dan woodlief

I am going on a photography trip within the next few days. I will also be visiting a few museums while there (Holocaust, Natural History, Corcoran-the latter at night). What I need is a hotel that is within easy walking distance, so that I can easily drop off my tripod if I don't want to lug it around all day-without loosing much daylight. Plus, I do want to do some night photography and am traveling alone - so safety for me and my equipment is a concern. I would prefer an area where I don't have to use the tripod to defend myself. I am planning to set up by 6:30 a.m. and come in by 9:00 p.m. A lot of my early and late shots will be in the areas of the Lincoln Memorial, the Iwo Jima monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. I need a hotel in the $60 to $90 a night range. I found out that the Holiday Inn near the Smithsonian is about $90 a night. Is this a good choice, or should I look into others? Thanks to other postings I found, I have ruled out the Hotel Harrington, which I was strongly considering. It has been a long, long time since I went to Washington, so I could use some quick help. Thanks.

lisa

Dan: I live here in the city. Sounds like you have some great shoots planned! You mentioned you're going to Iwo Jima -- right next door to it is the Netherlands Carillion, which has a huge grassy lawn in front of it with a fantastic view of the city beyond the Potomac -- check it out. I have gotten some great shots there.

In terms of hotels, if you do a search of this forum under Washington DC you will find a bunch of old threads about hotels. In one of them, someone recommended the New Hampshire Suites Hotel, off of Dupont Circle, where they got a rate of $71 per night (someone else said they got $59, which is really unheard-of here). They said the rooms were big, included a queen size bed, pull-out sofa bed, kitchenette and continental breakfast. Check out washingtondchotel.com or 1-800-visitdc for more details. I've never stayed there but can vouch for it being a great location. One thing you may want to keep in mind about location -- DC taxicabs work on the zone system rather than meters (Virginia cabs are on meters though), meaning that here in the district, a cab from Capitol Hill/Smithsonian area to downtown or Dupont Circle is only $4 at non-peak hours or $5 during rush hour. That's plus tip, and assuming only 1 passenger. So cabs are pretty reasonable and it's a set price within a given geographic area. If you go to Georgetown or Adams Morgan or farther out it's a little more. I think since you're travelling alone you'd be well-advised to stay around Dupont Circle -- there's a lot going on at all hours, and I feel safe here walking even as a woman alone late at night. Plus there's a great selection of restaurants, etc.

lisa

P.S. Dan -- The reason I mentioned the cab issue is because I think since you're going to be lugging around photography equipment, you may not want to walk to as many of your shoots as you think you will. The Smithsonian buildings are pretty spread out! I'm sure you will do some walking, but metro and cabs are great options too. Sorry I don't know any specifics about the Holiday Inn you referred to, but I'm glad you ruled out Hotel Harrington, although you'd probably be fine there -- it's just not very nice though.

larry

The places you mention arenot really all walking distance from each other. Consider metro and cab and the cheapest place in dupont/g'town you can find. Another alternative is Hotel Harrington at 11 & E, NW, not so great, but cheap rooms close to the mall.

ilisa

The Hotel Harrington is the most vile place in DC. My coworkers and I cringe whenever we hear of people staying there, and can only pity them for being suckered into it. Regarding the Holiday Inn, are you talking about the one on New Jersey Avenue, or the one on C Street (I think that's the address)? The one on NJ Ave is a better bet because it is in a more populated location (walking distance to Union Station and the Capitol). The other one is located in an area that is very dead at night and on weekends, with no places to eat or see, even though it is in walking distance to the mall. However, the best advice is what Lisa gave you about staying in Dupont, and the cab rates she quoted are completely correct (I take enough cabs to know). Safety won't be a problem if you are around the tourist areas. They are well populated late into the evening. It sounds like a wonderful trip. I hope you post your photos, especially any of the Jefferson Memorial. That's where my husband proposed to me.

dan woodlief

I greatly appreciate all the terrific advise. I am going to check into some of the Dupont Circle Hotels this evening, but I am also considering the Holiday Inn that is supposed to be near the Holocaust Museum. It might fit well with my schedule. If anyone can give me anymore good photography tips for DC, please do so. One question is: do they take your bags when you enter the museums? Thanks again.

ilisa

When you ask if they take your bags, to you mean as in lockers or a coat/baggage check? I can only speak about the National Air and Space Museum, because that is where I am a docent. That museum closed its coat/baggage check after the Oklahoma City bombing (NASM is on the FBI's list of top 10 terrorist sites in the US) and has no intention of reopening it. So, unfortunately, if you go there, you have to lug around your stuff. I have had many a tourist on my tour who was stuck toting around a large backpack for the duration of the hour and a half because he or she thought they could check the bag. The Holiday Inn that you are considering is the one I mentioned that is in an area that is dead at night and on weekends. But, it is in walking distance to the Mall.

