IMDonehere

We are thinking of visiting DC next spring. It does not have be during the Cherry Blossom season. Last time we went to sightseeing, there was a terrible snowstorm on President's weekend which proved John Kennedy's saying that DC is "A city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm."

There is much we want to see including the Smithsonian (and Air and Space), Holocaust Museum, National Gallery, Library of Congress and if we have time the HIrshhorn.

We are NY'ers, so we will take AMTRAK down to one of the most beautiful rail stations in the country. How is Foggy Bottom for an area to stay if the hotel is near a Metro Stop? We would just like to be near restaurants for a light breakfast or a light dinner. What are some of the other good neighborhoods in which to stay, since what we want to see is spread out.

I saw a list of everyone's favorite restaurants and that looks terrific.

Thanks in advance.

JanetKMR

I adore Old Town Alexandria. And the Lorien Hotel is right at the Metro stop for King Street.

IMDonehere

Thanks. I have only been to McLean on business, will look into it.

Rich

We usually stay in Alexandria at the Embassy Suites . . across the street from the Metro and a 10 min walk to Old Town with a ton of restaurants

http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/...TES/index.html

IMDonehere

Thanks for the suggestion.

Sassafrass

Old Town is great - lots of restaurants.
Do visit the Torpedo Factory in Old Town. It is one of the largest working artist co-ops in the world, and is really high quality and interesting.

kja

Have you considered staying in the Dupont Circle or Woodley Park areas? Lots of great restaurants, easy access via the Red Line, etc.

HappyTrvlr

We stayed in Foggy Bottom and used the Metro, It worked well.

IMDonehere

Thanks for all the hints. We will see which works best. I used on the board of the largest art coop in Brooklyn, so visiting Torpedo Factory would be interesting.

Dukey1

The Torpedo Factory is a bit of a walk from the area where the Metro stop is located so be aware of that. It is not an impossibility but they are not right next to one another.

IMDonehere

We like to walk the places we visit, although we are getting older and it is losing its charm. But thanks for the warning. I googled a map and depending on the hotel, the Torpedo Factory could be up to 20 block walk. But thanks to folks here, we have a solid alternative to places in DC.

JanetKMR

You could take the King Street Trolley (which is free) and that will get you close to the Torpedo Factory.

maxima

Depending on the time of year and when you book a hotel you can get a good deal on lots of hotels in dc as well as Alexandria.

The Kimpton hotels often run specials. They have one hotel the George which is very close to Union Station, but
there are not a lot of places to eat in that area also a few hotels in Dupont Circle where there are lot of restaurants

Alexandria.. Old Town has lots of places to eat but you will be taking the metro all the time to sightsee in DC
if you don't stay there, you can easily go there from dc on the blue line

hotels are generally cheaper on the weekend or when congress is officially not in session absolutely the cheapest around the end of December






As you know once you get off in Union Station you can take
the metro. You can get a metro card and load it up...

IMDonehere

Thanks.

There is a commuter line that runs from Union Station to Alexandria, that looks convenient.

We will probably go sometime between the middle to the end of April, when the weather, all things being equal, should not be too hot or cold.

The cost of taking AMTRAK for us, will be 1/4 of taking the shuttle from LGA. That has gotten ridiculously expensive but because it is for business and government officials, I guess they can get away with it.

maxima

yes the shuttle has become prohibitive for ordinary travelers.

be sure to book your Amtrak way in advance. Its always cheaper that way, you can get tickets for about $49 each way. The price goes up the closer to your departure date.
I wouldn't bother with the Acela its only marginally faster and costs a lot more. Boarding in Penn Station always is a bit of a scramble, as they put the platform number up 10 minutes before departure. Its much better from Union Station. if you do not intend to talk on your cell and don't want to hear others yak away for hours, look for the quiet car.

The commuter rail from Union Station DC to Alexandria only runs Monday-Friday, on a schedule, and is more expensive than the metro. the metro runs more frequently but it does require one change to either the blue or yellow line.to King St Station, which i believe is closest to Old Town.

IMDonehere

Thank Maxima. I hate the scramble at Penn, maybe the new one which will be finished after I am dead will be better.

OTOH, Union Station in DC is one of the most beautiful renovations of a public space I have seen in the US.

The only time we would take VRE is coming and going from Union Station as we are getting too old to schlep luggage on the Metro has lost its charm. In fact a cab may be beckoning.

We are going to ask some friends and relatives to join us but I want to establish the hotel and a basic itinerary beforehand because we do not want a camel of a vacation designed by committee.

Do they allow you to stand these days on the LGA-DCA shuttle?

JanetKMR

King St Station, which i believe is closest to Old Town.
__
It is about a block from the Lorien Hotel.

IMDonehere

Thanks.

I think we have narrowed it down to the Lorien and a place in Foggy Bottom. There is an AMTRAK train from Alexandria to Penn NY but it stops infrequently.

doug_stallings

Old Town Alexandria is charming, but it's not DC, and I always prefer to stay in the district even though it's more expensive. Foggy Bottom isn't a bad place to stay. You're within walking distance of the Lincoln Memorial, which is nice, and there are restaurants fairly close by. You might end up taking a few taxis. I'd recommend you get the Uber app. I'm not an Uber fan, but taxis in DC are awful but jump on Uber fares, sometimes at the expense of street-hailers.

obxgirl

Agree with Doug about staying in Alexandria. And I love the Lorien. Alex is a lovely place to stay but if you're only in town for a few days why not stay in the city?

What hotel are you considering in Foggy Bottom? Depending on your location, in addition to the FB Metro you may also be pretty close to the Dupont Circle Metro. FB also has good access to a couple of Circulator bus routes, including one to Union Station. Circulators run a truncated route to the heavily touristed areas for $1 a ride, half price if you use a Smartrip Metro card.

You certainly can take taxis or uber but it's hardly a necessity.