I'm bringing the family (2 adults & 3 children) to DC this weekend (Fri-Sun) and am not sure how to best and most economically travel around. I have read previous postings, and realize that the Metro is good, and that traffic can be difficult. Coming from NYC, I am as comfortable with public transportation as I am navigating my way around a city and its traffic. We're staying at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City, which is only two blocks from the Metro. On Friday, the day we arrive, I'm thinking about staying outside the city, and perhaps visiting Arlington and other locations nearer our hotel. So, now for my question: Since I will be going into DC on Saturday and Sunday, is it worth dealing with the inconvenience(?) and expense of the Metro, or should/can I drive in and find street parking? Is street parking even available? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

When our kids were a bit younger, weekends at the DC attractions were a regular part of our travel, and I think that the Metro is the greatest thing that ever happened to DC tourism - a world class subway system. No way would I ever bother with parking again. Also, If you stay near a park & ride Metro stop, parking is free on weekends.
If you decide to drive, on-street (free) parking is almost impossible, but many of the government building lots are opened up for pay parking on weekends, so pay parking is relatively easy.

I'm usually a fan of public transportation, but, in DC, on weekends, and with this many people, I suggest you drive. We always find a cheap ($7-8) garage in the vicinity of 13th and Pennsylvania on the weekend.

I agree with Liz, in general. If there is no big event in DC on a particular weekend, garage parking is readily available, and the cost is usually cheaper and more convenient than Metro. (If the children are aged 5 and above, they will need a Metro card.)

When I stayed at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City a couple of years ago, they were offering free parking for guests who were AAA members, so be sure to ask about this.

You can find free street parking on the weekends a bit away from the tourist sites (might defeat your purpose), more in the business areas. But double and triple check the signs, because sometimes even different sides of the same street have weekend restrictions.

Definitely the Metro. So what if it's a little crowded, even if you can't get a seat the ride is only a few minutes long. Sure beats parking and traffic woes.

I would take the Metro.

Crystal City metro has a shopping/restaurant place underground. Crystal City is no more than a 15 minute ride into downtown D.C. It will be a big subway car and there should be plenty of room in the morning. If you want to save on costs, get off at the Archives and just walk everywhere. All the sites are not that far away.

I live and work in D.C. and I would recommend taking Metro. On the weekends, the traffic and parking situation shouldn't be too bad, although finding street parking close to major tourist destinations is very difficult. I would go with Metro, but some people prefer the privacy and independence of a car.

For the benfit of anyone else with a similar dilemma, allow me to tell you what I did. Well, first off, my original plans fell apart when everyone wanted to start out on Friday by goint to the Air & Space Museum. So, we decided to take the Metro and avoid all the weekday traffic. It was a great ride from Crystal City to L'enfant, at approximately 10 minutes. The kids got a kick out of it, so we decided to take it again on Saturday morning. We got to the Mall at around 9:30am, and I will admit that parking appeared plentiful. It got pretty tough later on in the day, but early was no problem. In addition, I did notice several reasonably priced parking lots. Having done it, I would now say that it's easier and far more pleasant to take the Metro. Additionally, there are far too many tourists on the roads that are more concerned with looking up, than looking in front of them. I saw one accident that I couldn't believe occured, and it was simply because the driver at fault was too busy gawking.