D.C. - which subway line
 

Which "far end" of a subway line is in the best area to end our ventures each night? We plan to take the subway into Smithsonian / The Mall area each day but wanted to be located very close to a subway line but in a clean safe area with perhaps restaurants or shopping closeby.

Any suggestions from the locals?
(it will be over the July 4th time period if that makes a difference)

Also is your American statutory holiday "day off" right on the 4th only, or do you also close everything down on the 3rd or 5th this year?

Thanks.

I can't recommend places to stay, but the subway in DC is called "the Metro." You'll get funny looks calling it the subway. We in the US are treating the 5th of July as the holiday since the 4th falls on a Sunday this year.

To answer your first question, what you might refer to as the "bank holiday is on Monday July 5. Most people have that day off, banks the stock market, etc are closed. Most stores and restaurants are open.

It's kind of subjective, but the King Street stop in Alexandria toward the end of end of the blue/Yellow line, or the Silver Spring, Bethesda, or Friendship heights stops on toward the end the red line would be my choices for places to stay. There are lots of restaurants near those stops, and they have a neighborhood feel, as opposed to Crystal City which is just high rises. Crystal City is perfectly safe and would be fine if that is where you get a good hotel deal. Also don't rule out the downtown DC area, esp Dupont Circle, and the Woodley Park stop. Of them all, my favorite would be Woodley Park, as you can get into Rock Creek Park from here, and there a lots of restaurants and interesting shops.

There is usually a wonderful, free outdoor classical concert at the Capitol (west lawn on the Mall) on July 4. The National Symphony Orchestra usually plays with guest performers as well. There are fireworks as well. I could not find any info on this year's concert, but someone else may. This is extremely popular, so pack a picnic and get there by about 6:30 pm if you can. There is usually a rock concert during the day on the Saturday (this year July 3) down near the Washington Monument.

thanks for the quick & helpful responses. I'll look into all this & "see you there" :-)

No need to go to the end of the line--I recommend the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia (the first stop on the Orange and Blue Lines in Virginia after leaving DC) for the area such as you describe which involves the least travel time from the tourist highlights and good value hotels a block or two from the Metro station.

Type Rosslyn in the search box in click on Go for more details, as this question comes up frequently.

You specify "very close to a subway line but in a clean safe area with perhaps restaurants or shopping closeby." These are features better found at some close-in locations, as end-of-line Metro stations are generally surrounded by highways and vast parking lots. Convenient for both daytime and evening activities -- Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Friendship Heights, Bethesda are a few areas that come to mind.

OOPS--in the last sentence of my post above, please substitute "and click on Find" for "in click on Go."

john charles -- hee, hee - yep I knew what you meant... ;-)

Thanks everyone.

Here's a vote for Dupont Circle.

"but the subway in DC is called "the Metro." You'll get funny looks calling it the subway."

Funny, I ride the subway everyday in DC, call it the subway, and no one has ever given me a funny look.

If you really feel you want to stay in a more suburban location and out of the city, you could also try Bethesda (although it actually has a pretty urban feel to it). As others have said, the ends of the SUBWAY are not as tourist-friendly as you would expect since they are in mostly residential areas.

Hmmmm - when I search almost all of these wonderful locations mentioned, they do not have car parking. Silver Spring is the only one with parking & only 44 spaces.

The following 3 seem to have most parking spaces (I assume it's a parking garage?) Greenbelt, Huntington, Franconia-Springfield.

Any preference out of those three?

I expect a stop like Silver Spring with only 44 spaces will be filled when we arrive mid- to late- afternoon on Sat. July 3 ?

Sorry to be a pest... but you all are giving great advice.

The symphony orchestra concert sounds great too!

Oops, didn't realize you needed car parking. All of the places we mentioned are where you don't need a car. If you stayed at the places mentioned, you won't need to drive to the subway.

Why do you want to drive your car to the Metro? Are you staying with friends or did you not want to stay someplace with expensive parking prices?

If you want to be near the Mall each day, why not jsut stay in the city, as most tourists do? You'll have no need for a car, and will have scores of hotels to choose from that meet your criteria of a clean, safe area with restaurants and shopping nearby.

I always hate to post this because then people start to reply with the "flack" but --- we travel on a budget; we'll be sleeping in the car. That's why I need the car.

Yes, yes I realize your concerns. You should hear my mother! ;-)

You're sleeping in the car!!! Whaaaaa?

Been there, done that. Park in DC itself, in the NorthWest area, you'll be fine. Just pay close attention to street signs about parking, especially because of the holiday. The city will be packed on the Fourth because of the fireworks.

If you want a car to go to excursions outside the city, I would plan renting for a day or two and plan all your out of town trips for that time. To be far from the city only to have parking is not the best way to plan your time in dc.

