Planning on leaving Baltimore on Tuesday early afternoon and going to DC. What would be the best way of transportation with luggage? We plan on staying in the Dupont Circle area.

Downtown Baltimore to Dupont Circle, I'm guessing? Go to either Baltimore's Penn Station or Camden Station by taxi and catch the MARC train into Washington DC's Union Station, from which you could take a taxi to the Dupont Circle area. Schedules are on http://www.mtamaryland.com; the Penn Line is faster than the Camden line.

Sher:

I'd say an Amtrak train instead of MARC. I use to take MARC (1987-1989) from Penn Station in Baltimore to Union Station in D.C. and they'd run in the a.m. for the rush hour crowd but I'm not certain about early afternoon. There must be plenty of them since there are trains all the time traveling up the NE Corridor and the fare can't be more than $20, I'd be surprised if it were. Since I had a monthly pass on MARC, if I were working late and missed the last MARC out I could ride Amtrak for $5 with my pass. The other benefit of Amtrak is the comfort - nice cushy seats.

If you are leaving from BWI Airport, take one of the shuttle buses.

I'd take MARC too. There are trains at 12:40, 1:40, and 2:40. The ride's just under an hour. The fare is $7, as compared to about $30 for Amtrak (before AAA or senior discount). The Metro red line goes straight from Union Station to Dupont Circle, but if you have more than 1 bag apiece, or if the bag(s) aren't wheeled, I'd just take a cab.

I would take Marc or a shuttle bus -- Amtrak is outrageously expensive for that short distance (I thought it was more like $32-36). I think the shuttle buses are a better deal as they'll take you directly to your hotel. It depends where you are starting from, however, those are from the airport and there are excellent descriptions of all these options on the BWI web site.