I don;t see any need for a car at all - or for a car seat unless you are using it on the plane. If you are I would ask the hotel in DC (presumably the same hotel at the beginning and end of the trip - to hold if for your return. then you can just take the train the whole way.

amtrak in NYC Penn station has red caps - and I believe there may be red caps in Union Station as well. It;s worth the few dollars to have them haul your luggage to the platform the train will come in on (they know in advance and can get it there more easily for you). Not sure about Baltimore but I would check that too.

If you would love to take the train between Baltimore and NYC and NYC to DC then you might as well take it between DC and Baltimore--it's a fairly short trip, @ 30 minutes. Are you renting cars at each destination to get to your apts? You mention having to lug the car seats for rental cars. Are taxis an option, from hotel to apts? I always take the train, I love it but if you need transportation at each location to reach apts., etc., and taxis are out of the question then perhaps a car rental would be best.

Normally, I'm a staunch advocate of public transportation, but in this case I recommend renting a car. While you absolutely don't need one, with that large a group, you're probably going to pay significantly more for train tickets than for a car. Just be sure to budget $30 a night for parking.

This is going to be an expensive trip no matter how you look at it, but with two kids and all those doctor's appointments, you certainly need transportation at your fingertips. If you do rent, do it for the entire trip. You'll get a weekly rate, which will be significantly cheaper than the drop-off fee if you leave the car in NYC and then take the train back to DC.

Agree with AnnMarie above. If you have to rent a car anyway to get to appointments, then rent a car for the whole thing. You don't really want a car in DC or NYC, however. If you can do taxis and trains, this is the best option.

I don't think there's any right or wrong answer. There are pros and cons to all options. For convenience, if you don't mind the expense, I would at least take the train between DC/NYC and leave the car seats at the hotel in DC if you can. A car in NYC will be an unnecessary expense for parking and you won't use it while you're here. I don't know whether you can manage without a car in Balt/Wash.

PS Good luck with all the Dr. appts.!!!

Re car and DC, it depends on the hospital. My guess would be Children's Hospital -- if so, then a car would be the best option given where it is.

So stay in DC for the DC and Balto. appts. You and hub and baby could take a train to Baltimore or rent a car for the Johns Hopkins appts., then all take a train from DC to NYC and back.

I would allow 2 hours to drive to JHU, park and get into the facility. A.M. traffic at 8 might be OK for getting out of DC on rte. 295 and clearing out by the time you get to Baltimore. Do consider dropping off one parent and baby while other parks.

I think train time would need about the same amount of time: get to station, buy tickets, get cab to JHU but you wouldn't have to worry about parking. An unknown would be a delay with train.

I hit submit by mistake. My DH had to go to JHU to the cancer center and it had its own parking lot. Check for parking for your center at JHU.

Would hiring a driver be worth it and waaay less hassle for Baltimore?

Another possibility is to stay in Baltimore after you've made the DC appts. Some of the down town hotels have medical rates. They are very near the Inner Harbor and your parents and child could go there or to the aquarium.

Much good luck with this.

Hmmm... I like Tdudette's idea of commuting to the B-more appts from DC AND hiring a driver. Pain in the butt to drive out of DC toward B-more if you don't know what you are doing. Two hours sounds about right.

Thank you all so much!!! I am such an idiot (or just REALLY sleep deprived) as it never even dawned on me to just stay in DC and commute for the Baltimore appts! That is what we will do as the less I can move the girls the better they will sleep.

And yes leaving the carseat(s) at the hotel to pick up at the end is also a great idea. Will definately do that. I can't believe that I never thought of that either.

I will talk to DH about whether he wants to train it into Baltimore or drive (he's kept his head about him driving in Seville twice so he should be fine just about anywhere . The appointments are at the Broadway campus so I think cab from train or driving would be fine. Can you take the Metro from the train station? I see a Metro stop on the campus map.


Thank you all again!!!!

P.S. I am going to add another post about which Residence Inn to stay at in DC if anyone has any ideas.

I too am an advocate of the train. I live in the DC area and travel by train or luxury bus to NYC. Faster and easier than driving (and cheaper than parking in NYC!). The train does go to B'More and there is also a Baltimore subway that goes to Hopkins. (I think you can get from the train to the hospital without having to get outside--at least to the Wilmer Eye Clinic). You might want a Res Inn close to Union Station if you are going to be going back and forth to B'More. Very good luck to you and your family. Hopkins is a great hospital (as is Children's in DC if that's where she's going --it will require a cab though)/

CAR.