Joe

Just to mention, in case you don't know already, several of the monuments are partially or totally covered in scaffolding for repairs. The Washington Monument is covered from top to bottom with it. The Jefferson Memorial is covered partially on the Tidal Basin side, and the Lincoln Memorial has some in the interior. Some people seem to think the Washington Monument looks better with the scaffolding, I personally don't think so.

dan woodlief

Joe, how much of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials are covered, and in particular is the scaffolding in the Lincoln Memorial very visible from the exterior? I wasn't aware of those two, but I have seen many photos of the scaffolding on the Washington Monument. I tend to agree that it looks better without, but I guess those photos will be of historical interest some day. Don't have a hotel yet, but I have a ticket waiting at the Holocaust Museum.

Joe

The Lincoln appears fine from the outside. The Jefferson is fine from a distance. You will still be pleased that you made the trip.
I agree with the earlier post about the view from the Netherlands Carillon, it is spectacular.

lisa

I am one of those who is fascinated by the scaffolding on the Washington Monument. When it first went up I hated it and now I really like it. One interesting thing is that it looks different at different times of day -- sometimes it appears to reflect light. Also, it makes the monument look much bigger than it really is -- I have a feeling the monument is going to look awfully skinny and plain when the scaffolding is removed!

You mentioned you're shooting at Arlington National Cemetery -- definitely take the metro there; it's quick and convenient and cheap.

By the way, the Kennedy Center terrace (out the back door off the lobby -- admission is free) has a nice view of the river and Georgetown. The Kennedy Center is currently all wrapped up with a big red ribbon around it for the holidays.

You mentioned the Corcoran -- I hope you're planning on checking out the Annie Liebovitz photo exhibit that's there now -- it's definitely worth a look and doesn't take long to see (about an hour). Also, I'm glad you're making time to see the Holocaust Museum -- it's so excellent.

dan woodlief

Thanks again Lisa. Yeah, one reason I wanted to go to the Corcoran was the photography, so I will try to see some of the Liebowitz exhibit. I have wanted to see the Holocaust Museum since it was finished. I did a lot of research on the Holocaust in grad school.

Diane

I agree with Ilisa...the scaffolding on the Washington Monument is really cool, especially at night. But then, I've lived here for over 25 years now, so it sort of makes something very familiar seem new and intriguing again. Dan, you'll have to make up you own mind! BTW, Dupont Circle is an interesting neighborhood itself. I used to live in what is now the Hotel Sofitel, and walk to work at Connecticut and K. I always wanted to make a "second story" tour of the area, because the rooftops of all the buildings are kind of neat, but you never see them because your attention is usually focused on the storefront.

dan woodlief

Well, I had a great time in Washington. I would like to thank everyone for the help. I ended up staying at the Holiday Inn near the Smithsonian. I had a coupon for a second night free. The location was just right for most of my needs. If there was just more food nearby... I used the metro and cabs, but I still did a heck of a lot of walking (very sore feet). Washington was quite festive for Christmas. I managed to get a lot of very nice photos, especially the slides. The skies were beautiful all but the one day that it rained. I was run off of the Lincoln Memorial one morning at 7:30 (construction of a stage was taking place). Was lucky to meet a former (and very important) 3-star general (South Vietnamese) at the Vietnam Memorial early one morning, along with his CBS cameraman friend. I was invited to take some photos of a demonstration for human rights in Vietnam (and honoring the Americans who died). This made a great photoessay for my photography class project. The Holocaust Museum was quite impressive, and I made it to several photo exhibitions. Didn't make it into the White House, since I used the morning for Arlington. If I get a chance to post some of my photos after Christmas, I will let you know. By the way, I found the Washington Monument to very interesting with the scaffolding, and it did light well for photos.

ilisa

Dan, I've been wondering about your trip. I'm glad it went well. You definitely were in the right place at the right time at the Vietnam Memorial.

lisa

Dan -- Me too -- I had been wondering how your trip went and am so glad to hear it was a success. Post more details and/or photos when you have a chance.

Nora

Glad you had a good trip,Dan -- hope at least one evening of shots was in the mist -- Monument w/scaffolding and war memorials are magical sites then.

ILISA: You mentioned an "FBI top terrorist sites" list. Are you aware of it being posted anywhere public? Do you know what the other 9 places are?

ilisa

Nora, sorry, but I can't help you with the FBI list. I learned that little tidbit during at a security briefing during one of the docent training sessions. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it except to the repeated admonition that the museum is a terrorist site.

topper

... to the top (and something else to the bottom) ...

Joe

As long as this thread is back at the top...

I took a poll of 10 friends and co-workers. I asked them: 'Do you think the Washington Monument looks better with or without the scaffolding?'.
All 10 of them said it looks better with it.

Maybe they should leave it that way.