Help! My niece (age 12) and I (somewhat older than 12)are taking our first trip to Washington DC in March 2006 during Oregon School Spring Break and have no idea where to stay. We're looking for someplace close to mass transit, clean, and inexpensive (is $100/night possible?)My niece says a pool would be an added bonus but not a "must have". Also, which airport would be best to use...Baltimore, National, Dulles? Hey, any help with this or must see attractions would be great! We're going March 17-24th.

$100 near Mass transit is hard in DC..you may want to try Crystal City,Va just outside of DC ON the SUBWAY LINE,or Pentagon City, Va ( also on the subway line...

If you want to stay in town, look at :
http://www.georgetownsuites.com/dc-h...tels-1spec.htm

They are a short walk from the Foggy Bottom Subway stop. rates start at $135 pn and include Free cont. bkfst and phone calls...

Thank you but what kind of things does it have like how many stars does it have?

As to airports, Reagan National (DCA) is on the Metro, which will save you lots of time, money, and pain in getting into DC compared to Dulles or BWI. Flights to DCA tend to be a bit more expensive and you probably can't get a direct flight there (assuming that you're coming from Oregon), but a cab from IAD or BWI will run over $50 (and the non-taxi options from either aren't anything to write home about), while Metro from DCA to downtown won't be more than $1.50 each, so it's worth a bit more. DCA is also a beautiful airport, in stark contrast to IAD.

Your best bet for a more reasonable hotel might be in Crystal City (which is 1 stop from DCA), but $100 during the week might be tough to come by. Priceline is reputedly a good option for DC hotels (I live in DC, so I don't know from experience), but it's early to use them now.

A quick trip to the link andy provided (www.georgetownsuites.com) will show you how many "things" (amenities?) the hotel offers...and a visit to sites such as TripAdvisor will tell you how many stars (3) as well as other customers' reviews.

DCA is the best option for flying into DC.

In addition to considering Crytal City for more affordable lodging options, you may also want to check out hotels in Rosslyn, VA (like Best Western Key Bridge). $100/night in the city proper may be a little difficult to come by. You might also have better luck coming closer to budget if you consider other lodging alternatives such as a bed and breakfast.

I find the best time to see the monuments is at night, after the crowds
are fewer.

Thanks for the airport and hotel info. I'm going to check into Crystal City and Rosslyn. The monuments at night sounds beautiful...and less crowded. What about fun place to take a 12 year old girl to eat?? Got any fun tips? Keep your suggestions coming for best things to do and hotel recommends!

I believe there is still a Courtyard Inn near the New Carrollton Metro stop. Although the neighborhoods nearby aren't the safest, several professional parks line the path between the Courtyard and the subway so you should be safe. A quick peak on their internet page reveals a room going for $ 89 a night, probably as good as you'll get near a subway stop and definitely cheaper than downtown.

Always liked the Courtyard near Rosslyn Metro stop. $100 may not do it unless you luck out with an on-line discount (ALWAYS ask about AAA discount).

Hello, Starr.

I'm a BIG fan of Washington, D.C. as a destination city, but the rest of the experience leaves me cold. Stay as far outside the city proper as you can, but on a Metro Stop. The hotels in D.C. are filled with service personnel full of themselves. They're into serving big spending lobbyists and "diplomats" and you and I just don't make an impression. Sorry for the rant, I despise the service industry in that town!

Commuting into the Nation's Capitol, will be a joy for you and your neice. Plan a l-o-n-g day at The Mall to do the Smithsonian's: The National Gallery is breath-taking; the Hirshhorn is intriguing, The Natural History Museum is awe-inspiring. The Air & Space Museum is illuminating. See the Washington Monument late in the day, ditto to the Lincoln Memorial and the Viet Nam Memorial. If you have the strength, after all this, stroll over to the Jefferson Memorial and the Roosevelt Monument, then collapse. Don't be afraid to ride the busses back along Independence Avenue, to your return Metro stop, they will save your feet going or coming from either end of the Mall.

Don't fret missing anything, there's always next time.

jimmyk's advice is some of hthe worst I have ever seen on Fodors. First of all, the lobbyists and diplomats will not be staying in hotels where you can get a room for $100.

starr, the best thing you can do is to go back and read past Fodors threads on travel to Washinigton DC, which you clearly haven't done yet .

The best way to get a hotel under $100 is to bid on Priceline.

Anonymous-I agree that lobbyists will not be staying in the same hotels as I can afford but it does sound like I am going to stay outside of the downtown area. By the way, I have checked past posting but didn't find much on info on what my niece was interested in or they were so old & I know info changes...I don't like it when people try to do a slam after a comma....as if that makes it alright.
I'm trying to find the best info out there and I know that Fodors and TripAdvisor have it. Also, I'm trying to teach my niece how to use this sight and showing her how HELPFUL fodorites are.

