Poconolady

We will be flying into DCA on July 2 to attend a Memorial Service and burial at Arlington Cemetery on July 3, we must be at the Old Post Chapel at Ft Meyers by 8:30 AM. I would like suggestions for hotels close to Arlington, and how far/drive time it is from Gaithersburg where a reception will be held following the ceremony. I understand that there will be heavy traffic due to the July 4 holiday, how long do you think it would take to drive from hotel close to Arlington back to DCA on July 4, flight leaves at 6PM. Another option would be shuttle to hotel, renting a car for the funeral purposes at an agency close to chosen hotel, and then shuttle back to airport. Anyone have any other ideas or opinions on one of these plans. THanks!

Seamus

I would just pick up a rental car at DCA, drive to the hotel, to the funeral and reception then back to hotel and to DCA.

There are numerous hotels in Arlington that could work. The most convenient would probably be Holiday Inn on Ft Meyer Drive - has free indoor parking. Not posh but certainly adequate for a night's stay. There is also the Marriott Key Bridge. Ft. Meyer is a closed post and your vehicle (personal or taxi) will need to undergo inspection at the gate so be sure to allow time for that, as there can be a line.
Drive time from Arlington to Gaithersburg will be about an hour, maybe a bit more or less depending on traffic.

Funerals at ANC are quite impressive. You can get some info at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Fun.../Funerals.aspx

longhorn55

Ft. Myer is very close to the Rosslyn area and the Crystal City area of Arlington is fairly close too, so either of those would probably be the most convenient place for your hotel. Another hotel close to the Ft. Myer entrance on South 2nd Street and Washington Boulevard in Arlington (near where I live) is the Sheraton Pentagon City on Columbia Pike. A budget option close to Ft. Myer is the Days Inn Arlington Pentagon on Columbia Pike.

I would definitely rent a car at DCA upon your arrival. It will be much easier than dealing with shuttles and subsequent car rental locations (and the closest car rental agencies may be back at the airport anyway.)

The main route back to the airport is along some roads (Washington Boulevard and the George Washington Parkway) which could be quite crowded with people heading into D.C. or places in Arlington to watch the fireworks later that night. Some roads in Arlington are closed on the evening of July 4th, so that could hinder your return to the airport too. I highly recommend you consult with the front desk of your hotel about traffic and road closures. Also, ask them if they think the route along Arlington Ridge Road and South 23rd Street would be a better option. It's sort of a "back way" to get to DCA and the way I always go to avoid backups on Washington Blvd. and the GW Parkway.

Dukey1

An even closer "budget" option is the Days Inn located at 2201 Arlington Blvd. It sits across Rte 50 from Ft. Myer's Henry Street Gate which you can often walk through. It is a short walk from there to the Old Post Chapel.
The Hatfield Gate which is a couple of blocks further away is open 24 hours a day BUT if you drive in be ready for a car inspection routine since your rental car will not have a DOD sticker.

Dukey1

Here's another possibility. You could easily stay in one of the hotels in Crystal City which is adjacent to the airport. There are chain places and others. You could rent a car at the airport or in Crystal City.

Drive to Fort Myer for the ceremony there and you would also have a car for the trip to Gaithersburg. If you stay close to the airport you will have absolutely no problem getting back for your flight. Depending on which hotel in CC you choose you could even take the Metro.

The fireworks on the Mall don't start until usually after 9PM although people will begin congregating along the George Washington Parkway on the VA side long before that.

You need to use Googlemaps.com to take a look at the area which will give you some better idea of the logistics of this thing.

tomfuller

Arlington National Cemetery is the 4th stop north of the Reagan National airport stop. There is a shuttle not far from the Metro stop. http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm
You may not need a rental car until after you check into your hotel. I think it's easier to arrive on the Metro tan to wander around looking for parking.

Seamus

Dukey - Henry St gate is closed, permanently, as I found out the hard way on my last visit. It was only through the kindness of a young NCO on the other side of the fence that I got to the O club on time for my meeting.

tom - prior to the cemetery there is a service in the chapel on Ft Myer, best reached by vehicle.

BTW excuse the typos in my earlier post - it is Fort Myer, not Meyer, in case you need to input for GS

Dukey1

Seamus, thanks for that info. Might as well stay somewhere and get a rental car then. They could even stay in Rosslyn and go in the Patton Gate which would be as close as any to the Old Chapel.

Poconolady

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. One further question-- we may take the train from Union Station on July 4, rather than flying on to New York. Will we have trouble handling a 22 roll aboard bag on the Metro around 9 AM on the 4th, will crowds be really heavy at that time of day on a holiday? Or perhaps there are better transportation options to Union Station?

Seamus

You should be fine on the Metro with your roll aboard, I do it all the time. Metro is your best transportation option. Union station is on the red line. From Rosslyn take blue line toward Largo or orange line toward New Carrollton, at Metro Center transfer to Red line toward Glenmont. And the train is really a much more pleasant way to get to NYC.

Dukey - Wright gate would be easy access from Rosslyn - just take Ft Myer Drive which turns into N Meade which runs right into it.

NewbE

I think the Metro will be pretty crowded on the morning of the 4th, but not so bad at 9AM--that's my guess, anyway, and a guess is all it is. When I lived in DC, I didn't start heading down to the mall until the afternoon. Worst case, you can scope out the crowds before purchasing a fare card, or heading through the turnstiles if you already have a card, and then backtrack to the taxi stand at Union Station.

longhorn55

I don't think you'll have too much of a problem with taking Metro (and carrying a 22-inch bag) from Rosslyn (assuming that's where you plan to stay) to Union Station at 9am on July 4th . That's a bit early for most visitors to head into D.C. for the holiday activities and there won't be any weekday commuters due to it being a holiday.

There will be some road closures in D.C. for the parade, etc. although I don't know when they will start closing the roads. Anyway, that's another good reason to take Metro as opposed to a taxi from Rosslyn.

Christina

Last time I flew out of DCA, I left my car in the Crystal City Gateway Marriott which worked great. They have a covered garage and a shuttle to/from DCA, which is only a few miles from it. Also, it is actually connected to the Crystal City metro stop if you want to do that instead of the hotel shuttle. I was just parking there and then going to the airport and had time, so waited for the hotel shuttle.

They also have a Hertz rental location right at the hotel. So it would work for all your issues.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel...eway-marriott/