Driving in D.C.
 

We will be spending a couple of days in Washington D.C. in late June. We have been there a couple of times, but it has been a very long time (other than a one-day bus tour from Baltimore during a convention). My husband swore that he would never, ever, ever, drive in D.C. again! We are three middle-aged couples and would like to see the monuments by night. I know they have a "twilight bus tour" type of thing, but it might be difficult to work that into our timeline. Would driving into and around the city on our own after dark be as bad as my husband fears? We would really love to do it on our own if possible. We could do this either Saturday, Sunday or Monday night. Thanks for any insight.
Also, we will be driving to the National Cathedral and Arlington Cemetery on a Sunday. Is parking at problem at either place?

"Would driving into and around the city on our own after dark be as bad as my husband fears?"

Yes. I've here 12 years, and I get a little turned around when I drive near the monuments at night. I guess it all depends on how comfortable you are driving. If you husband doesn't want to drive, maybe you or someone else can drive.

There's no reason to drive to Arlington Cemetary since there is a Metro stop and tourist shuttles. That said, there is parking at Arlington Cemetery. There is also parking at the Cathedral.

Darn! I was hoping that maybe the night time would be "quiet" and easy to get around. Unfortunately, my husband is the "driver" for all of our trips. If he is not comfortable with it, I know none of the rest of us would be. We had planned on driving to the Cathedral and Cemetery since our hotel is less than 7 miles from the Cathedral and less than 2 to the Cemetery. Would the traffic be really bad on a Sunday going from a hotel in Arlington to those places? I had thought that part would be easy, but maybe not?

The area around the Tidal Basin and the monuments is easy to get turned around in, so a lot depends on your tolerance for that kind of thing. The parking lots and pullouts are few and often closed after dark, and the roads are twisty and poorly marked, so the driver has to concentrate. On the other hand, the speed limits are low, and the roads won't be busy after dark.

Parking around the National Cathedral will be tight on a weekend, but there is a lot of on-street parking in the area in addition to the NC's lots, so if you can walk a couple of blocks, you'll be fine. Traffic isn't an issue.

Same for Arlington--it will be very crowded, there's lots of parking, but you may find yourself in the back forty, or waiting for a spot. Metro is a much better option here, if possible for you.

I guess it depends on why your husband didn't like driving in DC. If it was traffic, then there will be less traffic at night and on weekends. If it was because things are poorly marked and can be confusing, that won't change at night or on the weekends. Getting across the river from Virginia (and back again) can be confusing because you really have to watch signs and have plotted things out.

I agree with MikeT (I live in Alrington) BUT where is your hotel, EXACTLY...

Parking at the cem on Sunday shouldn't be a problem; the alternative would be Metro and then the walk from the station to the visitor center.

Dukey:
Our hotel is the Americana, 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway.
Also, any ideas for bus tours by night? I have found lots of companies on the web, but wondered if anyone has any good/bad experience with one.

Last Sept we were in DC four days and took both the Old town trolley day and night tour. You get plenty of time to see the monuments and it's much safer.Paul

Thanks tovarich. I have looked at the website for Old Town Trolleys. It doesn't mention a night tour, but you did take one? I will call them.

You can find it on www.trustedtours.com. It's called "Monuments bij Moonlight nighttour." Paul

Thanks so much.

Your hotel is way out of town. I suppose you booked it to save money, but that does mean commutation back and forth to DC to get to the sites. It is not advisable.

The monuments are all busy at night. Think about it. Everything else people come here to see is closed and the monuments are open. Almost every group tour does the monuments at night.

Tour guides (and I am one) hate the nighttime tours. Except for the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials the lighting at the other memorials is not great. You go to Vietnam at night and you cannot read the names on the wall. I have a name I can use in my commentary with kids because it is someone with whom I have a personal connection. Well, at night I can't find it. If there is a choice, you can see a lot more during the day.

We did the night tour (believe it was Gray Line) for the monuments and that's a lot easier than trying to drive and find parking. Bus picked us up at our hotel (near the Pentagon) at about 7 p.m. and it was nearly 11 when they dropped us back at the hotel. The monuments are beautiful at night and our tour also stopped at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center for short visits. We used the hop on/hop off trolley for the daytime visits and got off at the National Cathederal. We used the metro to National Cemetery. My husband drove to Mount Vernon and to Civil War battlefields in outlying areas one day, but otherwise the car stayed parked--he hated driving in the city.

