Can someone please help me formulate a 3 day itinerary for my husband and me? What must we see in those 3 days and where to stay? Not great walkers, so the metro must be near. Moderate hotel (not more than $125.00), clean, etc. How far is the Mall to walk from end to end? Is it doable for us old people? (58 & 59). Want to go the first week in March. Thanks for your help.

Well 58 and 59 is hardly old. But - if you're not used to walking the mall may be too long for you.

But why not use this as a prod to get in shape. If you start walking now you';ll do severall miles confortably by the time of your trip (my parents did DC and walked everywhere into their late 70's - and they were even former smokers.)

Usualy do Priceline in DC - but that won;t guarantee the metro will be nearby. that budget may be a challenge if you want to be right on top of one.

I lived 3 years in DC about 10 years ago when my hubby was stationed at the Pentagon. The Metro goes just about everywhere in DC so I don't think that will be a problem for you. I don't know about the room rates but please don't rule out N. Virginia (metro goes there too!). Alexandria is a beautiful little town - about 10 miles from DC. Since you're not walkers the White House may be out. I've heard since the awful dreaded terrorist it's a pretty good walk to see the White House because of security and barriers. When we were there you could drive right by it and stand at the gate taking pictures. So sad. The Smithstonian Museums (I think there are 5)have Metro stations either under the museums or within a block. I can't tell you much about DC because frankly I was scared of the "bad" areas and it's easy to get lost and end up in one of those areas but I did take my boys on Metro to see the monuments (Lincoln and Washington) and the Smithstonian Museums. You could spend your 3 days just seeing those. I hope you have a super vacation.

Sheesh, where to begin with the previous post.

First of all, it's just bad information. There are no Metro station under any Smithsonian Institution on the Mall and several that require more than a block walk.

The best thing to do is not assume the Smithsonian metro stop on the Blue/Orange lines is the closest. It's a pretty good hike to American Indian Museum (L'Enfant is probably better) and National Gallery of Art (Archives/Navy Memorial) from there.

As for it being easy to happen into ``bad'' areas, that's a complete crock.

First of all, some of us define ``bad'' areas differently.

Others on this board have pointed out it can be code for black areas -- and that's why some use quotation marks. To other, bad means crime or run-down areas.

And some might say a state that was still debating Confederate flags on statehouse grounds in the 21st century is a ``bad'' area.

The areas where tourists venture, especially the ones hitting the big-name DC destinations, are very safe and that covers a large part of the city.

At that time of the year, you should be able to find a hotel in the city close to a Metro. Rosslyn hotels would be a good fallback, although staying in the city is usually more fun. Just know that weekday rates really jump at most DC hotels.

The Hamilton Crowne Plaza has some late winter rates. It's fairly near a Metro stop (about two blocks) and close to several top restaurants. You can walk to the White House from there.

The best bet: Reserve a one that fits, but check the last-minute deals just before you arrive. Folks here can quickly give you tips on particulars.

As for an itinerary that will ease your feet, you should consider the Tourmobile on the first day. It goes past many of the major stops and will give you the lay of the land. You can get on and off all day. They have an option for Arlington Cemetery, which ever American should visit at least once IMO.

Day 1 -- Tourmobile to Arlington in a.m. and White House/monuments in p.m. Lunch at Old Ebbitt's Grill or American Indian Museum -- both close to tourmobile routes.
Day 2 -- Target two or three museums. Evening stroll and dinner in Dupont Circle.
Day 3 -- Mount Vernon with a stop in Alexandria for lunch and a stroll in Old Town.

Fodors has quite a neat 3 day itinerary in their "Destinations" section of this site. It's a good starting point to give you some initial ideas.

Take a look at:
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...&feature=30002

Hi etc,

Well, I agree with repete that Sherri's advice is mostly misinformation. There are more like 15 Smithsonian museums, and a lot of them are pretty close to various metro stops (within a few blocks). And you can still take pictures of the White House, from either side, as there are pedestrian throughways, although you can't drive up to it.

Dupont Circle area is handy for the metro - I'd look there for hotels, although your price range may limit your choices somewhat.

The tourmobile is a good idea since you don't want to walk alot - the monuments are quite spread out, you'd walk a few miles to see them all.

As for what you must see, what do you enjoy? What are your interests? There's enough here to fill a week or more, let alone 3 days. You could easily spend 3 days in the museums, but I wouldn't do that.

As suggested, I would spend a day seeing the monuments and Arlington Cemetery. As for the other days, it depends on what you are interested in.

Do you like history, arts, fine dining? What do you want the focus of your trip to be? If you tell us more about yourself, we can help better.

As an example: After living here for 5 years, and playing host/tour guide to various friends and family members, I have seen all the monuments numerous times. Over Christmas, a friend came to visit and wanted to see the Constitution at the National Archives. First time I've ever done that, and first time anyone has ever asked me to take them there. It all depends on your interests.

