Maryland Suburbs
 

Hello, I've been reading these posts and have found people extremely helpful. I have a question regarding the location of the hotel I've booked to visit Washington, D. C. Currently, I've booked a room at the Doubletree in Rockville, MD. I've never been to Maryland and am not familiar with this area or hotel. If anyone has any knowledge of the area or hotel, I would appreciate your input. I'm from Southern California so traffic/parking issues don't scare me:) Also, I'll be traveling with teenagers, so night life isn't important either. Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.

Well, if you like strip malls you're in luck. The Doubletree is on Rockville Pike, which is one miles-long strip shopping center and congested traffic stop.

The federal bureacracy extends for many miles around the actual city of Washinnngton DC. The Rockville/Bethesda area is home to several health-related services, including DHHS and NIH. The hotels out there are populated mostly by business travelers who are dealing with these agencies, they're not primarily tourist oriented. I can't help wondering why you chose to stay 20 miles out of the city you're visiting when there are scores of closer hotels.

Instead of renting a car, I'd put that money towards a hotel with a more convenient locatoin.

You're not near much. In fact, you're not near anything.

The Doubletree is right next door to the Twinbrook Metro station which is on the Red line. I would use that to get downtown and not drive. (It's literally out the back door and across the street.) There are some decent restaurants within walking distance and you are one metro stop up from White Flint Mall. There are also several excellent restaurants within a short driving distance and another mall, Westfields Montgomery Mall. If you have a car, parking is not a problem at most of the places just traffic on Rockville Pike on weekends. If you're planning to spend the whole weekend sightseeing downtown, I would recommend the Bethesda area (more walker friendly) or the close-in Va. suburbs (e.g. Arlington) over Rockville since the sights/mall are closer to the Va suburbs. However, the Doubletree is in a safe area and metro is right there.

Agree that Rockville is fine and safe and all that, but it will be a long Metro ride in, and you'll be denying yourself a lot of the flavor of DC by staying so far out. Put another way, there would be no reason at all to visit Rockville on a trip to DC! But if you must, you must...

Kennsington Girl, thanks, great advice. One follow up question though... the map said it was about 9 miles from town not 20 as a previous poster listed. Mileage isn't that important, but time is usually more accurate in metro areas. About how long of a drive/metro ride is it to the mall area? Thanks again. P. S. Chose this location because it's less than 1/3 the cost of downtown/va suburb hotels.

Rockville is a large area, so you will want to measure the distance from 1. either your hotel to where you want to park in the city or 2. the nearest metro stop to wherever you want to go in the city.

Those 9 miles could easily take 1 hour to drive, and 45 on the metro (EACH WAY) once you factor in getting to the station, parking, waiting for the train, etc.

Here's a website for calculating the metro times to the mall, zoo etc, http://www.wmata.com/tripplanner_d/t..._form_solo.cfm (put in Twinbrook station as your starting point). Figure 40 minutes or more on the metro. Part of the problem is that only every other red line train goes to Twinbrook (the others turn around 2 stations in) and then you have to change trains at Metro center to get to the mall area.

Driving - the long way to the mall is about 20 miles (down I-270 to I-495 West, cross into VA and immediately take the George Washington Parkway down the shore line to the Roosevelt Bridge into DC). On a weekend, this would be about 30 minutes. Straight down Rockville Pike and thru town might be a little shorter in distance and late at night can even be quicker. On a weekday anywhere near a rush hour, the 30 minutes can turn into an hour plus easily - so recommend metro.

NewbE- It took some thinking but Rockville does have at least one tourist attraction - F.Scott Fitzgerald's grave :>.

Using the 1750 Rockville Pike address from the hotel's own website, Mapquest gives the distance to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, as 21.21 miles. A more direct route, using back roads rather than highways, is 13 miles but of course takes longer.

And, just so you know, the rush hour starts around 5:30 am and lasts until maybe 9 am. And it starts up again around 3:30 and goes until 7ish...

Of course if there is an accident you're out of luck no matter what time of day it is. Or if it's raining or snowing.

Forgot to mention - if you are going on a weekday to the mall area, parking can be an issue not just in terms of $$ but in space availability even in the garages during the weekdays.

For eating with teenagers, both Union Station and the Ronald Reagan Building have good food courts in their basements open to tourists (you do have to go thru security at the Ronald Reagan Building which is near the White House).

You can save a couple of miles compared to the GW Parkway route by taking Cabin John Parkway, which joins Clara Barton Parkway, which becomes Canal Road. Then turn right onto Whitehurst Freeway just before Key Bridge to get down to the Mall.

I have not stayed there, and don't know how the prices compare, but the Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase, Maryland has gotten good reviews from several posters on this site. It is also virtually on top of the metro, but much closer in (right on the DC border) and the surrounding area would be much more interesting as a visitor: http://www.embassysuitesdcmetro.com/...se/welcome.php

I've always thought this is an underutilized bargain area for DC visitors.

Yes, the Pike is full of strip malls, but there are also some decent options for dining and entertainment nearby.

There aren't many hotels more convenient than the Doubletree. The Metro is right out the door.
http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../twinbrok.html

Plus Urban BBQ is right around the corner as is El Patio, a fun Argentinian cafe. You're one stop from White Flint, a fairly upscale mall, two stops from Strathmore, a tremendous music venue.

http://www.strathmore.org/

Bethesda (10 minutes on Metro) and Chevy Chase are just a few stops away. You can be in the heart of downtown in 25 minutes.

It seems like you're getting a few posts here from folks who are unfamiliar with the area.

I'm not unfamiliar with the area. I lived nearby most of my life and my husband has been working in Rockville for a dozen years. It's not horrible, but on the other hand, I would never recommend someone come all the way from California to visit Washington and stay in a place that's so far removed in miles and atmosphere from the special ambiance of DC. After all, you can sit in eight lanes of traffic amongst furniture stores and fast food joints (and a few good restaurants) just about anywhere in the US.

What Devon said.

I'm sure it's a great bargain. It will also take 2 hours a day for commuting time. And I really wouldn't suggest that someone come from CA for the pleasure of seeing the White Flint Mall.

E_M,

Just admit it, you don't know the area.

Two hours? You walk a minute from the hotel minutes across a tiny Metro parking lot and it's 19 minutes to the Zoo and 25 to the heart of downtown. While I'm not pushing White Flint as a tourist stop, it (with a place like Dave and Busters) might be a diversion for the OP's teens.

Sure, staying downtown is great and I recommend it when possible. And I'm no big fan of the Pike.

But we all balance our budgets and priorities differently and if staying 25 minutes from Dupont Circle means the difference between dinners at Pesce or Komi and fast food for the poster, then who are we to say? And perhaps those $30/night downtown hotel parking fees could be better used?

It's a balancing act that we can't assume: If the OP's need for a relatively cheap hotel with an easy commute and no nightlife ... then constructive posts and not snarky responses would better advance the discussion.

No. I won't admit it.

Don't forget to factor in the 5 minute walk to the station. The 10 minute wait between trains if you just miss one during non-peak hours. The odd 5 minute wait between trains if you need to change lines. It all adds up.

It's like the poster on the other thread who come to visit NYC and ask about hotels in NJ. Yes, it's doable, and yes, there are some hotels outside city limits that offer a lower rate while still provide good accessibility. But I do think Rockville is a bit far away for a trip to Washington, DC.

Repete and EM, thank you both for your thoughtful posts. You've both given me something to think about. Last time I was in D.C. I stayed in Vienna due to a conference and actually loved the area and drive in. This time we will be there for five days over a weekend and all of your comments have helped me.