hi all. DH and I are heading to DC for four nights in September to attend a wedding. We plan to drive because we’ll be starting in eastern Long Island and it will be more convenient for us. I found two hotels with good AAA rates that I’m interested in. The St Gregory near DuPont Circle and the Lombardy Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave in Foggy Bottom. Has anyone stayed at either of these hotels or can comment on the location? Any other suggestions would be welcome! We’re in our late 60’s-early 70’s and in good health. I haven’t been to Washington since I was 12 years old! Thank you!

Check for parking costs if you really want to drive your own car. Fill your gas tank before entering DC and have a good paper map.
Is it really easier to drive instead of taking a train to Union Station in DC and the Metro to a stop near your hotel?
My last trip into DC was from the Green Belt Metro station (end of the green line). It has a very large parking lot and is less nerve wracking than trying to drive in DC.

Thanks Tom. I was pretty sure I’d elicit comments about our driving! I gave it a lot of thought and it’s a bit of a pain from our eastern Long Island location. There’s only a couple of trains daily to Penn Station at not the most convenient times. I also hate the mad rush down the stairs with my suitcase once the platform is announced! If I was in NYC I would definitely take the train. Also plan to go to mount Venon. Anyway, yes, I’m factoring in parking costs. Was their a neighborhood that you liked during your stay?

When we drive to Washington from southern New Jersey, we sometimes stay at the Fairfax at Embassy Row at 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. One of their AAA rates includes free valet parking. With parking included, it's often the best deal for us. It's close to DuPont circle, convenient to restaurants and the metro.

I haven't been in the specific hotels (although both get good reviews). As for location, the Lombardy is ever so slightly near a Metro station (Farragut West or Farragut North for the Lombardy vs. DuPont Circle for the St. Gregory) but both are close. The Lombardy is closer to the White House and the Mall, but the St. Gregory is closer to the DuPont Circle neighborhood (my kids used to live there, love it) and one of my favorite DC restaurants, Rasika West.. Either would be a very good choice. (I've also stayed at the Fairfax Embassy Row mentioned above and that's good too. There are a ton of options in DC - the cost goes up and down on a daily basis depending on what's going on in town).

Calling the Lombardy location "Foggy Bottom" would be pushing it for some but that's a minor point. MY question would be, given you're using a car, where is the wedding and are you planning to leave the car parked the entire time?

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions! All three hotels mentioned are similar in price including parking for our four night AAA rate. $750-800. The wedding we are attending is at the National Museum of Wimen in the Arts. We plan to leave the car parked at the hotel and use public transit except when we go to Mount Vernon.

I have always enjoyed The Woodley Park Guest House. It is just one or two Metro stops past DuPont Circle. I have never driven so I am not sure how they charge for parking but they do have some. I like the neighborhood feel of Woodley Park. There are also some wonderful restaurants right in the area,

Hey so we drove to Washington DC from New York because there were 5 of us and the train tickets didn't make sense for that size group. We stayed out in Northwest on Wisconsin. We actually turned in our car the first day, and then a couple days later after seeing the city, picked up another car for the regional touring. My brother got a place by Dupont Circle and we went to pick him up multiple times. It was not difficult driving in that part of the city only and of course, we learned his route.

What was difficult--returning the car the first time, which was by the large rail station. Poorly signed and the GPS app didn't know what driveways etc to take.

Also difficult: Traffic Circles--our GPS would lag slightly in telling us what road to take, so we would either try to anticipate and end up taking an exit one too early, or we would wait and it would be too late.... I suggest you not only map it on Google Maps, but for the traffic circles put the setting to Google Earth and see what your exit actually looks like. I know that might be micro-planning, but it would have saved us a lot of time and stress trying to turn around and reroute.

We did drive to Mount Vernon. From Dupont Circle, we took a parkway that was really easy. Looking at a map, I believe it was the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway.

Other things we drove to:
We also drove on another day to Arlington. We were in DC during a heatwave and being able to be in AC all the way to the Arlington parking lot (with our chilled water in a backpack) was a lifesaver. We saved our walking in the heat for the memorial itself. Two guests became victims of heatstroke by the time we left (I think around 3 pm but you could read my trip report if you wish). We went to see Manassas/Bull Run--a Civil War Battlefield after we saw Mount Vernon. We drove into the core of DC in the evening to see see the Monuments lit up at dusk/night. Note: DC is far easier to drive when there are less cars out! We also drove to the Zoo. On another day we went out to Pennsylvania for an amusement park. And finally, we drove to another neighborhood for dinner one night, to explore a different part of the city.

efarr99,

Thanks for your response. I agree that using the car to get to Mount Vernon (the Parkway drive down is a fairly nice trip) is probably a wise decision. Driving in the District is a function of time of day and day of the week, IOW rush hours are a PITA especially if you don't know your way around. Using Metro is also a good idea as you can get to within walking distance of many sights.

Lombardy would be more convenient for using the Metro since it's closer to the station. St Gregory is kind of far from any Metro Station.

Try using Google Maps to get transit directions to your points of interest to test it out.

Last time I was there I stayed one night near Crystal City and it worked out okay.

Thanks for all the tips fodorites- very helpful! I went ahead and booked the Fairfax Embassy Row for the unbeatable price of $776 for four nights including parking. Looks like a short walk to the Dupont Circle metro stop. Thanks again.

The one thing we loved about the Fairfax was the size of the rooms - so roomy compared to so many urban hotels. A little dated decor, but very comfortable and a great location.

Thanks sf7307! I can live with a little dated lol. I usually spend way too much time considering different hotels. This one seems good all around. Thanks again.

I think of the decor as 'traditional!' Enjoy your stay and your adventures in DC!

LOL - that too!

The Fairfax Hotel is a nice location and the redline Dupont metro stop is very close by. Dupont Circle is still a nice area despite much of DC restaurants scene and nightlife moving east. Enjoy your time in DC.

Oh yes, you are my DC point person today. When you talk about the DC restaurant and nightlife scene moving east, can you name a neighborhood for me, please?

Check this out, it lists restaurants that are “hot” and show the location.

In general I’d say a couple might be 14th St,, Petworth, Columbia Heights, Shaw, Navy Yatd even. The Wharf has a bunch of restaurants that get good reviews. Adams Morgan has the just opened Line Hotel with some good restaurants.


https://dc.eater.com/maps/dc-best-restaurants-38

@ yes travel: Great site! Thanks for introducing me to it.