A collegue and I are going to a convention in Baltimore from Oct. 27-31, but are flying into DC/Reagan Airport on 10/23 for a few days of sightseeing.
We need to go from the JW Marriott Hotel to the Baltimore Convention Center on Sunday, October 27 and be there by 8:30am, because the first seminar starts at 9:00am; we will have a couple of suitcases and bags. What is the best way to do this? the cheapest way?
On 10/31 we fly from DC/Reagan at 5:30pm, how do we get from the Baltimore Convention Center to the airport? fastest way? cheapest way? Thanks for any help.

I can't help you much for the trip on the 27th, but can help on the return trip. Probably the best compromise on fast and cheap would be to go to BALTIMORE PENN station and ride the MARC commuter train to Washington Union Station (do a search and look for the Penn Line schedule). You'll then need to either try a taxi to DCA, or ride the Metro Red Line from Union Station to the Yellow Line (Gallery Place?), then ride the Yellow line to National Airport. If you will have a couple of bags EACH, then I would not ride the Metro, but you should be fine on the MARC train.

For your first trip on 10/27, you'll be traveling too early to use Metro, Metrobus, or LightRail, and MARC doesn't operate weekends. Could you go up to Baltimore Saturday? If so, take metrorail to the GREENBELT station. Get transfer passes at the station you BOARD the Metrorail on. At the Greenbelt station, transfer to the B30 bus to BWI, (cost $1.15 with transfer ticket, $2 without) When the bus drops you at BWI, walk Left on the sidewalk to the end of the terminal and you'll find the Light Rail Station. Purchase tickets from the vending machine ($1.35, I think, I always buy the $3 unlimited travel ticket) and take the light rail to the Convention Center stop. During your visit, consider use of the Metro Visitor Pass, $5 a day unlimited travel (after 9:30 weekdays) or the $17.50 short trip pass. (there is no X in my REAL eddress if you wish to contact me)

Well, the fastest way would be to drive to Baltimore if you have a car. If you don't, the fastest way would probably be to take Amtrak. There are trains at 6:20am and 7:20am departing from Union Station and arriving in Penn Station Baltimore in plenty of time for your first seminar. It would probably cost about $6 to cab it to the Convention Center from Penn Station.

Unfortunately the much cheaper MARC commuter lines do not run on weekends from DC to Balto (last I checked). The only CHEAP option on weekends is to take the DC Metro out to Greenbelt ($2.10?), catch the bus from there to BWI (<$2, I believe) and then take the light rail ($1.35)from BWI into Baltimore City (will drop you off right by the Convention Center). Will run you all of $6, but would be a pain in the ass. Actually, scratch that option as I just remembered the light rail does not run until 11am on Sundays .

So your cheapest option actually would be Greyhound (maybe $12/one way?).

Daniel Williams ALWAYS posts good info, and Greyhound might be you best bet for cheap and fast on Sunday. I check the website http://rideguide.wmata.com for Saturday night, and found that if you left GALLERY PL-CHINATOWN METRO STATION at 7:14pm and took Greenline to Greenbelt, you'd arrive at 7:39pm. The B30 bus departs at 8pm, arriving at BWI at 8:30. The 8:41 light rail will put you at Convention Center at 9:13 pm.

Some NON-airport Enterprise car rentals have a deal for renting a car after Noontime Friday, return to same location before Noontime Monday for $9.99 a day. Look into maybe renting from a Baltimore location on Friday. Hope these help.

Thanks r-travels, I always enjoy your advice as well.

I wanted to add that the Greyhound bus depots are pretty centrally in both DC and Baltimore. The Greyhound bus depot is about a 5-10-minute walk from Union Station and the Convention Center is about a 5-10-minute walk from Baltimore's Greyhound depot.

don't drive

I didn't realize the Balt GH station was so close to downtown. I checked www.greyhound.com and found tix to be $11 each/1way. You could leave DC at 4:15,7:15,or 7:30, arriving in Balt at 5:05,8:35, or 8:30 respectively. Sounds like a good way to me, unless you do choose to go up Saturday instead.