msgirl40

My husband will be in Silver Springs Maryland (I think this is the Baltimore area) on business for 4 days in June. My daughter and I thought we might stay with him and commute into D.C. to sightsee. Is this going to be too difficult to do? What is the best way to get into Washington, DC from there? Train?

Bobmrg

Silver Springs is in the DC metropolitan area, a long way from Baltimore. I think that a session with Google would be enlightening.

When I worked in the District I drove in from Maryland (Cheverly); when I last visited, there was a very nice commuter train covering the same trip. My guess...and it is a guess...is that there is excellent public transportation between SS and the tourist areas of the District.

kgh8m

Silver Spring is a fairly close-in (comparatively) DC suburb (but not really that suburban - more urban). You can take the red line on the Metro and get to the Verizon Center or Metro Center and easily walk to the museums and Mall.

I would suspect that the hotel would have a shuttle to the Metro station if your hotel isn't walking distance away from it.

JJ5

If you are that accessible to the red line Metra than you can transfer nearly anywhere to sightsee quite easily. The train time might be a bit more, but the systems are extremely easy to use and understand. I found the easiest of any system in the USA I have come across yet.

1JAR

Here is a link to Wash DC Metro

www.wmata.com

Click on the Metro maps
Look for the RED Metro rail line
See Silver Sprngs upper right side on a Red clored Metro line.

You can transfer between the colored lines and as long as you can get from Hotel (or wherever you are staying in Siver Springs)to the Silver Springs Metro stop, (by bus, walking, cab, hotel shuttle) as the other posters said you an get to most all the major sight seeing in WasH Dc. within walling distances

Fodors also has a nice travel book on Wash DC with Metro map/stop and sight seeing info

HRHDHD

My DH and I just stayed with family in Rockville, MD, one stop closer to DC on the Red Line, for 6 nights. It's a bit more than 30 minutes from Rockville to Union Station, and less to Metro Center. We enjoyed the ease of getting on the Metro and making plans on the trip in, and then being able to unwind a bit on the way back to Rockville in the evenings. We bought the week pass for $39pp, which allowed us unlimited travel, even during peak times. Morning peak is until 9:30 a.m., so if you want to get an early start somewhere, you'd need to be on the train earlier than that.

HRHDHD

Whoops--I had Silver Spring confused with Shady Grove, which is one stop past Rockville on the other end of the Red Line. You appear to be even closer to DC from Silver Spring than Rockville. I think commuting in is certainly doable.

bardo1

I agree. Silver Spring (proper) is right on the DC/MD border and is an easy subwasy ride into downton DC.

What is the adress of where your husband is staying?

The actual town of Silver Spring and the "greater Silver Spring postal area" are two quite different animals. The former is convenient, the latter (depending of the actual distance from actrual Silver Spring) may be quite inconvenient.

GeorgeW

Silver Spring hugs the Washngton northern border and is convenient to getting around Washington. It has a subway stop.

bardo is correct that many areas that aren't really Silver Spring are given that postal address. When I met my wife she lived in apartments closer to Langley Park than Silver Spring but her address was officially Silver Spring. Silver Spring and Langley Park are socially, ethnically and economically worlds apart although near each other physically.

repete

Bardo is right on about Silver Spring. If you are looking at the DT Silver Spring area, there are several nice hotels (including newish Marriott Courtyard) a and a good variety of dining options -- plus the Metro ride is 14 minutes to Union Station.

It's very easy and quite do-able.

laminmd

Depending on where you are staying in Silver Spring, you will either be located near the Silver Spring metro stop (downtown Silver Spring) or the Forest Glen metro stop (very close to the beltway) or the Glenmont metro stop (a few miles outside the beltway). All these stops are on the red line and will take you fairly easily into downtown DC. It is not crazy in any way at all to visit DC as this will offer a lot more in the way of tourist attractions then Silver Spring!

repete

... except there's no lodging near Forest Glen or Glenmont Metro stops.

DT Silver Spring is really the best option.