Good gosh, you have an infant with medical requirements and you're considering worrying about the vicissitudes of train travel in the United States? Even on the lone Amtrak corridor that is not awful, the trains have delays, breakdowns and foul-ups that will just add to the stress of traveling around to get your baby checked.

On my last three train trips in the northeast, I had a 60-minute MARC delay caused by a late Acela, a 40-minute Amtrak delay out of Union Station in DC just because it was a day of the week that ended in "y" and a 25 minute stoppage on a NJ Transit train because the tower on my car that connects to the overhead power line spontaneously disengaged. On each trip, I just looked around, sighed, and read a book. You'll have to mollify the halflings.

CAR.

Good luck, the baby's affliction sounds rather harrowing.

To me, sticking to trains and relocating from DC to Baltimore on Monday, after the am appointment sounds more attractive than staying in DC. You have appts Tue and Wed in Baltimore, so it would be nice not to have to go back and forth, especially if you hit Tue afternoon rush hour by car.

Since you have 3 apts in Baltimore, it may make most sense to get a hotel near JHU so you could come and go as needed.

You have plenty of time, so a 30min delay here or there isn't going to upset your schedule. As for Thu, you could visit the Baltimore aquarium or find a kids museum, or move to NYC and get another day there.

I forgot about the metro station at JHU. I don't know the mechanics of using it.

Can anyone help here???

I agree with J62. Relocate to Baltimore Monday. I would take the train to Baltimore and depending upon where u stay, take a taxi or if there is a metro take that. I would stay at the Inner harbor cause there are lots of things to do in that area when u have a chance. If your preference is to drive then u should drive up during non rush hour, but I still vote for staying in Baltimore. JHU is a fabulous hospital and they treat their patients fabulously. Whatever u decide for your transportation to Baltimore, definitely take the train to NYC. Good luck with your appts.

Someone may have said this already (I just returned and haven't checked the updates), but you might consider moving to Baltimore Monday after your appointment. Or stay in DC and spend Tues and Wed in Baltimore. You can go by train from Baltimore as well as Union Station to NY on Fri. (or go up a day early). It would cut back on the stress of the back and forth. I know that there is an incredibly cheap hotel for relatives of Hopkins patients, but that may be only inpatients. You might call them. But even without that, hotels in Baltimore are cheaper than DC and it may be more relaxing to chill out and enjoy the Inner Harbor than going back and forth.

OK, I see that I'm a day late on my stay in B'more advice. But, take it. Big Russ may have had lots of Amtrak nightmares, but I've used it regularly for 3 years dc to NYC and have never had problems. If you take Amtrak from DC to B'more, there is a b'more metro right there. (I've not used it, but I know it's there).
I wouldn't stay near JHU unless I was in their special housing. I go to Hopkins and think the surrounding neighborhood is a bit seedy. There are lovely neighborhoods in Baltimore, but that's not one of them.

Are you going to JHU or to Hopkins Medical? They are in two completely different areas. I am guessing you are going to the hospital, not the university.

There are several moderately priced hotels in Baltimore that also offer free shuttle service to Hopkins medical. Call and ask them, also for Hopkins special room rates. Many offer them. Be sure to specify if you are going to JHU or Hopkins Med, when you call.

We used to stay at the Sheraton Towson, and it is nice. But I am not sure if it offers a shuttle to the Hopkins Medical facilities.

Also the Radisson Crosskeys is in a nice neighborhood and I think it offers a shuttle to Hopkins Med.

The Double Tree Inn at the Colonnade is directly across the street from Johns Hopkins U (JHU). It is very nice and offers Hopkins discounts. Not sure about a shuttle, although the U offers a free shuttle for its students. Perhaps it is available for Hopkins guests and patients, if you inquire.

Finally, if you don't mind downtown Baltimore, we also have stayed at the Tremont Park property, which is a boutique type hotel. The single room was much too small, but their suites are pretty nice. Here's the sister property website http://www.tremontsuitehotels.com/

Best wishes for you and your daughter. Hopkins is awesome and hopefully can help you.

Others have better insight to B'More, but I'm still leery of the neighborhood near the hosp. When I say JHU I mean the hospital (JHUMC). Also, check out the MARC trains from Dc toB'more.

Hmmmm....here I was getting all excited about being able to stay in DC and not have to relocate (sleep is not my little one's strong suit so the first night in a new place is always rough) and now it seems most think that is not a good idea. Will have to think about this a little more.

Yes, we are going to Hopkins Medical not the university.

JHU refers to the university.

Probably better to re-locate to Baltimore, but do not stay in the area near Hopkins Med.

See my suggestions above. We used to visit Baltimore often.

