D.C. -Helpful people-trip report
 

Our recent May trip to D.C. was great. We had never used a subway before and found it easy to use, clean, and affordable. The locals were very helpful.
Day one we took an easy Metro ride to Arlington and took the bus inside for our tour. Then we went up in the Washington Monument (We called earlier for tickets and picked them up near the entrance.).That night we took the Grayline Night tour of the Monuments, which was excellent!!!The next day my husband was tied up with business so my 11 year old grandson and I took off on our own. We took a taxi ($20 total) to get our tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (they are given out free at 8,people line up earlier,we went at 8:45-no line) and asked him to wait to take us to the Capitol. We had scheduled a tour through our congressman and really enjoyed it. Then off to our tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (my grandson really liked it)by taxi.(We could have used the Metro, but because of time restraints we used a taxi just to be sure we made it in time.) Later that day we walked to many museums and were worn out at the end of the day. We enjoyed all of them. People were so helpful and kind. That evening we ate in Georgetown and walked back to our hotel.
The final day we took a cab ($40 from our hotel) to Mount Vernon (we could have taken the bus from a Metro stop, but didn't know exactly how to do it at the time.) We spent several hours there and even ate at the Mount Vernon Inn (no reservation needed that day-15 minute wait.) There was a bus stop right in front so we took it back to the Metro and rode two different Metro trains back to the stop near the Westin Grand (The bus and Metro trains took about 1 1/2 hours,if you're in a hurry take a cab.)
There were plenty of cabs near our hotel and it was about a 5 minute walk to the Metro. We felt the hotel was pricey. We did feel somewhat rushed and could have probably added some more time to our trip. Planning ahead of time will make your trip more enjoyable.

Hi Haney20, I would imagine this trip to DC is something your grandson will remember forever!!! Traveling and sightseeing with children is so fantastic. Thank you for sharing your family's time in DC..I enjoyed your trip report!

It sounds like you had a great time and managed to do a lot in a short time. I think you made good transportation choices - sometimes it is not worth trying to save a few $ when your time is limited. Would you choose your hotel again?

I doubt we would choose the Westin Grand again. It was about $400 a night, the room was a little small, but had a really nice, huge bathroom.
We did feel very safe and the people at the hotel were great. There was a little place where you could buy a muffin or coffee in the lobby in the morning.I don't think the restaurant was open for breakfast.

With the kind of traffic we get in DC it might have been shorter to take subways over taxi (the bureau of engraving, capitol etc. as long as you get the right info. I agree the taxi to Mt Vernon might be cheaper in the long run than say a bus tour but those bus tours give you a lot of info. 1 1/2hr seems a long time from Mt Vernon using bus and metro. Are you sure you took the right bus and metro? I'm glad you had such a nice time.

Great trip report. Makes me want to pack up the kiddos and go again! Thanks!

That struck me as expensive for the room. I looked at dates in August and the Westin can be had for $240-280 range midweek for three people. Did your husband's company book it for business? They probably didn't shop around much.

There are 4 star hotels available downtown in the $200 - 300 range if you book ahead.

There are also many other luxury hotels to choose from in that neighborhood if the room seems small. (West End).

It was a great place to take kids. My eleven year old grandson loved it.
The room was booked through my husband's company. That's probably why it was so high.
We might have gotten on the wrong bus or train. We did ask for help though. Everyone was so helpful.