Soccr & Shane - thanks for the hotel options - I'm going to check into them.

I, too, reacted to your original posting with the thought, "Oh, dear, she hasn't read recent threads about DC hotels, airports, or attractions." There are topics on this board almost daily about budget, family-oriented DC hotels (even about pools) and about "must-see attractions." Certainly a reading of past discusisons of airports would have answered your questions about which airport is "better."

Granted, there have been few threads (that I can recall, at least) about 12-year-old girls, but having parented a few of them myself, I noted that each had very different interests, so making recommendations -- being helpful -- for your niece would be much easier if we had some idea about hers.

You CAN get a well located room in DC for around $100 - Red Roof Inn Chinatown (one block to Gallery Place Metro) is one option.

Try this discount websight which list most DC area hotels:

http://www.capitolreservations.com

Start your search with these convenient, nice neighborhoods:
Dupont Circle
White House
MCI Center

You can expand your search if you need to but make sure the hotel has a Northwest address (NW). Hotels in the other 3 quadrants can be in REALLY bad areas. The absolute worst being best Western Skyline in SW or any place on Neww York Ave. NE.

Come back with a list of specific hotels and everyone here will tell you if the place is great, OK, or avoid at all costs.

We just returned on Friday from DC and I posted my trip report last night - I will top the report for you - or you can click on my screen name. We stayed in Rosslyn at the Best Western - had a great rate of $86 per night including tax, parking, and breakfast. It was very clean and is in the process of being renovated - probably would be finished by March of next year. Our room was nice enough without the renovation. The hotel is right across the street from the Rosslyn Metro station which is a main station. It also has a pool - but it is outdoors so don't know that you could use it in March. National is the best airport - you can ride the metro straight to the Rosslyn station - five stops and fifteen minutes. The weather should be much better in March - we were very hot the whole week. If you have any questions after you read my report, I'll be happy to try to answer them for you.

I would go to the bookstore and buy a travel book on DC that you and your niece can read and see what attractions sound best. I'm sure you would enjoy all the monuments. There are so many museums that she needs to read about them and decide what interests her the most. I got a free booklet, "MySmithsonsian" from my congressman that was great as it told about each museum in detail with hours of operation and maps of some of the most popular museums. It also had a great map of the Mall and showed the location of each museum. We found it to be a great help in planning.

Good luck - I know you will have a wonderful trip!

BTW, DCA (Reagan National) is by far the best airport for visiting DC. Even worth paying extra for to save time and money getting into and out of DC.

On the things to do list... I would highly recommend you spend some time at the National Cathedral and check out the gargoyles outside -- very fun. Afterwards, a short walk away yields (IMO) the best pizza in DC -- Two Amys.

After the Cathedral and lunch at Two Amys, take a bus (any bus...30, 32, 34, 35, 36) south on Wisconsin Ave to the heart of Georgetown and enjoy some window browsing (and maybe some ice cream at Ben and Jerry's for dessert).

I also always recommend folks check out the Washingtonian - I use it constantly for dining recommendations, but there's also a nice visitors page.

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

While there's no swimming pool, I'll also give a "thumbs up" to Bardo's suggestion of DC's Red Roof Inn. By no means luxurious, but no dump either, and very very convenient.

Next choice for me for your price range would be maybe Days Inn Connecticutt Ave, or one of the Rosslyn hotels (Rosslyn is a Metro stop in Arlington VA). I've stayed several times at Quality Inn Iwo Jima. It has a "covered" pool, a restaurant, but at 1/3 mi safe walk from Metro station, it seems 3 times further at the end of the day.

Another possible $100 is the Confort Inn in Alexandria on VanDorn. No pool, and about a 1/2 hour Metro ride into town, but they have quick shuttle service to Metro, and decent continental breakfast included in the room rate.

DCA is the best airport, but don't fret if you must use one of the others; I'll not waste bandwidth at this time, but there are less expensive ways to DC than taxi from either of those. I favor BWI over IAD for ease of getting to DC.

There's LOTS hidden in Fodor threads, so read up!

I would definitely recommend writing your senators or representatives for a tour of the Capitol building several months in advance of your trip. Check their websites to see how to go about this. Also, you must order White House tickets through one of their offices. Our senator (California) has a weekly free breakfast that she invites her constituents to -- it was a great treat to meet her.

You haven't indicated what your or your niece's interests are. My family really enjoyed the Smithsonian American History Museum, and Ford's Theatre. I would recommend reading the destinations section on this website and visiting your local library (or bookstore) for guidebooks and tips on where to stay and what might interest you both.

Happy planning!