Not to complicate this further for you, but factoring the sleep issue in, I would not relocate to Baltimore. I would take the train & stay in DC. If u stay near Union Station u can hop on the Marc train which is less $ than Amtrak or take the Amtrak to Baltimore. Its a short train ride up. I don't know the logistics of a shuttle or metro to the hospital, but I'm sure if u call Johns Hopkins they will give u information. The day with 2 appointments will be a long one, but at least u won't have to deal with lack of sleep or a cranky child.

Also there is the main Hospital and the Outpatient Center which is just 5 minutes from the main hospital. If you haven't already you should get detailed information in the USPS from whomever your appts are with. This will give u instructions and exact locations.

Great idea taking Amtrak to the Baltimore Penn station, you can take a taxi from there to your destination. Best wishes to you and your family.

FWIW, the train line between DC and Balto is down this a.m.-power problem.

I'm leaning to moving to Baltimore after your DC appt. And I should have typed JHH instead of JHU-just a habit. Sorry for any confusion.

TDudette asked

"I forgot about the metro station at JHU. I don't know the mechanics of using it.

Can anyone help here???"

For most visitors to Baltimore, the metro to Johns Hopkins Hospital (terminus of the metro; trains bound for JHMI will say Johns Hopkins on the front and it should be clear on the platform too) could be useful if staying in the Inner Harbor or Mount Vernon neighborhoods. There's one line from Johns Hopkins Hospital to Owings Mills.

The "Charles Center" stop is the one you'd most likely use, a few blocks up on Charles St. from the Inner Harbor. (One may be closer to the "Shot Tower/Market Place" stop if one is nearer the eastern end of the Inner Harbor.) There are distributors at each station where you get your ticket which gets inserted into a slot in the turnstile (you may have to hold on to your ticket and insert it at the end, I forget). Unless things have changed, it's the same fare regardless where you're going. Trains are relatively infrequent (one every 15/20 minutes) during non-rush-hours.

There is NO metro at Penn Station, but one could take Light Rail from Penn Station to Lexington Market and get on the metro there to JHMI. Rather slow method though; I'd instead take a cab from Penn Station to JHMI unless I had time to kill and was feeling cheap.

Hope this helps, Daniel

I just found out this afternoon from someone getting radiation at Hopkins, that they have a shuttle that will meet you at the train station. Call your Doctor for details. And very good luck to you.

Thank you so much Daniel Williams. Hope this is helpful to you, als0107, and that your trip is successful for you and your dear child.

Wow thank you all for this great information! We are going to end up staying in DC and just commuting for the appointments. I am trying to keep the sleep/naps for the 2 year old as settled as possible so the rest of us can have some semblance of a normal trip so I think staying in the same hotel is best.

I did get a packet of info from Hopkins and will re-look at it to see if there is info on the shuttle. That would be a great help. Although DH is leaning heavily toward renting a car as he says he just feels better with that being at least one thing we can control.

Thank you all again and I greatly appreciate your well wishes as well. We hope to come out of these appointments with a more thorough understanding of where she stands.

Oh meant to say renting a car just for the Baltimore appointments and still taking the train to NYC and back to DC.

If u don't see the info re shuttle service in the packet, do call them. They are extremely helpful.
Re driving traffic wise, u will go up Tuesday after rush hour and barring any accidents should have no trouble. U will hit rush hour on the way back and it will be slow going once u hit the DC outskirts. For the 10am appt Wednesday u will drive up in rush hour so need to leave a little extra time. Fortunately Baltimore doesn't generally have very heavy traffic as compared to DC.
I think keeping your daughter in one place is a wise move.

We just got back from the trip last night and I wanted to thank everyone for their input and advice above. We ended up staying at the Residence Inn Rosslyn and renting a car for the two days that we drove to Baltimore (traffic was not a problem but then DH drives the 405 every day at home so it seemed like a breeze to him) and back for the appointments. We also decided not to move hotels up to NYC and stayed in Rosslyn with DH, myself and baby making the trip up and back on Saturday by train for the conference. It ended up working out great for us. Switching the girls in and out of hotels would have been really difficult for them and a logistical nightmare for us. The Rosslyn location was great (especially with a Safeway and CVS just around the corner, the large park nearby and the fire station up the street that had an open house on Saturday that my parents took our two year old to...made her trip!) and they upgraded us to a two bedroom suite so it was perfect for the whole family.

And the folks at the Kennedy Kreiger Institute are amazing!!!!

Thank you all again for your input.

Wonderful that it all worked out logistically for you and your family. Good health thoughts your way for your child.

Glad it worked out, and I too hope for good health for your baby.