I agree with those indicating you don't need a car if you stay in the city. Everything is metro accessible - actually, for the most part, you can walk everywhere.

Woodley Park and DuPont stops have probably the most eclectic neighborhoods out of all the stops. I live in the Kalorama neighborhood, which is close to Woodley and have seen great little hotels you can check out that are very reasonably priced. Try out Woodley Park House or Kalorama House (stay there and you'll probably see me walking my dog! :-) Also, Tabard Inn in the DuPont area is nice.

I think you'll get a lot more out of the city sticking close by. And don't worry, the vast majority of it is incredibly safe.

Oh, and out of all those stops you mentioned in one of your emails, I don't recommend any of them. While the areas are nice, you will be in the subarbs in all of them and very far from the city (the metro ride itself will take 30 minutes or so).

MikeT is right. You can call it the subway if you like. That's what I call it and I've lived here my entire life. One thing to keep in mind though - if you plan to take a break on the escalators, stay to your right...those that opt to walk up the escalators love to keep the left lane open so that they can pant past you.

Have a great trip and enjoy a great city!

So this is your own car you're driving, not a rental? Oh, okay...yes, you can still park downtown. Find a nice neighborhood - has anyone mentioned Woodley Park or DuPont? - park and don't move. If you come in on a Friday, you won't have to move your car until Monday. Most street parking in neighborhoods is 2 hours unless you live there and have a car sticker to show it, but all that is thrown out the window on weekends.

However, unless you're nicely hidden, you might get a friendly rap on your window from a policeman wondering if you're alive.

Have fun!

Sounds good. We'll be arriving Saturday afternoon & leaving Monday evening. With Monday being the stat holiday, will I be able to "remain parked" without a ticket?

Yes - travelling from Canada with my own car. Will be heading down to Charleston SC for a few days first, then back up to DC on my way home for a few days.

I hope to leave the car parked somewhere & then walk or take the Metro if needed to Arlington Cemetery, Smithsonian / Mall area, and the Zoo.

Last time & only other time I was in DC several years back by myself, I parked the car on the street the first day, then had a hard time finding my way back to it that night in the dark! So I moved to a subway parking lot for the next day & night to be sure I could find my way back - ha!

Counting the days now. Looking forward to any opportunity to take a VACATION!

(p.s. - Thinking of y'all at the passing of a great man, Pres Reagan -- we're getting lots of live coverage of the proceedings on our Canadian TV too!)

Hmm, tough call! I believe that Metro parking lots are well-patrolled, esp. at night, so I doubt you'd get away with sleeping in your car in one of those. Plus, as you yourself guessed, they'll fill up fast on a holiday weekend. I guess I'd hunt for on-street or strip mall parking near a suburban Metro stop--your plan all along, right? Try Clarendon and on up into Vriginia (orange line), Bethesda or Friendhsip Heights in Maryland (red line), or American U., Woodley Park, Cleveland Park in DC (also red line). You can find a metro map online... good luck!

Ha! Stop by any of the clubs or bars near where your car may be and for sure you'll never find it again. Just make sure you write down the cross streets somewhere and take it with you.

Not sure about Monday...but you will most likely be okay. The worst you'll get is a $25 tix. Sometimes they're really lax about checking. Anyway, I don't know if they'll track you down in Canada if you don't pay up...maybe not good advice...

Since you're going to the zoo, your best choices for a camping-out neighborhood would be the Woodley Park (intown/downhill from the Zoo) or Cleveland Park (uptown/ uphill from the zoo) areas, near the Metro stops of the same names. There are plenty of bargain markets, low-end restaurants, etc. etc. in the area, including a nice little grocery market right across the street from the Woodley station.

There's a lovely Marriott hotel right at the Woodley stop, too, with lovely landscaping. It is a big conference-type hotel where there are so many people coming and going that they never check IDs of people who are dressed respectably and the restrooms off the lobby are very nice . . .

Zoo tips: The grounds open very early, 6 AM, and that's when the animals are most active, especially in hot weather. By the time the buildings open at 10, they're ready for naps. Be prepared to spend time watching the pandas, who (IIRC) come out around 9:30. Lots of fun!

Very interesting question, first I've seen it on this board. Strongly agree with everything Anonymous had to say. Especially basing yourself and your car near the Woodly Park Metro stop. Don't forget to read the parking signs along the street to make sure you'll be OK for the duration. Here's a map of the area:

http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../woodleyp.html

Like Bardo, I live here and I just can't imagine sleeping in the car parked in D.C. Interested in cheap options? There are Fairfax County Parks, 10 miles outside DC (Burke Lake Park comes to mind but there are others) where you can camp overnight very cheap, drive your car around the next day to the metro at Springfield (free parking at Springfield Mall for that metro stop) or drive into DC (metro is preferred for 4th of July crowds), and return to camp the next night in your same spot. Does this interest you? I will give you details, These are nice parks, wooded campsites, camp stores, some have electrical hookups at the sites.

