Driving into DC from Cherry Hill RV Park (College Park, MD)
Apr 29th, 2014, 07:33 PM
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Driving into DC from Cherry Hill RV Park (College Park, MD)
We will be staying at the Cherry Hill RV Park in May and I'm looking for some advice about traveling into DC for our touring days. The RV park staff recommends taking public transportation - there is a bus stop available - but I'm wondering what driving and parking would be like on weekdays. We are a family of four and I haven't yet figured out the cost of public transportation but would like to compare that to the cost of parking. Any advice you could share would be appreciated.
This is our first trip to DC so our itinerary includes all of the major tourist destinations if that helps. Thanks.
This is our first trip to DC so our itinerary includes all of the major tourist destinations if that helps. Thanks.
Apr 30th, 2014, 02:54 AM
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Exactly what type of vehicle are you planning on taking into DC?
Street parking near major sights is extremely difficult for a car - if you are driving something larger it will be close to impossible. And garages are not cheap - even if you can find one that can take an oversize vehicle.
And you need to allow for fighting major traffic - unless you travel after rush hour.
Street parking near major sights is extremely difficult for a car - if you are driving something larger it will be close to impossible. And garages are not cheap - even if you can find one that can take an oversize vehicle.
And you need to allow for fighting major traffic - unless you travel after rush hour.
Apr 30th, 2014, 04:06 AM
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We would have our tow car, a Ford Edge, to drive into the city so we wouldn't need oversized parking. Sorry I didn't clarify that!
I looked for parking near the National Mall and it appears that we could park for $15-25/day. I calculated the Metro fare using SmarTrip on the bus & Greenline to be $5.15/each way for each person which totals $41. It seems way less expensive over several days to drive ourselves.
I understand that traffic in DC is horrible. Can you tell me what would you expect coming from this direction? And if you were going to drive, which routing would you take? Thanks
I looked for parking near the National Mall and it appears that we could park for $15-25/day. I calculated the Metro fare using SmarTrip on the bus & Greenline to be $5.15/each way for each person which totals $41. It seems way less expensive over several days to drive ourselves.
I understand that traffic in DC is horrible. Can you tell me what would you expect coming from this direction? And if you were going to drive, which routing would you take? Thanks
Apr 30th, 2014, 04:33 AM
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The fastest route from that location is to get on the Beltway going south (I suppose you would take Cherry Hill Rd to Route 1 to accomplish that), then take I-95 (which is the Beltway) south to US 295 south into DC, then US 50/New York Avenue west, which will take you directly into downtown Washington. You'll probably hit some heavy traffic on the bridge over the rail lines approaching N. Capitol Street, then the area between N. Capitol and 7th Street / Mt Vernon Square is always very slow.
A couple of alternatives:
From Cherry Hill, figure out a route to get to New Hampshire Avenue (there is no really direct way, but I'm sure they can tell you the best one at the camp ground). Take NH Ave south, & about 6 blocks or so after you pass Eastern Avenue and enter DC you'll intersect with N. Capitol Street. Then just take North Capitol directly into Downtown DC / Capitol Hill. N. Capitol Street is usually pretty easy traveling.
Or, take I-95 west to US Route 29. Go south on 29 through Silver Spring (traffic will be heavy during rush hour), where it will connect with 16th Street right at the District line. Go south (left) on 16th, and it will take you directly into downtown Washington.
For parking, your best bet is to find a garage, which will be no problem, they're all over the place. Use Best Parking to check rates & locations. Parking on the street is doable for short periods of time, but just remember that parking tickets are a favorite type of revenue for the district.
A couple of alternatives:
From Cherry Hill, figure out a route to get to New Hampshire Avenue (there is no really direct way, but I'm sure they can tell you the best one at the camp ground). Take NH Ave south, & about 6 blocks or so after you pass Eastern Avenue and enter DC you'll intersect with N. Capitol Street. Then just take North Capitol directly into Downtown DC / Capitol Hill. N. Capitol Street is usually pretty easy traveling.
Or, take I-95 west to US Route 29. Go south on 29 through Silver Spring (traffic will be heavy during rush hour), where it will connect with 16th Street right at the District line. Go south (left) on 16th, and it will take you directly into downtown Washington.
For parking, your best bet is to find a garage, which will be no problem, they're all over the place. Use Best Parking to check rates & locations. Parking on the street is doable for short periods of time, but just remember that parking tickets are a favorite type of revenue for the district.
Apr 30th, 2014, 02:21 PM
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You will have to pay to park in a garage, and traffic will be horrible, it is from any direction into DC and out on a weekday. People live in all directions, both west and east, who go downtown to work. I don't know anywhere you can park all day for $15, but if you know of a place, that's fine.
I live out that way, actually, at least just beyond the District in the direction, and I often go down NH Ave and then N Capitol, also. Or to go home, I do, also. There are many other ways you could do it, of course, but it is going to be a very long slog no matter which way you do it. NH and N Capitol are very busy weekdays. But it's probably easier than going down Route 29, for example (which is extremely busy to the beltway, in any case), then down 16th or something. Or you can just go down 29 and then Rock Creek Parkway, but that can be really busy weekdays, also.
Just be prepared it may take a couple hours. You can see on a map how to get to NH avenue, just go north a little bit to Powder Mill, then west till you hit NH Ave. You could, of course, just take Route 1 all the way into the city, also. Route 1 is just a little bit SE of where that RV park is
I live out that way, actually, at least just beyond the District in the direction, and I often go down NH Ave and then N Capitol, also. Or to go home, I do, also. There are many other ways you could do it, of course, but it is going to be a very long slog no matter which way you do it. NH and N Capitol are very busy weekdays. But it's probably easier than going down Route 29, for example (which is extremely busy to the beltway, in any case), then down 16th or something. Or you can just go down 29 and then Rock Creek Parkway, but that can be really busy weekdays, also.
