DC / Baltimore / Philly Trip
 

There are going to be ~ 10 of us going on this trip. Friend of mine is getting married and this is in lieu of his bachelor party. Primary purpose will be the baseball games (surprise...)

Our Tentative plan for right now

Thursday
Amtrak from Hartford to Baltimore (others will be flying in from LA)
Barhopping around Inner Harbor
Game in Baltimore this night
I booked Holiday Inn Express at the Stadiums (great rate and near the stadiums)

Friday
Spend all Day in Baltimore (probably out to Ft McHenry)
Train to DC late in the Day

Sat / Sun in DC
2 games, whatever else (repeat trip for a few of us)
Staying at the Americana again.
Monday
Train back to Philly
Any recommendation for a budget hotel in downtown (preferrably around $125-$150 per night) near a Subway system? May try to use priceline as the date approaches.
Game Monday night

Tuesday
Train back to Hartford

Just changed hotels for Baltimore when i realized where the original hotel was (on far side of Stadiums from the Inner Harbor). Rebooked at Hampton Inn and Suites Inner Harbor

Sounds like a fun trip! Did you notice the really spiffed up Americana website?

Yes, I did. Problem with it is that it won't work too well on my work computer and looks funny (no HTML, etc). But it does look good. I really enjoy staying there and it helps a budget a lot. Now if I could only get them to open 1 in Baltimore and Philly...

This will be a fun trip. I have been to all these stadiums but its nearly been 8 years since Philly and 4 since Baltimore.

Just booked our Amtrak Tickets finally. $130 for the 3 legs which is not bad at all. Just planning on taking MARC to DC from Baltimore at 1 point on Friday.

Now just have to watch for hotels for Philly and Baltimore. I'm open to any suggestions.

Also, playing with tickets. The Orioles game is the priority with it being the Yankees coming in. Also, going to do the Phillies tickets soon as I know they sell out. Will buy Nationals tickets before we go but not as worried except for it being a Phillies game.

Looking forward to this trip.

Here is what I have for our itinerary so far. Any suggestions / thoughts?

Thursday
Amtrak to Baltimore. Gets in at Noon.
Go to Hotel and hopefully check-in. Our hotel is Hilton Baltimore, adjacent to Camden Yards.

What is best way to get from Penn Station to Camden Yards?

Babe Ruth House / Sports Legends Museum / bar hop before the game
Yankees @ Orioles game that night

Friday
Ft McHenry via Water Taxi from Inner Harbor
Water Taxi to Fell's Point for lunch maybe
Couple of stops in Inner Harbor

MARC from Baltimore to DC
Can we take MARC from Camden Yards to DC or is it just out of Penn Station?

Dinner Someplace in DC

Check in at Americana Hotel

Saturday
American History Museum
Air & Space Museum.

Nationals Game

Sunday
Monuments early AM if we choose
Nationals game (maybe) - may do something else

Monday
Amtrak to Philly 11am
Get in around 1.
Probably head to get a Cheesesteak before the game. Suggestions? I know - loaded question...
Staying at Holiday Inn adjacent to the Ballparks

Tuesday
Probably outside view of Independence Hall
Eastern States Penitentiary? Worth it?

Alternative to above is a tour of Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Amtrak home at 5.

Skip the cheese steak. Instead, go to the ballpark early, especially since your hotel is within walking distance, watch batting practice, and have a beer and get a roast pork sandwich at Tony Luke's behind the left field stands. (I prefer mine with broccoli rabe). Get to TL's early for the sandwich, or face long lines. Really, the food and prices at the ballpark aren't bad, though the beer's a little expensive.

Otherwise, you're going to have to take a cab to Pat's or Geno's to get a cheese steak. I get it that it's a Philly tradition, but I'm not sure it's worth the bother.

> a cab to Pat's or Geno's to get a cheese steak
> I get it that it's a Philly tradition,
> but I'm not sure it's worth the bother.

I'm sure -- it's NOT worth the bother.
It would be hard for me to imagine a bigger waste of time and money than to pay for a cab ride to have a mediocre cheese steak. If you MUST have this sandwich while visiting here, Tony Luke's is just as good (if not better) than these two, and it's right at the ballpark.

