myst

I have a Capitol Tour schedule through my Rep. at 10AM Tuesday June 1st. I had asked for either an afternoon tour or a Wednesday Tour, but think it is too late to change.

So (problem) I have Amtrak tickets that will get me to Washington at 11AM.

Would you cancel Amtrak and drive? How long during commute hours will drive between the two cities take?

In order to get to DC by train on time I would have to cut it close and arrive at 9:30 AM (trains usually not on schedule) or upgrade to Acela or Metroliner for $100 each (3 of us).

Or should I forget scheduled tour and try to get tickets Wednesday morning by waiting in line? Is that possible/easy? How early do I need to get up?

Any ideas appreciated. It will be my brother's first visit (he is 40) and we only have two days for him to get a quick glimpse.

MikeT

I would take the earlier Amtrak (or how about coming the evening before). Amtrak is actually pretty reliable during the week on the Northreast Corridor.

myst

Thanks Mike the night before is a good idea, but I hate to rearrange my hotel reservations (DC and NY) and miss a night in NYC just because the Rep did not read my request in detail. But, I do want to see the Capitol, and a return visit to DC is not in the near future (I was there two years ago, but did not get to tour the Capitol).

Such a short trip (sigh) I wanted to take my brother to NYC for a birthday present (I go often on business) and decided he may as well see DC since he has limited travel budget on his own.

I could try to get the Rep to change, but it took three weeks for them to respond to my request.

We are flying into NYC and out of Dulles, so if I drive, I would need to rent a car.

Train upgrade would be from $70 each to $160 each.

bri19sp

If you look at the schedule there is another train scheduled to arrive, 11 minutes later. So it realy can't be late.

I don't think you should have a problem getting to the capital by 10:00 Union Station is real close to the capital.

I don't know where you are going to store your bags while on the tour, maybe you have that taken care of.

nytraveler

Amtrak is frequently late - and having another train following is no guarantee of anything. It's perfectly possible for a whole series of trains to be delayed by a track problem and also to have one train held up for a mechanical reason while all the others go past it (I've had both happen).

I would recommend you take a Metroliner at least if not the Acela - this is not really a trip you want to drive with that time of arrival - daily commuting traffic into Washington can be excrutiating and you would need to allow at least 5 1/2 hours for the drive to be safe at all (leaving your hotel by 4 am).

kaudrey

I agree with nytraveler, driving is NOT a good option. You would have to fight DC commuter traffic into the city - and that can be like a parking lot.

I also wouldn't rely on Amtrak being on time. It often isn't.

Although it would be a change in plans, I would agree that the best option would be to take a night train down the night before, get a hotel in DC, and then you won't be stressed out worrying if you are going to make it in time.

You could always call the rep's office to see if they can change it over the phone, too. Might be worth a shot.

Good luck, and have a nice trip, whatever you decide!

Karen

mclaurie

I think I just saw an ad this week (maybe on Monday) for a special fare promotion on Metroliner/Acela. I could be mistaken but you should check their website. It may not be as $$$ as you think.

myst

Thanks for all the responses. I will try the rep first by phone see if we can move the tour-- that is what threw a wrench in the works to begin with. If not maybe the night train will work. M

vacationdreamer

Acela Express is generally very reliable. You may want to also look at flying down, however -- the shuttle is very often cheaper than the acela express and is faster, even including time to the airports.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

You could consider "Chinese Buses" for about $20-$40 each way ( http://www.ivymedia.com/bus/ ) and I think Greyhound is close to matching it

( http://www.greyhound.com/discounts/a...se030825.shtml ) $20 each way with 7 day advance purchase, $32.50 walkup.

I find most of the NYC/DC trains usually ontime if they START at one of those cities. Train #67 leaves NYC at 2:45am, arrive DC 7:00am, but starts in Boston, but you should still arrive by 9am.

In DC's Union Station you can no longer use the lockers, but there is a parcel check which will take your bags (photo ID a must) -- it is located near the Sbarro restaurant & men's restroom, down the corridor that leads you to MARC trains.

myst

Thanks also for the luggage info. I think that was going to be my next issue. If we cut it close we wouldn't have time to take luggage to the Hotel. I am at the JW Marriot. Might need to add a night and leave NYC sooner than planned.

myst

Okay. My new and brilliant idea is to cancel the Amtrak tickets-- I think that will cost me $90 (3-adult tickets) and rent a car in the evening and drive to DC after commute is over.

Maybe leave NYC at 8PM and get to DC Midnight to 1AM??? Is this feasible?

I will need to pay to park the car in DC, but it will eliminate the need for me to take a taxi to Dulles, so even after eating Amtak cancellation fee I may come out ahead.I checked car rental one way and for my purpose only $125.

Any thoughts. How is DC to NYC at night?

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Since this trip is starting to cost you some bucks, here's a suggestion.

Drive to LAUREL, MD and stay at the Red Roof Inn (often available for ~$50). It's adjacent to Rt 197 & Baltimore-Washington Parkway (US295). In the morning, make the 15 minute drive down the parkway to the GREENBELT metro station, where parking is under $5 and take the Metro to DC. Get directions from the hotel (I won't try to list here) as there's an easy way to the Metro without getting on the Beltway. (I did this stay myself). An easier & faster trip might be to take a MARC train into town, and back, but I'm not sure how good the MARC parking availability will be, whereas the Greenbelt lot NEVER fills up, and that station has a section for overnight parking.

Metro directions, times, transfers, etc. at rideguide.wmata.com Good luck!

bri19sp

Why don't you just keep your tickets but transfer them to the night before.

Amtrak has regional trains that leave NYC at 7:55 8:50, 9:50, and 10:50 pm.

Except for the 7:55 all the night trains are unresearved trains as well, so you may be able to pick any of them with your current tickets.

Do you really want to drive for 4 hours on your vacation?

myst

The only issue with the night train option was luggage. I would have to hope my NYC hotel would keep my bags for me until the evening. And I understand that Union Station does not have anywhere to store luggage? I am still hoping the Rep will confirm a later time for my tour and eliminate the issue.

Anonymous

Although the lockers at Union Station in DC are closed, there is a baggage-check room near Gate A that charges a reasonable fee per bag.

Likewise, your hotel in NYC will almost certainly be willing to hold your bags for a few hours; a quick phone call would settle that question.

missjanna

My BF and I took this drive Valentine's weekend, starting from midtown manhattan around 8pm on a Friday night. We arrived in DC shortly after midnight since the only traffic we hit was after the Holland tunnel in New Jersey. (We were crazy enough to take I-95 down, but it really wasn't bad at all!)

rb_travelerxATyahoo

6 months ago, you could check luggage at Penn Station in NYC ... but you had to have an Amtrak ticket ... it was a reasonable fee. I'm sure that is still available, but maybe a NYC expert could Verify? I'd still ask the NYC hotel you're checking out of to hold the bags.