tinamidon

We are staying @ L'Enfant hotel this coming weekend for 4 nights for my Bday & siteseeing. (2 adults/2kids, ages 11&14). We are flying into Dulles; should we take a cab or metro? I think I read it would cost around $70 for a cab....should we rent a car or would it be a hassle? I am reading warm days/cool nites...we are from Florida...will 1 lightweight jacket/sweatshirt be ok? Are we talking shorts weather or jeans? (My 14 y/o son does not own a pair of everyday pants...only dress clothes! He has worn shorts for years!)

Thanks!

kayd

For four people with luggage, taxi might not be a bad idea. There are other choices, though: Metrobus, bus and subway, blue van. Here they are:

http://www.mwaa.com/dulles/ground.htm

The only method I would rule out is rental car; the expense and inconvenience of having it in the city are great.

holly

The metro goes right to the L'Enfant hotel. The hotel actually sits right above the station. I can't comment on the weather. Can somebody who lives there help with this?

kayd

The express Metrobus (5A, fare $3) goes from Dulles to L'Enfant with only a couple of stops. It is by far the cheapest, least complicated of the choices, but it runs only hourly so you'd have a long wait if you missed one by just a few minutes.

Wear whatever you like -- there are no rules at all. Base your wardrobe decisions on the forecast the day before you leave home.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I doubt it would be too cold for shorts, as long as he has sweatshirt or jacket of some type. I wear shorts almost until snow falls and as long as my torso is warm I feel comfortable.

check that url kayd gave you. DO NOT GET A CAR. You probably won't use it and very likely parking will cost you more than the rental.

Tandoori_Girl

Hi tinamidon. I also live in Florida. Take my advice and leave the pastels at home. It is already fall up north. Khakis are OK but dress darker. I sometimes forget when I travel that not everyone lives in the sunshine state -- sadly 8-)

Time to get your son some jeans.

Anonymous

My daughter, who attends a college in DC, says that in the fall you can just look at kids and tell where they're from -- the kids from Minnesota wear their shorts until December, but the kids from Florida are out buying cozy socks in October. And we've observed that our Florida relatives always wear one more layer than us when they visit up north. So bring a sweat shirt and the shorts but be prepared for a quick side-trip for long pants if necessary.

Intrepid1

I live in Arlington and "this coming weekend" the forecast is for temps between 75 and 81 degrees both days.

Be aware that you cannot take the Metro from Dulles; you'd have to take a shuttle bus TO the West Falls Church Metro stop and change to rail there.

I agree with not renting a car solely for transportation to and from the airport...more expesnive in the long run for that especially if you have to buy even a small amount of gasoline for it, pay parking, etc.

It is NOT "already Fall" around here in the sense of the leaves all gold and red and a distinct chill in the air...if you wanted that you should fly to Vermont!!!!

Enjoy your stay.

4khansen

We stayed at the L'Enfant about 5 years ago and yes the metro has a station in the mall area right below the hotel. The only problem we had at all with this, is that you had to haul your luggage up a couple of staircases to get out of the subway station before you could find an elevator to the hotel lobby.

I, too, wouldn't bother with a car. Because you can walk pretty much anywhere or take the subway in DC. Really just a waste of money. The L'Enfant is about 3 or 4 blocks based on my fading memory from the museums.

The only thing I didn't like about the hotel itself, was that the mall area underneath had little or no restaurants open in the evening, other than a McDonalds at the time. Hopefully, that's changed. It was more of a weekday business mall for people working in the area. We had young children with us though, so McDonalds was ideal for them!