Hotel Choice Washington DC
 

I get an employee rate and have the choice of staying free at the Hyatt Arlington (across the street from Rosslyn Station) or for $39/night at the Homewood Suites (full kitchen) at 15th and Massachusetts - 8/9 days. Nice choice, I realize. But I have 2 kids (7 & 9) and the closest Metro station from the Homewood Suites is McPherson Sq. which appears to be many blocks away. I'm thinking we'll be doing quite a bit of walking on the mall and sightseeing and am worried that the additional Metro walk will produce whining.
It's hard to tell from the map how far it is.
1. Is the trade off for the kitchen and "in town" worth the longer walk with kids?
2. Is Rosslyn close enough to zip back for a mid-day rest?
Thanks!

I would vote the closest to the Metro station. Rosslyn is right outside DC - and you'll probably travel exclusively on the Metro - and wherever you are, you can get to anywhere else pretty fast on the Metro. Definitely don't plan on using the Metro during rush hour - people are a bit cranky and packed in then, but if it were me, I would go to the Hyatt....

The McPherson Square metro station is 3-4 blocks from Homewood Suites and has both the blue and orange lines to get you downtown pretty quickly. There is also a circulator bus stop at 14th and K that will take you to many of the place you will want to visit. Suites are really nice when you are traveling with kids. It is a good hotel in a nice area.

I'd pick the Homewood Suites for the extra room. The walk to the Metro is not so long that it is unreasonable.

8-9 days? No question, I'd pick the suites for extra room and kitchen. With young children, it will be so nice to have snacks and drinks and breakfast in the room.

A bonus for the Homewood Suites is the DC Circulator. This is a relatively new tourists focused bus service (though locals use it more) which runs close to your hotel.

If you get your ticket ($3) online or at one of the bus stops (instead of on board), you can ride all day. If you do buy on board ($1), get a transfer from the driver and use it to ride the line that loops around the National Mall (it will save a ton of walking).

http://www.dccirculator.com/