Karen

Please disregard my previous message. Since I have not been to DC in 10 years I certainly should have checked my information more closely rather than relying on my memory or I should have bowed to others who have more recent info.. I do remember DC as being a lovely and wonderful city and I would not discourage anyone from visiting there. Perhaps I did not see all the museums the city has to offer but what I did see (the 5 I knew about) were beautiful and provided me with wonderful memories. I do not remember the Metro stops being so far away as apparently they are. As for my definition of "bad", it is a rundown or crime-ridden area. I never saw bad as an area where black or any other color of people live. If that is the definition then I live in a bad area since an African American family live 2 doors down from me. Furthermore, I do not see my neighborhood nor my neighbors/friends as bad. I still say it is easy to get lost in DC but perhaps not on the Metro. Most of my experience was from driving and I did find DC a difficult city to drive in. I stand by my suggestion of Alexandria or any of the cities outside of the district (but convenient with the Metro). I was thinking along the cost of hotels. I am sure etc0414 will find many terrific hotels that are clean, affordable and safe in and around the district area. If anyone felt that my response hinted at anything else, I am sorry for not being clear.

Tourmobile! Tourmobile! Tourmobile!

You can pick it up not very far from the Smithsonian Metro Station. Just turn around as you get off Metro and walk toward the Washington Monument. You will be thrilled that you dont have to walk the mall to Lincoln/Viet Nam/Korean War/FDR/Jefferson/WWII Memorials/Monuments. When I was in my FORTIES, I used to take 2 pairs of shoes when I had guests to take down there. Now that I am in my (mumble, mumble), I just take them to the nearest Metro Stop and hand them a map. Except for those things that I can drive them to between rush hours and after. Speaking of which, dont overlook any opportunity to drive/be driven around the monuments and Capital/White House at night. Incredibly different views.

Be sure to walk through FDR Memorial. It is a delight in any season. Between Lincoln and Jefferson along Tidal Basin.

Can't recommend lodging cause, as a local, I have no need for it and nothing to reference, but I can say that Roslyn is very close as is Alexandria and Bethesda is not incredibly remote. Don't know that there is an area on other end of red line to recommend.

etc0414, if you and hubby venture out and it seems you've bitten more than you can chew, DC is a very taxi-friendly city. They are all over and they've come to my aid many a time.

I hope you get to see the cherry blossoms. I think March is when they bloom -- but you never know exactly. They bloom when they are ready.

I have lived in the D.C. area for 20 yrs. and have an office downtown. But I still am trying to get past the part of your message that refers to you being old at ages 58 and 59. Your age doesn't make you an old person. Perhaps if you have health problems that is a challenge. But not just your age.
Don't try to walk the mall end to end if you classify yourself as "not great walkers"-- you'll be beat by the end of the walk as it is alot farther than it looks on the map. I agree w/polly re Tourmobile and highly recommend it to all our family/friend visitors. Hop on, hop off at all the key stops.

SherrieA- go to jail and do not collect $200. Sounds like you learned your lesson but the rule is on a travel board that if you don't know what you are talking about (and that includes old data and really long term memory) then don't say anything. And if you haven't been to a place but have just heard about it, then say so. As the guy says here on the radio in D.C. "not a sermon, just a thought"
Do not stay in Alexandria if you only have three days, consider yourself old, and are not walkers. Stay somewhere really close to the area you want to see. If possible, break the budget a bit and check the lower priced hotels in vacinity of Metro Center. There is a newish Sheraton Four Points not too far from there- I just checked and got $149 rate on Starwood's website (although you left out the prime info on when exactly your trip is happening??) And then you can cab it the short distance to where you want to go.

I thought the OP's age remark might have been a little tongue in cheek. Perhaps it's time to pull out the two great Satchel Paige quotes:

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"

"Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter."

I recommend the Hilton Garden Inn on Franklin st.(?) I believe it is close to your price range. I think it cost us around 140 per night when we went last year. It is a nice clean hotel. I think the area surrounding the hotel was fine. It is near everything. I agree with above take that tourmobile thing. A long time ago we went to DC and stayed in Georgetown and took a tourmobile(it wasn't called it back then- I believe it was called Old town trolley.)Anyway it picks you up and drops you off at each major monument, capitol, and smithsonian. There are several and they just drive and take you to the next stop. Very good for people who can't get around too much. I believe, and people don't yell, it is a mile from the monument to the capitol??? The smithsonians are lined up in the middle. I would walk around there and see as much as you can in your three days.

We were there for a week and absolutely loved it. Most of our activities were prearranged on the internet before we left.

I would suggest contacting your congressperson or senator to arrange for a tour of the Capitol. We really enjoyed our guided tour. We went to the Supreme Court afterwards.

Saw plays at both Kennedy Center and Ford's Theatre.

Took tours on both Tourmobile (to Arlington) and DC Ducks, which is a land/water tour.

Monuments visited: WWII, Lincoln, Korean and FDR. Very impressed with all of them.

Museums: Air & Space, Udvar Hazey, Holocaust, National Gallery of Art. All wonderful.

We took a boat on the Hudson to Mt. Vernon which was very enjoyable.

Don't think I've forgotten anything. It was a wonderful trip. Hope some of these suggestions will be of help, and if you are interested in anything in particular, please e-mail me and I will try to provide web sites and/or further information.

