Hi,

Traveling to DC in a couple of weeks. I have booked us at the Holiday Inn Central on Rhode Island Ave. Can anyone tell me if this is a good safe area? and also can someone refresh my memory on how to use the Metro as far a purchasing your tickets. I know there are machines there to get the tickes but lets say I'm at the McPherson station and I want to buy a ticket to go to Arlington what are the steps I need to do. It's been 5 years since last I was there and I don't remember how it all worked. Thanks

The cost of trips from one Metro station to all others are listed on a board at the security booth at the front of the station where the turnstiles are located. Both the regular and off-peak fares are listed. You'll need a ticket with at least that amount of fare on it. Purchase a farecard or a pass from machines before the turnstiles.

Do yourself a favor and try to figure approximately how much you'll be spending on subway farre during your stay. Find it at http://rideguide.wmata.com When you get to DC, purchase a farecard with approximately that much funds on it. Remember that on the Metro your farecard gets scanned both entering and exiting the system, and as long as you still have credit on the card you keep using it. Don't waste half your vacation standing in lines at the vending machines.

You can opt for passes, which allow unlimited use of the system. Those can be purchased in advance and sent to your home. To to wmata.com and see which pass might suit your needs the best. You can always use the $6.50 all day passes on the days you'd get that much use of them, but pay "per ride" on farecards the others. Glad to answer any other questions ... what is the street address of the Holiday Inn?

I've always seen pretty good reviews of that particular Holiday Inn but remember that people did mention it was a bit out-of-the-way, in that it was a bit of a walk to metro and there was nothing in the immediate area (restaurants etc).

Good safe area but a good 5 block hike to the metro....you might not like the walk much after dark. Also there is a $25 a day parking charge at this hotel, and you are pretty much stuck with the hotel restaurant at meal times.

A little more awake now:

Not all the machines at the front of the Metro stations are the same. Some only dispense farecards. Not all take credit cards/atm, if I remember correctly.

You can often purchase Metrocheks on eBay for approx 60-75% of face value. If you find someone selling smaller denomination ones, it may work for you.

You can also purchase tickets from a human at the MetroCenter Station. Remember that in other stations, no employee will handle your money nor make change. Have smaller bills; there is a maximum amount of change the vending machines will return. The wmata.com website has (or used to) instructions on using the machines. Let me reiterate to purchase plenty of fare ahead of time. You can always "top off" your card (add credit to it) later. You DON't want to spend a lot of time at those machines!

My first time using the machine, I wanted to purchase a PASS ($5 then) but put $10 into a machine that only dispenced fare-cards. While I was reading instructions on the machine it decided that due to me doing nothing that I must apparently want a $10 farecard, and that's exactly what I got. They probably still work that way.

Also look at the DC Circulator buses (http://dccirculator.com) where you can get a ride for $1 (I think it now allows unlimited use for 3 hours; last spring it was all day for $1) and it also accepts transfer tickets from the Metro system ... a new subject.

At each Metro station, usually located next to the escalators going down to the tracks, are transfer pass dispensing machines. Take one (for each passenger) and when you arrive at your destination most buses in that area will only cost 35 cents with the pass.

Look around for cheaper parking at garages that serve office buildings. I would even consider parking at National Airport if I were staying several days. Are you driving from home? If you're flying into DC & renting a car, that would be a waste of money.

"you are pretty much stuck with the hotel restaurant at meal times."

When was the last time you were at this hotel? There are literally dozens of nearby restaurants. This neighborhood has changed DRAMTICALLY in the last three to four years.