We'll be in a real honest-to-goodness geniune motel!! in Maryland on the Monday night ;-) We'll be in a hostel in Charleston on the Friday night before coming up to DC. So it's just the Sat & Sun night we'll be sleeping in the car.

Last time (several years ago) I stayed in the metro parking lot all night after July 4th fireworks - just can't remember which one it was. No problems, no questions.

Thanks again for so many replies and suggestions. Thanks for the website to find the map. I'll have to just drive around & find a spot once I get there.

While I am impressed that someone will be sleeping in their car (I'm too old for such things!) - my husband and I will be visiting the east coast next May for the first time and will be staying in hotels. We plan on visiting New York and Washington, DC. and want to see all the typical tourist attractions (using the metro/subway). Any suggestions for clean, safe, reasonably priced and centrally located hotels in either of these areas? Also, which airport would be the best to fly in to? We will be flying in fron Northern Nevada. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You might want to start a new thread and people may miss your question as it is somewhat unrelated to the question of the original poster.

I would definitely look into an "open jaw" ticket that will allow you to fly into one city and out of the other. I would do DC first so you don't have to deal with the hassle of getting bag and baggage into NYC tired after a flight, etc, eps if you have not been to NYC before.

In DC, I think flying into Reagan airport is better than Dulles. You can take the Metro from Reagan into downtown DC in under half an hour. Dulles is far out in Virginia, and while there is public transportation, it would take a while to get in (no subway at Dulles, it would be bus to the subway most likely). A cab would be expensive to DC from Dulles.

There is an airport in Baltimore called Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) which you will probably show up when you are looking for flights. You can often get discounted flights to BWI. The airport is about 50 plus miles from DC. I believe there are buses and maybe a combination of Amtrak trains and buses to get to DC. Unless the price was hugely different to fly into BWI versus Reagan or even Dulles, I would not go to BWI, its just a little too inconvenient for getting to DC.

I would take Amtrak between DC and NYC. A good way to see the countryside, and the train stations are in the center of town (not quite so central in the case of Union Station in DC, but better than going out to the airports.)

Any of the NYC airports would be OK. La Guardia would be the closest and easiest to get to by subway/train. Newark and JFK are a toss up, IMO. You can take the train to Newark via some changes. I personally dislike JFK, but at the end of the day if you got a better price there that would be fine.

Go to worldairportguide.com for links to the websites for all the above airports. They airport websites will give you info on public transpiration options for getting to and from the airport, as well as an estimated taxi cost for various points.

For hotels, can you give us an idea of budget and whether you want to be in downtown DC or the suburbs, and if you have a preference for an area in NYC.

I live in DC and haven't ever heard anyone call it the subway and never call it that, myself. I don't think anyone would give you funny looks, though, as that's a term used in some parts of the US.

I agree you don't have to be on the far end of a subway line, and I wouldn't recommend the far ends at all for a tourist. I think Silver Spring, Bethesda, or some in Arlington area would be fine. I don't really know how easy it's going to be for you to find on-street parking around Woodley Park, that's a very congested area with a shortage of parking for local residents, as are many other areas.

I think you are mis-interpreting the garage spaces. Silver Spring has a huge garage with hundreds of spaces, and that might be a good idea, although there aren't really that many hotels there -- only a Hilton and Holiday Inn that I can think of within walking distance. Those 44 spaces are "short term" spaces meaning a very small lots with meter right near the entrance for people not staying long. There is a huge garage right next door for all-day parking (I think 700 or so spaces) and it is free on weekends and holidays, as all metro lots.

Woodley Park is an area of DC just south of the Zoo. It is very safe, green, right on a subway(one stop from Dupont Circle)and quiet. There is a hotel right at the subway stop but I am not sure who owns it now.
Another choice would be the Rosslyn area of Arlington. It is right across the river from the Lincoln Memorial. On July 4th the subways are impossible, you will be able to walk home to there.

I'd have to agree with Cic and say Woodley Park metro. I like the ethnic restaurants, the supermarket, and more woodsy atmosphere, along with being near the zoo. The only thing with the King Street stop is that you have to connect with a bus which can be a drag at the end of the day, although a taxi wouldn't be too bad. Another good option is the Rosslyn stop (Blue Line). There is a nice Holiday Inn across the street (I stayed there is the late 1980s) and many restaurants nearby. Also, it is right across the Potomac from D.C. if you wanted to walk to the sites. You could also stay at the West End stop (G.W. Univ.) and walk to Georgetown easily and you'll have an endless variety of restaurants and shops.