> Eastern States Penitentiary? Worth it?

Depends on what you mean by "worth it." There's some fascinating history there, but it's pretty specific. Myself, I'd rather visit the room where the U.S. Founders wrote the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution than the room where Al Capone spent a year behind bars. But that's just my personal taste.

I like Eastern State--it's very evocative--but there really is a lot to choose from in the city. It will give you a break from standard museums, though! There's a picture link here in my trip report, to give you some ideas: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...the-prison.cfm If you do want a standard museum, the newly redone Philadelphia History Museum is small but interesting, and the National Museum of American Jewish History is really well done. And, of course, for gross-out purposes,there's the Mutter.

I believe you can take the Marc from Camden Yards to Union Station. Here's there website to get schedule info
http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train
Take the Light Rail from Penn Station to Camden Yards
http://welcomebaltimore.com/transpor.../rail-service/

So being a baseball fan, what do you think is going on with the Nationals? slow start or a flash in the pan despite some great talent?

Lots and lots of Phila. choices for one day, tell us a little about your interests and we can help more.

Phillies are no longer guaranteed sellouts :-(

Yestravel, they are just off to a slow start. They have been showing signs of life - but now with news that Strasburg is injured, I am getting worried now for them.

I have taken all the suggestions about Philly and will look into them. Probably going to be the hardest as there are a few of us that have been there a few times and others that haven't...Just need to look at all the options.

Thanks for your assessment...that's encouraging! Per the WPost Strasburg is not injured-hope that is accurate. Enjoy your trip

We changed hotels for DC. Got a great deal at the Key Bridge Marriott. More for a different hotel than anything wrong with the Americana. Same price but for a better hotel.

An idea for a dinner before the short walk across the bridge back to your hotel - located near the 34th & M pedestrian entrance to the bridge.

http://www.kafeleopolds.com/

Sounds like fun! Not sure I've got any recommendations as such, but you may like to read my trip report, as we've just got back from a similar trip (DC/NY/Philly).

Bear in mind that the Air and Space Museum may be quite crowded (it's one of the most visited in the country I believe). However, it's swings and roundabouts, as when we went it was a weekday and there were loads of school groups! So it may well be that there's no *good* time to visit per se now that we're into the high season. So just visit and enjoy...none of this is a reason to *not* visit.

Bear in mind also that the monuments are open late too. Capital Bikeshare is a great way of getting around them if you think the walk may be a little long for some of the people in your party. It's relatively cheap, but to cut the cost, share bikes (1 bike between 2 is fine as you can easily alternate walking/biking).

Have a great trip :)

Pizza Paradiso http://www.eatyourpizza.com/tag/pizzeria-georgetown/ on M St has great pizza, salads and sandwiches.

Will post more tomorrow. If you really want a cheesesteak, go to Jim's. But not sure if id wait in a really long liine . The Xfinity Center at the stadium complex is fun. (Don't go to pats or genos.).

I liked the EAstern State tour, but I'm pretty fascinated with that kind of stuff.

I loved the tour of Citizens Bank Park - those might be more likely to sell out than the game itself! They don't take you into the locker room, but you get to hang around in the dugout, at bat circle, etc. they were even tolerant of my son holding the mic in the TV broadcasting room. our tour guide loved baseball and gave a great tour.

Thanks for the info on Philly & DC.

Just looked at the website for the Newseum and will be going there. They are having a Special Exhibit on JFK as its the 50th anniversary of his assassination so I definitely want to see that. Having been there before, I am hoping we can get through moderately quick but I also know how much I like the museum...Hoping to be there just as it opens on Sunday morning then maybe head to the game...

Husband just was in Philly. I did the hotel res on priceline. Zones were such that it worked out well for that city. Even if you don't end up using priceline, I'd study their zones and betterbidding.com or hotwire to see where the deals are. It appeared that I could get many of the same hotels, named and potentially cancelleable on travelocity or hotwire at about 20-30 percent more than a priceline or hotwire secret sale.