Just be prepared it may take a couple hours. You can see on a map how to get to NH avenue, just go north a little bit to Powder Mill, then west till you hit NH Ave. You could, of course, just take Route 1 all the way into the city, also. Route 1 is just a little bit SE of where that RV park is
Apr 30th, 2014, 04:57 PM
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We stayed there a few years ago . . lovely park and very well managed. The manager suggested the Bus and we did that one day, the other three days we took the Metro . . not necessarily less expensive, but gave us much more flexibility in planning our days. We were there four days and were able to see much more using the Metro and not having to fight traffic or be tied to the bus times.
We did take the car out to Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum and were there one whole day
Enjoy!
We did take the car out to Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum and were there one whole day
Enjoy!
Apr 30th, 2014, 05:11 PM
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julieh, if you really want to drive, it's not that big of a deal. Downtown DC is filled with garages that you can park in for $15 to $20 for a full day, even less. And I have driven into downtown Washington thousands of times over the last 25 years, and while the traffic can be bad at times, it has NEVER taken me two hours.
May 1st, 2014, 05:16 AM
#9
Driving as an urban commuter is not the same experience as a first time visitor driving and touring all day.
$15-$25/day parking plus $6-$8/day in gas and the difference between driving and Metro becomes the cost of a sandwich and a drink (and maybe an ice cream). Personally, I'd be looking for other ways to economize that kind of money. Not to mention saving my energy for touring rather than slogging in traffic.
But it sounds like you're definitely leaning towards driving so my advice is:
Check the hours (some close at 7pm)
Check for method of payment (some are cash only)
Check the pricing structure (sometimes the cheapest price is "in by 10am out by 5pm)
Have a couple of back up garage options in case the one you want is full.
Are you planning on taking the Metro at all during your stay? If so be aware that purchasing individual paper tickets includes a surcharge of $1 per ride -- so for you all that would be $8 a round trip vs. an $8 investment in 4 Smatrip cards to which you can add individual fares.
You have said you're visiting to see all of the major sites not all of which are located on the National Mall. And while you could spend days just on the Mall alone, the distances aren't necessarily that short. It's a 2 mile walk from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.
$15-$25/day parking plus $6-$8/day in gas and the difference between driving and Metro becomes the cost of a sandwich and a drink (and maybe an ice cream). Personally, I'd be looking for other ways to economize that kind of money. Not to mention saving my energy for touring rather than slogging in traffic.
But it sounds like you're definitely leaning towards driving so my advice is:
Check the hours (some close at 7pm)
Check for method of payment (some are cash only)
Check the pricing structure (sometimes the cheapest price is "in by 10am out by 5pm)
Have a couple of back up garage options in case the one you want is full.
Are you planning on taking the Metro at all during your stay? If so be aware that purchasing individual paper tickets includes a surcharge of $1 per ride -- so for you all that would be $8 a round trip vs. an $8 investment in 4 Smatrip cards to which you can add individual fares.
You have said you're visiting to see all of the major sites not all of which are located on the National Mall. And while you could spend days just on the Mall alone, the distances aren't necessarily that short. It's a 2 mile walk from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.
May 1st, 2014, 07:47 AM
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I drive into downtown DC a lot, also, and it can easily take an hour from just outside the District line to around the Memorials, for example. I do it all the time. YOu never know, some days are worse than others, and this person is coming from some place way out in Cherry Hill and doesn't know the area, you know. I have also done it thousands of times, unfortunately. I said you have to be prepared that it could take 2 hours, as I think it could. It might be less, but it would not be impossible for it to be 2 hours. Traffic can be backed up so you barely move on N Capitol around NY ave, during evening rush hour. It has taken me an hour to get just from the TR Bridge to NY Ave and N Capitol at that time of day.
So I isagree that it is not that big of a deal. A lot of people who don't live in big cities really don't understand how long it will take, they just look at the distance. That's why I said be prepared, because some people will just say, oh, it's 15 miles, it will take 20 minutes.
I thought the cheapest garage rates were if you were in by 7 am or 8 am or something, but the problem is then you are driving in the worst of the rush hour, and if you arrive later the rates or higher or it is full. So you can get cheaper rates if you get there really early. I think $20 is more realistic around the Mall than $15, that's what Colonial garages charge. Union Station isn't bad, they charge $18 for 12 hours.
So this person may want to do it, but I stand by my warning that it could take a long time, easily over an hour, during rush hours.
So I isagree that it is not that big of a deal. A lot of people who don't live in big cities really don't understand how long it will take, they just look at the distance. That's why I said be prepared, because some people will just say, oh, it's 15 miles, it will take 20 minutes.
I thought the cheapest garage rates were if you were in by 7 am or 8 am or something, but the problem is then you are driving in the worst of the rush hour, and if you arrive later the rates or higher or it is full. So you can get cheaper rates if you get there really early. I think $20 is more realistic around the Mall than $15, that's what Colonial garages charge. Union Station isn't bad, they charge $18 for 12 hours.
So this person may want to do it, but I stand by my warning that it could take a long time, easily over an hour, during rush hours.
May 1st, 2014, 07:01 PM
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If you want to drive into town and park, you could try Parking Panda which is a website that shows you the price of all day parking in garages near the Mall. I did this last week on a Monday to go to the Newseum and paid $16 (prepay on credit card, get a receipt on your computer or iphone) instead of $25 if I would have just shown up. There are several garages each with different prices.
Margo
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