Girlonthego:
Old Town Tolley is a competitot. From what I know the differences are that Old Town trolley hits a few more neighborhoods, while Tourmobile concentrates on the Mall/monuments/White House loop.

I think the on-off privileges are a little different.

The Hilton Garden Inn is one of the few DC hotels I've stayed in -- it's our emergency weather hotel. It's on Franklin Square (14th near I??? I believe.) Relatively new, clean and convenient -- and a good value for the area that is close to Metro.

You've gotten some good advice here, especially from Repete, although unless George Washington and his era are a primary interest, as fine places as Mount Vernon and Old Town Alexandria are to visit I would question spending an entire day of a first three day visit to DC on them. Instead, put that day in the middle as a change of pace when you come back a second time, for a week.

And I'm sure Giovanna meant the Potomac as the river she took a cruise to Mt. Vernon on, not the Hudson, which wends its magnificent way north from New York City, not south.

As others can mentioned, it can be difficult to get a good hotel room in DC in the price range you mention without Priceline, and with Priceline you can't be sure how close to Metro you will be. I agree with Repete both that it's more fun to stay in the city and that Rosslyn is a good fallback. Many DC visitors overlook Rosslyn because it is in Virginia (it is a neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, and you may find the hotels there listed under either the name Arlington or Rosslyn) and do not realize it is only one Metro stop (and a ride under the Potomac of less than five minutes) from the first of the stations serving the prime DC hotel and sightseeing areas.

Unfortunately, people's reactions to the moderately priced Rosslyn hotels within a block or so of Metro (the Holiday Inn Rosslyn Key Bridge and the Best Western Key Bridge) seem to vary a great deal, with some people delighting in them as a great bargain, and others finding them unacceptable. If you decide to try one of these, perhaps a very good idea if both a bargain rate and closeness to Metro are of prime importance, and you can get a great rate at one or both of them, read the wildly varied user reviews of them at Tripadvisor.com (under Arlington) and form your own conclusions.

I've not stayed at either of these hotels, but have taken the quick Metro ride into DC from here often. I have eaten at the moderately priced, three meals a day rooftop restaurant at the Holiday Inn, which has wonderful panoramic views of Washington's monuments, the Potomac and Georgetown, and for that reason is one of the area's best little-known amenities.

I spend about half my time in DC. I just got back yesterday.

I like the nighttime tour of the monuments. The monuments are rather spread about and not easily accesible by Metro. This nighttime tour is also a good orientation. The bus stops and passengers get off and on; the bus driver waits.

I like the Old Town Trolley better than Tourmobile, maybe because it stops at the hard-to-reach NAtional Cathedral which is one of my favorite places in DC. Just spectacular. (I love to walk, a few days ago I got off at Dupont Circle and walked all the way up Mass Ave -Embassy Row- to the Cathedral!)

Besides all the normal stuff like monuments and Smithsonian museums try to get up to the Library of Congress. The interior is stunning. The Great Hall is truly one of the most beautiful interior spaces in DC.

If you are walking on the Mall and need a rest, duck into the US Botanical Gardens. Its a steamy oasis. The cafeteria inthe basement of the NAt'l Gallery is also a civilized resting spot.

Wash Monument is temporarily closed. Instead you can ride (free) to the top of the Old Post Office Tower on Penn Ave.

I obtained a gallery pass from my senator's office (it is good for the whole session of Congress). Then I enter the Capitol on the north side of the building where there are never any lines. You do not get a guided tour but you can breeze right up to the gallery and watch the Senate (which is usually a snore.)

It is approx 2.5 miles from the Potomac to the Capitol ("the Mall.") I like to take Metro to the Arlington CEmetery stop and walk across the Memorial Bridge and then down to the SMithsonian . But if you are not accustomed to walking then this will be quite a trek.

The Smithsonian Museums are varied, you should research them and decide what you want to see the most. I like the NAtional GAllery the best (it is not a SMithsonian but it is free.) The new Indian Museum is now open, there were no lines there on Wednesday.

You will not see the cherry blossoms the first week in MArch. You WILL see a ton of school groups! This can be aggravating if their bus has just pulled up to a sight or museum you want to visit!

A hotel near the Metro is a must. No way would I stay in Alexandria for a 3 day trip. Crystal City and Rosslyn have lots of brand name hotels but these are rather boring areas and I think it would be more fun to stay in DC.

Also whoever said you cant walk past the WHite House is incorrect. A new pedestrian plaza has just opened on Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House.

Someone said "dont assume the blue line to the Smithsonian is the closest!".... I 100% agree that Archives or L'Enfant (both yellow) is usually more convenient. Study a street map that also has the Metro stations on it.

DC is magnificent. Have a great trip.

JBC11: You are indeed correct. Red-faced Giovanna meant the Potomac. The only time we cruised the Hudson was on the way to Bermuda. Sorry for the mistake!!!

We took the Old Town Trolley tour on our first day in DC. We really enjoyed it. You can get on and off as many times as you like and see many of the sights. Do not miss the Lincoln Memorial. The beauty and serenity almost brought me to tears. We also enjoyed the Spy Museum for a fun time and something different. We walked almost everywhere so I really can't advise on the metro. Enjoy your trip.