Sherlon03

We are still debating whether or not we should stay in Dupont Circle vs. Alexandria. Nightlife is not that important to us but wonder if the commute to Alexandria everyday for 4 days will be a hassle. Our primary focus will be on the area attractions but thought Alexandria would be quieter and more quaint for moving around in the evening. Any opinions or suggestions. We're looking at the Hilton Embassy Row vs. Embassy suites in Alexandria. Any comments on that would be appreciated,too. Thanks.

Flyboy

I like the Hilton Embassy Row. It's a larger, boutique-style hotel; not at all a convention-style property. As for the neighborhood, I don't regard it as "quiet and quaint", but it is very much animated in the evening with a lot of wonderful restaurants to choose from, some decent shopping, coffee shops, book stores, etc. I couldn't make the comparison to Alexandria so I'll have to leave that to someone else, but I give the Dupont Circle area very high marks and the Hilton Embassy Row is an excellent place to base from.

obxgirl

Is "we" a family or adults? If you're a family, I'd opt to stay in Alexandria. It's just a little quieter and more manageable for families. It's pleasant to wander around in the evening. Shops are often open after dinner and it's fun to look at all the 18th and 19th century homes. The Embassy Suites is spitting distance from the Metro into town and the commute will not be a hassle. The yellow line includes Pentagon City (nice shopping, Nordstrom, Macy's etc) and Arlington Cemetery on the way into town.

I'm not slamming Dupont Circle at all. You'd enjoy either place I'm sure.

Christina

I live in DC area and don't find Alexandria as exciting as many on here do. It's okay, but I wouldn't stay there on a trip to DC. It's not far, of course, but I agree with you -- why stay there and commute back and forth each day to DC. It's not a small town so I don't know how quaint it is, being right on the border of DC, it's an urban area IMO. I don't really know what you mean by quieter or how that would make moving around easier in the evening. To me, quiet or noise depends on a hotel and how good their rooms are. DC isn't a big noisy city in the evening like New York, which is one reason I like it. DC is actually fairly quiet for a big city.

Personally, I'd much rather stay in the Hilton Embassy Row than in Alexandria and be closer to things in DC.

JJL

I would stay in Dupont Circle at the Embassy Suites at 1250 22nd Street. This way you still have the features of the Embassy Suites that Alexandria would have offered you; however, you are also still in the Dupont Circle area.

In fact, when I was in DC I stayed at the Embassy Suites DC Downtown at 1250 22nd Street and it was an excellent hotel.

donnabee

If you don't want to stay in the city, stay in the Arlington/Crystal City area. Downtown DC is right over the 14th Bridge from there. It's only about 10 mins away.

Cassandra

I'm very fond of Alexandria (it was home for many years), but see some merit to staying in Dupont Circle, just for the atmosphere. On the other hand, figure you'd spend at least 1 day in the Alex/Mt. Vernon circuit anyway, so no commute there. Otherwise, the time spent on the Metro intown isn't all that much longer than the trip from DuPont, since I'd imagine one day would be on the Mall/Smithsonian and one on Capitol Hill. The only sights closer to DuPont are the Embassies and the Zoo. But again, the neighborhood might be an issue, and not sure Alexandria is as "quaint" as you'd like, and Dupont area might be more "quaint" than you think.

If, however, you want to stay on the Va. side of the river and reject the King St. area, I would not stay in the Crystal City area but rather the Rosslyn area just over Key Bridge from Georgetown. It has a few restaurants of its own and I believe there's a decent "Virginia Suites" there, as well as a Hyatt and a Marriott. Be sure to check addresses on a map, because a lot of places pretend to be convenient to Rosslyn/DC and are a hike out to the west in Arlington. (Orbitz thinks that New Hampshire Avenue in DC is just a stone's throw from Rosslyn, which is nuts.)

Anonymous

Just for the record, the "commute" out to Alexandria is not a big deal, it's just a few stops on the Metro. And since the Embassy Suites is right across the street from the King Street Metro station, it's actually a more convenient location than a hotel that's more centrally -located but a longer hike to the Metro. IMHO

kaudrey

Sherlon,

When are you coming to the area? I live in Alexandria and commute to DC every day, so here are my thoughts:

First, let me say that I LOVE Alexandria. Old Town is wonderful to walk around and has tons of great restaurants, and it is wonderful to walk down by the river.

Having said that, King Street to the White House area (Farragut West Station), takes a little over 20 minutes. The Mall and other stops would be farther. If you are traveling when it is not rush hour, trains come every 10-20 minutes. If you are traveling during rush hour, it will be very crowded. The commuting would get you a later start and get you "home" later than if you stayed in the city.

The reason I asked WHEN you were coming: in the summer, Old Town is very crowded at night with tourists and locals who want to take advantage of the restaurants and waterfront. Therefore, it might not seem any quieter than Dupont Circle in the evenings. However, when I go to Old Town I have to drive and it's a pain to find parking, so I may be a little biased here. Once I DO find parking, I love it.

I think it's a toss up - really it will be your preference whether you want to stay in DC or not. However, if you do stay in DC, a day trip to Old Town would be very nice to do anyway.

Enjoy your trip!
Karen

E

I lived in DC and Alexandria for years, and, perhaps more importantly, have stayed in hotels in both Dupont and Alexandria. Alexandria is quieter and quainter, at least along the cobblestoned blocks of Old Town where you will likely go to stroll and have dinner. Christina is correct that Alexandria is a big urban area, but she's taking its entirety into account.
Dupont Circle isn't Times Square, and it also has charming streets to stroll. Your metro rides would probably be a bit shorter to Dupont from most of the sights in DC than to Alexandria. You could also walk from Dupont Circle into Georgetown or Adams-Morgan, for dinner or whatever.
I would pick Dupont, and plan to go to Alexandria for dinner and a stroll one evening. But I don't think you could go wrong with either selection. Have a great trip!