both for NY hotel and parking info.

nytraveler, sounds like it might not be such a good idea to visit NYC on this trip. I didnt realize it was that far from DC. We'd like to find a hotel for less than $100/nt. whenever we do go.

abram, thx for the hotel and parking info. Might b best to fly another time and use public transportation, taxis, etc.

I'm not sure what would be the best use of our 9 days. Well b driving from Richmond VA just before, and headed to Chantilly VA right after. All in WDC area, or??? Back to the drawing board...

nytraveler

I'm sorry - but $100 per night is never a price for a hotel room in NYC - at least one you would be willing to stay in. If you go in Jan/Feb - the worst of the winter weather - you might get a special discounted rate near that - but for most of the year about $200/250 per night is a good rate for a moderate hotel - and in high season it goes up from there.

If that is your rate for DC as well I think you will have to do a lot of searching to find something - and may end up near the end of one of the Metro lines. You can search here for budget hotels in DC - but I'm not sure there would be anything in town.

tchoiniere

For DC, take a look at the Americana Hotel in Crystal City. It is less than a $100 for most times of the year. It may be filling up for next month though

NewbE

With all due respect, showtime2, I suggest you do a bit more research on your own. Under $100 is very, very low for the DC area even in March and utterly impossible for NYC, which you could have figured out on your own very quickly. Google is your friend! You also need a map to familiarize yourself with distances.

That said, I think you should focus on the 9 days in and around DC, with perhaps a two-day trip to Philly. You can drive or take the train to and from DC.

obxgirl

You'll be in DC at the beginning of the Cherry Blossom festival which also begins to overlap with school and uni spring breaks so the city and environs will be very busy. I would strongly suggest you nail down some cancelable hotel reservations very soon. Then keep looking while you refine your itinerary for places and dates.

At your price point, tchoiniere's suggestion for the Americana hotel is an excellent one. It bare bones but clean and friendly. Free parking which is almost unheard of that close into the city. Walkable to a metro station and only a few stops into downtown DC.

Amy

One option, if you find free or cheap parking near Washington DC, is to take Megabus into Philadelphia for a few days. It's definitely cheap, you end up near public transportation, and you don't need your vehicle in Philadelphia at all.

Check Priceline for hotels in "Downtown" for easiest access. Philadelphia is a very walkable city, and, although obviously I can't guarantee what the weather will be like (it's been pretty dismal so far!) you don't need to be outdoors much when you use public transportation and walking to get around.

dwdvagamundo

Before you give up on NYC, check out the Hampton Inn Carlstadt at the Meadowlands, NJ. It's around $140/nite on Priceline, etc. (includes free parking and hot breakfast), and is right on the bus line to midtown NYC. We've stayed there a couple of times and liked it a lot both times.

lauren_s_kahn

Spring along the Boston to DC corridor means thousands of 8th graders on school trips. The last week of March/first week of April is generally when the cherry blossoms bloom meaning gridlock in DC.

I tell retired people to skip the spring here and come in the fall when tourism is less. Most schools follow the same damn pattern of fundraising all year for spring trips. Heaven forbid they should come in the fall. Only a relatively small number do.

Insofar as cars are concerned, you would be much better flying into one city and returning from another. You bring a car, you pay to park it if you are close in or you stay way out and have a commute. Believe me, much easier to leave the car at home. Plenty of buses and trains go to Boston, NYC, Philadelphia & DC. When you get to the city you are visiting, you can easily take airport transportation downtown and then use public transportation to get around without all the hassles a car brings.

showtime2

It is true, I'm not good with maps. Its also true I'm not familiar with hotel rates in various cities, even though I've spent hours on Google, Priceline, and other websites looking for this info. We have no choice but to drive a large vehicle for our business. I'm truly grateful for the well - traveled folks who generously share their knowledge and experiences with those of us less knowledgeable in travel research and planning. I'll use the NYC info for future trips when we fly in. Much of the info is helpful for planning what not to do. Thanks again for all your time and advice. Hopefully, I can return the favor with some type of info for Texas travelers.