mrrockydog

Hi. My mother just found out she has cancer and it is the aggressive type. I have taken her to Hawaii and to Cancun. The one place she always wanted to go is DC. She is starting chemo Thursday and the doctors won't know if it will do any good until she does three or four rounds. In the meantime I want to take her somewhere in case things do not go well.

So about the DC trip, I was thinking that I would like to take her around Christmas - is this too short of a notice for the tour companies and hotels??? I thought the Christmas lights would be nice to see. She is worried about being cold - we are in WV and it isn't usually extremely cold here so I was wondering what the average temps are in December??

Regarding things to do and see - I want to book a two day tour. What tour companies do you recommend? She gets very tired so a walking tour is out of the question. It would have to be a bus or the trolly tours.

My mom isn't into fine cuisine but I would like to take her somewhere nice to eat both nights we will be there. She isn't into international cuisine or drinking. Same thing with a hotel - I want to stay somewhere nice, but it doesn't have to be a five star hotel. We aren't really on a budget either though. I figured we would drive down one day, take tours for the next two days and come back home the next day. So that would actually be three nights we would need a hotel room.

Please give me your best opinions based on what I have written - it will probably be her last trip if the chemo doesn't work.

siena1

My heart goes out to you and your mother.

Sorry I can't help with specifics about DC, but I'm sure others can give you great advice.

vjpblovesitaly

I would just check orbitz to get an idea of price ranges for the hotels in the various area. Downtown or Penn Quarter/Chinatown would probably be good.

It is not terribly cold here either. Maybe 40s during the day.

HereInFranklin

You might want to consider the fact that she might not be up to traveling after 3 or 4 treatments -- I know I wasn't. Or, perhaps I'm reading this wrong and you're going prior to treatment? Also, keep in mind that people on chemo need to avoid crowds because you don't want any type of infection--and with chemo you bascially have no immune system, so you're much more susceptible. Especially during the cold/flu season. Sorry for being such a downer, but you need the facts.

www.hereinfranklin.wordpress.com

kswl

I agree with the above poster. Your mom may not be up to the trip and/or it may be dangerous for her to be unnecessarily exposed to infection during her course of treatment. I hope she does well with her treatment

siena1

You'll want to check with her doctor regarding what HereinFranklin said.

I found this on Chemocare...

"To help to decrease your risk of infection:

In general, it is fine to go to public places. Avoid, if possible tightly crowded places during the height of the cold/flu season. Generally a mask will not offer much protection from infection, so it is better to avoid close contact with people coughing and sneezing."

Christina

Washington is nice at Christmas with some of the decorations and the White House tree lit up, etc. I think it's usually colder in West Virginia in DC, climate-wise. It certainly wouldn't be warmer in W Va.

I am not sure what to recommend on hotels, but I don't think Christmas is a really big destination for tourist travel for DC, so you should be able to get a room. After all, Congress it out, and businesspeople aren't here.

beanweb24

Assuming you get the go-ahead from your doctor...and not knowing where you might be staying...here are some suggestions for American cuisine in DC:

* Corduroy
* Cashion's Eat Place
* DC Coast

I highly recommend using Washingtonian to help you find restaurants (and reviews).

http://www.washingtonian.com/RestaurantFinder.html

Washingtonian also has a December visitors guide worth checking out:

http://www.washingtonian.com/article...uide/9532.html

Good luck to you and your mom.

TC

I am so sorry to hear of your mother's illness. I lost my dear brother to cancer just this summer, so my heart is with you.

There are many good hotels in DC. I would consider one on or near the Mall for conveniece. We like the Hotel Monaco. If you can't find what you want within your budget, phone the hotels directly with your need and I'm sure they will be helpful. I would also suggest contacting the hotel's General Manager after you've made your reservation. You will most likely be upgraded to make the stay special for your mother.

http://www.monaco-dc.com/

Contact immediately your State Representative's office in DC to see if they can help get you on a White House tour -- so special at Christmas time.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cg...e=ctc&state=wv

Consider hiring a private tour guide. Might be much easier for your mother. This would be espcially good for a night view of the lighted monuments and the Christmas lights.

Good suggestion from Washington Post:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tra..._worth_it.html

Good luck and God bless.

TC

Something that might add to the charm of your DC holiday would be staying in a B&B rather than a hotel. It is a real chance to peek inside one of the elegant mansions and be treated as royalty. Just what your mother needs.

http://www.dcinns.com/

Sherri1

Take her to D C . Spare no expense.
Go with the attitude, attitude, attitude, that this is the first of
MANY trips to follow. ......
Sherri

nytraveler

I wouldn't book any tours. You don;t know how she'll be feeling and how much she'll want to rest. And you don;t want her to push herself.

Under the circumstances I would get a nice hotel downtown - with room service in case you you want it and several restaurants nearby. Then I would use cabs to get from place to place. They'll be easily available and are quite reasonable for short distances.

Also consider getting one of those lightweight folding seats (they look like a large umbrella when folded and have a shoulder start for carrying - so she can sit whenever she needs to.

Separately, I would have her pick out what she wants to see most - so you schedule those things early in the day - as she may fade as the day goes on.

tahl

Hotel Monaco is an excellent choice.

The District Chophouse ( www.chophouse.com ) is literally across the street, and is one of my personal favorites for a cozy but nice evening. There are many other restaurants nearby, international but also American. In the American category, ranging from least fancy to most fancy (but all nice for an evening out), I'd put Legal Seafood (great crab cakes), Old Ebbitt Grill (a short taxi or metro ride away), Caucus Room (steak), and Wolfgang Puck's new restaurant The Source.

Under the circumstances, I'd suggest getting a taxi to drive you around to see the monuments lit up at night and to see the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse. I'm sure the hotel concierge could advise you on the price range for doing that, as it's a classic of D.C. tourism.

Good luck!

letsgo39

Be sure to check with her Dr to find out what the best time to travel will be according to her Chemo schedule. As a 6 year survivor I can tell you there will be times she feels better than other times and you should plan your trip around that.They have made amazing progress in cancer treatment and she could have many years left to travel.