Trip Report: D.C., Short and Sweet
Dec 26th, 2007, 11:20 AM
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Trip Report: D.C., Short and Sweet
Short and sweet, here are a few notes from my trip to D.C. late November. Following Thanksgiving, I joined DH who went there for a meeting.
Getting There: From San Antonio I flew Southwest in / out of BWI. Once the meeting was over I would train north to visit family and BWI is most convenient to them. Also, having only trained north from BWI, I was curious to know how easy it would be to get to DC from there—the answer? VERY!
BWI Airport to DC: Before leaving for a trip, my personal preference is to have as much in hand as possible so I booked Amtrak tickets on-line, in advance. Tickets can then be picked-up at the Amtrak station, either the self-serve kiosk or service window. The alternative is to simply buy tickets upon arrival at the station.
Trains run frequently between BWI and Union Station in DC, there’s at least one every hour and the ride is a fast 30 minutes. You do not have to limit yourself to Amtrak. The MARC (commuter) train will also get you to Union Station, and back, for about half the price, however, those trains run Monday through Friday only and, compared with Amtrak, have a limited schedule and luggage storage.
http://www.amtrak.com
http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/
I allowed two hours between landing, collecting luggage, catching the free shuttle (located outside baggage claim) from the airport to the Amtrak station, and picking up train tickets. This was more than enough time and I was able to change my ticket to an earlier departure that was less expensive, arrived an hour earlier.
It’s been years since I last visited Union Station, I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. The wafts of garlic from the restaurants inside made me want to sit down and eat something, anything!, but DH was waiting… Signage inside the station is very good if you need to find either the Metro or taxi stand.
At the Station I took a cab to the hotel. Because the hotel is located inside zone one the fare was $6.50. Zones are new to me. I gave my eyes a good work out looking for the meter…then I found the zone chart posted inside the cab. How well do you need to know your zones so as not to get ripped off from a driver? The map is pretty vague, a little too general for me, I want details! The driver who returned me to the train station upped the fare to $7.50.
Hotel: Renaissance (Marriott) Hotel located 999 Ninth Street NW, 202-898-9000. No choice in the matter as this is the hotel where DH needs to be for his meeting. The lobby area is large and beautifully decorated for Christmas. There is a mall of sorts, with food vendors and post office, attached to the hotel which we found came in handy.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...gton-dc-hotel/
Our room is on the small side as is the bathroom. It’s neat and clean and although I don’t love it, there are things about it to love like the location and comfy bed. It is within walking distance, at least for us, to all that we want to see while we’re there and close to the metro. The street noise, particularly at night, is bad, imo. Our room, on the 7th floor, faced 9th Street—perhaps higher up, facing in a different direction might have been better.
Sights: DC is familiar to both of us as we grew up, and as adults lived, within driving / metro distance. There are pictures of me as a child at the National Zoo. DH’s graduation ceremony from medical school was held at the Kennedy Center. It feels like home when we’re there. We love to revisit old favorites, check out what’s new (to us), catch special exhibits, etc.
On this particular trip we visit the Spy Museum (deceptively small on the outside!), National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Art (primarily to see the Edward Hopper and J.M.W. Turner exhibits), National Museum of Natural History (it puts a smile on my face to see the elephant that greets visitors in the main lobby area still standing after all these years) as well as the Air and Space Museum.
Of note at the Air and Space Museum are items on display from the National Museum of American History which is closed until sometime (summer?) 2008 for renovation. What a nice surprise to see Dorothy’s shoes from the Wizard of Oz…as well as the scare crow costume, script, and camera used during filming. In total, it is a small sample of items from the Museum but it’s a nice variety and better than nothing, imo!
One night, as we left the Air and Space Museum, we were fortunate to see the sun set behind Washington Monument.
http://i15.tinypic.com/6om6by8.jpg
Memorable Eats: We tend to eat where we are and not make reservations, however, one night DH did surprise me with a reservation at Acadiana, 901 New York Avenue – one of the best meals we’ve ever enjoyed, we both ordered the duck. Beautiful, comfortable restaurant—sort of Asian meets Cajun? http://www.acadianarestaurant.com/
Another place we enjoyed is Gordon Biersch Brewery – Restaurant, 900 F Street. They have a menu of beers brewed on site. We followed our waiter’s suggestion, based on what we told him we like, and loved our choices though I don’t recall the names *hick* of what we drank. Also, the food was very good. Better yet, the interior of the restaurant which at one time was a bank—absolutely beautiful. http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants
There’s a handy and helpful visitor’s guide that I highly recommend picking up once you’re there entitled goSmithsonian. It’s small, lightweight, includes a map of the Mall as well information and interior maps of the major museums. For more detailed information, I like the Eyewitness Top 10 Washington D.C. Guide as well as Fodor’s Washington, D.C.’s 25 Best. Both are full of information yet small and easy to pack.
Getting There: From San Antonio I flew Southwest in / out of BWI. Once the meeting was over I would train north to visit family and BWI is most convenient to them. Also, having only trained north from BWI, I was curious to know how easy it would be to get to DC from there—the answer? VERY!
BWI Airport to DC: Before leaving for a trip, my personal preference is to have as much in hand as possible so I booked Amtrak tickets on-line, in advance. Tickets can then be picked-up at the Amtrak station, either the self-serve kiosk or service window. The alternative is to simply buy tickets upon arrival at the station.
