als0107

I desperately need some advice on how to manage ground transportation for this trip. I usually do much more research on my own but with a two year old and an infant with medical needs it is really hard to find much computer time. ANY advice I could get would be much appreciated!

We are traveling to DC, Baltimore and NYC in October for medical appointments for my infant daughter. Traveling will be my husband and myself, our 8 month old and 2 year old daughters and my parents who will watch my 2 year old while we are in medical appointments. We are going in and out of National as we purchased the non-refundable, super cheap tickets when we were only doing the DC/Baltimore leg and didn’t know about the conference in NYC. Now we really need to go to the conference too.
Here’s what I have so far (and note the dates are set in stone as they are for medical appointments for my daughter and the Vascular Birthmark Conference in NYC)

Saturday: Arrive National Airport 6:25 pm
Sunday: Free day in DC
Monday: 8:00 am appointment in DC
Tuesday: 11:00 am and 2 pm appointments at Hopkins in Baltimore
Wednesday: 10:00 am appointment at Hopkins in Baltimore
Thursday ???
Friday: to NYC/Shelbourne Affinia hotel (free night stay from conference)
Saturday: 8:00 am conference at NYU followed by (hopefully but may be later) 1-2 pm clinic appointment
Head back to DC after appointment and overnight in DC
Sunday: 2:00 pm flight out of National

So my main question is when we should rent the car and when we should attempt to use trains. I would love to take the train between Baltimore and NY and NY back to DC as it is a long time for the girls to sit in a car. A train trip will be much easier for 2 year old to be entertained (we take the train to San Diego frequently with her and she loves it). But having to lug two carseats around on the train (as we would need them for rental cars) is a nightmare (did it in Spain with ONE and said never again). Would it be a impossible to do the whole thing via trains? Or should we rent a car on either Monday evening or Tuesday morning in DC to go to Baltimore, keep it in Baltimore and leave town after appointment on Wednesday and go somewhere else then head into NY on Friday and turn the car in there?

Thank you for any thoughts!!!!

nytraveler

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.

AnnMarie_C

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.

doug_stallings

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.

artsbabe

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.

mclaurie

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.

mclaurie

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

artsbabe

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.

TDudette

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.

TDudette

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.

artsbabe

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.

als0107

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.

con_brio

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)/

BigRuss

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.

BigRuss

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

J62

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.

TDudette

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

Can anyone help here???

yestravel

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.

con_brio

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.

con_brio

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.