Hope you have a great time!

Thanks for the info. Texasjo. I have read that the lines for the hop on/hop off trolley can be horrible. Did you find that? We had considered it but I had read about people giving up on getting a seat with the long lines. What time of year did you use it? I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the night time tour. I had heard that the monuments are really beautiful to see at night (we have seen them during the day as recently as 2000 and don't feel the need to actually visit them again--other than the WW II monument). FauxSteMarie--thanks for the info about the hotel (although I don't recall asking for an opinion). According to the tripadvisor reviews it is less than two miles from the Metro Station. Is that not true? It is also very close to Arlington Cemetery and the National Cathedral. We plan to spend an entire day just visiting those two sites.

I get turned around in DC all the time. Between the one-ways, circles, exits-with-no-notice, and the like, I try not to drive. Reserve $40 for cab fares and just do that.

The good thing is that most of the sites are clustered together. Not like going to a place where you have to drive from point-to-point.

More than once, I've been on a DC street, looking for a turn, and before I know it I'm on a major freeway heading out of town at 65 mph. 10 minutes later after turning around, I'm right back where I started.

I can't comment about the location of the hotel vis a vis a Metro station, but Arlington Cemetery and the National Cathedral are not near each other at all. One is in, well, Arlington, and the other is in northwest DC near the intersection of Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues.

Hi bc. We were there the first part of October. We did not have a problem with lines for the on/off except around the Lincoln monument area. But it wasn't too bad, had to wait a couple of trolleys but it was late in the afternoon. I'm sure it would be more crowded in the summer but there are a lot of visitors in the fall also. There is a tram within Arlington Cemetery also and we had to wait a couple of times for that one also at various sites.

Thanks Ruff. I actually meant "Arlington Cemetery and Mt. Vernon." Sorry about that. According to the map, the hotel is about 12 miles from Mt. Vernon. Is that accurate, do you think?

Well, 12 miles sounds about right, but one of the peculiarities about the DC metro area is that most people who grew up and live in MD--like me--don't venture across the river into VA all that much by choice and vice versa. Unless they are driving south to the Outer Banks! So, I can't tell you where your hotel is relative to Mt. Vernon.

This is just MY take on driving yourself around the monuments at night. Everyone has their own opinion and experiences.

First, I HATE driving in DC. I absolutely will not do it in the daytime (except to National Cathedral where I have never had a problem parking, but I have never been there on Sunday). That said, nighttime driving is not that bad. Even if you make a wrong turn, it being night, you will soon see some landmark that will allow you to get your bearings. And, what the heck! So you make a couple of wrong turns. You are making memories with friends whose company you enjoy.

I don't think you're far out from the city. It looks as if you're near Crystal City which is good in the respect that you're not tooo far from Arlington Cemetery but quite a distance from Mt Vernon.

The subway is very close to Crystal City and you might want to consider using it to get in and out of town. Plus you can hop on and off going from one area to another.

I've lived here all my life and still I've been turned around when road construction (or closed roads) have altered my route and sent me heading down Shirley Hwy past the Pentegon.

Your hubby is probably right - avoid driving - you might avert a fender bender too!

I thank you all for the help. Yes, we have planned on using the Metro during the day. We had just hoped (well, I guess all of us EXCEPT the husband hoped) that nighttime would be easier. When you figure that for six of us, the total cost of a nighttime tour would be over $150.00, I was hoping to do it on our own. But I guess you are right, LN, it is better than a fender bender!

No one can blame you hubby. I grew up outside of DC and I never got the hang of it. Like others have stated, it is very easy to get oif track and end up on some freeway going out of town. Constant construction, one way roads, traffic cirlces, lots of people, other cars.... YUCK !!! I say suck it up and take the taxi cabs.

I lived in DC 1967-1975 and have driven all over the world.
I would never, ever drive in DC (probably never visit either) again.
M

If your car or rental car had a navigation system (I though Hertz offers one), you could do it. You'd have to contend with traffic during the day on weekdays (and at random times on weekends), and Monday "night" - it would have to be after 8 to avoid traffic.

But, with a navigation system, you could do it.