Trains run frequently between BWI and Union Station in DC, there’s at least one every hour and the ride is a fast 30 minutes. You do not have to limit yourself to Amtrak. The MARC (commuter) train will also get you to Union Station, and back, for about half the price, however, those trains run Monday through Friday only and, compared with Amtrak, have a limited schedule and luggage storage.
http://www.amtrak.com
http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/
I allowed two hours between landing, collecting luggage, catching the free shuttle (located outside baggage claim) from the airport to the Amtrak station, and picking up train tickets. This was more than enough time and I was able to change my ticket to an earlier departure that was less expensive, arrived an hour earlier.
It’s been years since I last visited Union Station, I’d forgotten how beautiful it is. The wafts of garlic from the restaurants inside made me want to sit down and eat something, anything!, but DH was waiting… Signage inside the station is very good if you need to find either the Metro or taxi stand.
At the Station I took a cab to the hotel. Because the hotel is located inside zone one the fare was $6.50. Zones are new to me. I gave my eyes a good work out looking for the meter…then I found the zone chart posted inside the cab. How well do you need to know your zones so as not to get ripped off from a driver? The map is pretty vague, a little too general for me, I want details! The driver who returned me to the train station upped the fare to $7.50.
Hotel: Renaissance (Marriott) Hotel located 999 Ninth Street NW, 202-898-9000. No choice in the matter as this is the hotel where DH needs to be for his meeting. The lobby area is large and beautifully decorated for Christmas. There is a mall of sorts, with food vendors and post office, attached to the hotel which we found came in handy.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...gton-dc-hotel/
Our room is on the small side as is the bathroom. It’s neat and clean and although I don’t love it, there are things about it to love like the location and comfy bed. It is within walking distance, at least for us, to all that we want to see while we’re there and close to the metro. The street noise, particularly at night, is bad, imo. Our room, on the 7th floor, faced 9th Street—perhaps higher up, facing in a different direction might have been better.
Sights: DC is familiar to both of us as we grew up, and as adults lived, within driving / metro distance. There are pictures of me as a child at the National Zoo. DH’s graduation ceremony from medical school was held at the Kennedy Center. It feels like home when we’re there. We love to revisit old favorites, check out what’s new (to us), catch special exhibits, etc.
On this particular trip we visit the Spy Museum (deceptively small on the outside!), National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Art (primarily to see the Edward Hopper and J.M.W. Turner exhibits), National Museum of Natural History (it puts a smile on my face to see the elephant that greets visitors in the main lobby area still standing after all these years) as well as the Air and Space Museum.
Of note at the Air and Space Museum are items on display from the National Museum of American History which is closed until sometime (summer?) 2008 for renovation. What a nice surprise to see Dorothy’s shoes from the Wizard of Oz…as well as the scare crow costume, script, and camera used during filming. In total, it is a small sample of items from the Museum but it’s a nice variety and better than nothing, imo!
One night, as we left the Air and Space Museum, we were fortunate to see the sun set behind Washington Monument.
http://i15.tinypic.com/6om6by8.jpg
Memorable Eats: We tend to eat where we are and not make reservations, however, one night DH did surprise me with a reservation at Acadiana, 901 New York Avenue – one of the best meals we’ve ever enjoyed, we both ordered the duck. Beautiful, comfortable restaurant—sort of Asian meets Cajun? http://www.acadianarestaurant.com/
Another place we enjoyed is Gordon Biersch Brewery – Restaurant, 900 F Street. They have a menu of beers brewed on site. We followed our waiter’s suggestion, based on what we told him we like, and loved our choices though I don’t recall the names *hick* of what we drank. Also, the food was very good. Better yet, the interior of the restaurant which at one time was a bank—absolutely beautiful. http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants
There’s a handy and helpful visitor’s guide that I highly recommend picking up once you’re there entitled goSmithsonian. It’s small, lightweight, includes a map of the Mall as well information and interior maps of the major museums. For more detailed information, I like the Eyewitness Top 10 Washington D.C. Guide as well as Fodor’s Washington, D.C.’s 25 Best. Both are full of information yet small and easy to pack.
Dec 26th, 2007, 03:34 PM
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Nice report - thanks for posting. I'm a big Acadiana fan too.
re Taxis:
In addition to the regular fare based on zones, a rush-hour surcharge of $1 is in effect from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Also, it's an extra $1.50 for each additional person.
Furthermore each bag is $0.50 or $2.00 depending on the size.
There is also a $1.00 charge for radio-dispatched cabs.
Finally the total fare is doubled during snow emergencies.
The driver will never volunteer why your fare is $1 more (or whatever) than normal unless you ask.
re Taxis:
In addition to the regular fare based on zones, a rush-hour surcharge of $1 is in effect from 7:00 to 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Also, it's an extra $1.50 for each additional person.
Furthermore each bag is $0.50 or $2.00 depending on the size.
There is also a $1.00 charge for radio-dispatched cabs.
Finally the total fare is doubled during snow emergencies.
The driver will never volunteer why your fare is $1 more (or whatever) than normal unless you ask.
Dec 27th, 2007, 05:45 AM
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bardo, thank you so much for the explanation. In the back of mind, I figured I was missing something--like a pick-up surcharge...I know these fees exist so I didn't argue, smiled, paid and tipped! The dollar surcharge then fell into the 7-9:30 a.m. pick-up. Neither driver spoke very clear english, it was a challenge communicating with them and just figured it would all work out--it did. Thanks, again.
Dec 27th, 2007, 06:10 AM
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and now - they have eliminated the Zone taxi pricing and have gone to meter - and the taxi drivers are up in arms!!!!! This was a great report - I live in the area, and one thing (since I was born here, too) - Union Station didn't used to look this good..... 
Dec 27th, 2007, 09:04 AM
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This story from the Washington Post is a good overview of the zone vs. meter debate:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...122501227.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...122501227.html
