chip

we are traveling from ohio for a 4 night stay in dc...

we are planning on driving to dc area the day before in order to be close enough for an early pre-rush hour drive into downtown.

any suggestions on good location?

would be interested in finding convenient long term parking at a metro stop outside of downtown if that would be better...from what I have read the metro stops outside of dc do not have many long term spots available.

would parking at reagan airport be easier than driving downtown?
(our hotel does have parking...don't plan on driving during our stay)

thanks for any suggestions...
also...how early would we need to be to avoid heaviest rush hour

kaudrey

If you have parking at your hotel, I'm not sure what you are asking.

Are you asking about just the day before you hit DC? How will you be coming in - Rte 66 or 270 or something else?

Metro parking isn't for long term parking, it is for daily commuters.

It is not difficult driving in the city, unless you are afraid of city driving (that's not meant to be derogatory, some people hate it). I drive into the city all the time.

Rush hour starts early. I live 10 miles out, and if I drive, I make sure I leave my house before 7am. If you are coming from the west, it might be even earlier.

Anonymous

If your hotel in DC has parking, just use that.

chip

thanks for the information...sounds like we shouldn't have much of a problem driving in or parking at the hotel then...

direction depends on where we stay the night before...

so guess now I just need a suggestion for a nice place to stay the night before...
we are just trying to avoid driving for 6 hours then trying to navigate dc traffic on our first day...plus we want to get an early start on itinerary for the first day...

looking for comfortable hotel...under $150...near a nice place for dinner...within 30-45 min. communte to downtown dc to our hotel.

Ruff

I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't just drive all the way to your hotel in DC and be ready for your early start the next morning. If it takes you 6 hours to drive and you leave from home in the morning, say around 8 am, you would hit the DC area around 2 pm. Plus you would be heading into the city, which always (well, almost always) has less traffic in the afternoons.

kgh8m

Ruff - not 100% true - it's easier to go into town than out, but if getting into town involved any part of the Beltway or 66 inside the Beltway, there could be long delays (which are not due to accidents - just normal commuting).

That said, you should STILL try to make it all the way to your DC hotel. If you don't end up in DC until after 4-4:30, then you could get an early dinner or stop off and rest for a while somewhere before resuming your trip at 7:30. Or, just pace your trip so you're driving into DC after the rush.

But a PRE-RUSH HOUR commute the next morning would mean you'd have to be on 270 or 95 south or 66 East before 6:30-7. (I'm not kidding - my DH does the pre-rush commute and he leaves home at 6.) If you are in a hotel 30-45 minutes away, you'd have to get up ungodly early and you wouldn't likely be able to check into your room in DC once you got to town.

clarkgriswold

Courtyard by Marriot in Gaithersburg, or the Summerfield Suites

beanweb24

I agree with everyone's estimates for "pre-rush hour." I used to leave my home at 6:15 to get to work at 7:30...and only had to travel a distance of about 25 miles.