My husband and I will be in the Washingto DC area in the beginning of November. We were thinking of staying in the outlying areas near a Metro station. Can anyone recommend a hotel that is nice and also in a crime free area? Also, where can we pick up tour buses or tour mobiles? Do they run in November? Thanks for any advice given.

Radisson Barcelo is a good hotel and near a Metro Station. Also near restaurants, shopping, etc. Good place to stay.

Hi,

For the MOST PART, anywhere in the VA suburbs is going to be fairly crime free. Maryland on the other hand is a crap shoot. DC is no where near as bad as the media portrays it to be - at least in the Upper Northwest or touristy type areas.

Radisson Barcelo isn't "outlying"...it's smack dab in the Dupont Circle area in NW Washington! Not a crime-free area by any means, although I love staying in the Dupont area. It's also a couple of blocks from the Metro.

Some of the Crystal City (Virginia) hotels are close to both the Metro and Reagan National Airport. The Marriott is atop a station, I believe. It's a pretty generic, corporate-type setting but I would say it's quite safe.

Hi Mary: John is right about Crystal City. I worked there for 2 years. The entire DC/VA/MD metro area is not what you call "crime-free" however; furthermore, the crime is the same in Virginia and Maryland - it just depends on where you live. However, Crystal City is a great place for tourists - lots of activity going on especially during the daytime.

Crystal City has much to offer. The metro is located underneath the Mall and Marriott buildings.

If you are flying into DC, and into Regan National Airport, the metro will take you from the airport. It is easy to negotiate.

My husband works at National Airport and we will be happy to help you.

Crystal City is very convenient - just across the river from the museums and attractions; you can also take the metro to Arlington Cemetary which is in Virginia.

There are some wonderful restaurants on the row on 23rd street, across from Crystal Mall. Excellent Italian, French, Cantonese - all sorts of places and very reasonable.

For shopping (if you have time to shop), there is a Nordstrom and Pentagon City Mall (we used to go there at lunchtime).

There are also tours at the Pentagon if you are so inclined. They are free to the public, and the metro blue or yellow lines will take you there from Crystal City.

Have a wonderful time in DC. Again, let me know if we can be of help.

Elliana

Mary,

Perhaps if you could include a budget range, it would help us pinpoint the best hotel for you. Also, are you looking for something outside of D.C. primarily because you are worried about crime? If that is the concern, I would suggest you reconsider and stay in the District because the major tourist areas and hotels are plenty safe. Metro fares can add up, and the need to commute back and forth to an outlying hotel can be a bummer. Also, visiting major sights is much easier if you are already close by.

Mary: The hotel and sales tax in DC are much higher than in Maryland and Virginia. You can get a metro pass which can save you money; also, the metro stop from Crystal City to the major attractions is only 2 stops, depending on where you are visiting.

There is no hotel that I know of that is within walking distance to the elipse, the major memorials i.e., Jefferson, Lincoln and the Washington Monument. You will still need to take a taxi or the metro if you wish to visit the Zoo, which is on the Metro Red Line near the DC/MD line on Connecticut Avenue, or the Washington Cathedral, which is near the Tenleytown Stop on the Red Line on Wisconsin Avenue - also just a short distance from the DC/MD line.

I would call some of the major hotels. I don't know what you are looking for other than concern about crime in the area; it is all over the metro area, including downtown Washington but the hotels are safe. The Metro is safe for the most part. I took it back and forth to the Pentagon and all over Washington for a little over 2 years on my last assignment, and had trouble only once and it was late in the evening.

Also, rates on the Metro are cheaper after the morning rush hour, and also in the evening. They are also cheaper on the weekends, so don't fear the cost of the metro. It is still the cheapest form of transportation in this area.

Elliana

Another great place to stay - a block from the Metro - is Quality Inn and Suites in Arlington.

I'm not sure I agree with the suggestion that staying in the burbs is as good as staying in the District because of the Metro. Metro is largely underground in the District, so using it for everything gets you around, but you don't see anything along the way. Walking is a nicer way to get around, so staying in the District makes that more possible.

I think there are hotels in the District that are centrally located, although nothing is centrally located to everything, of course. For instance, if you stayed at the J.W. Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue, you are within walking distance to the Mall and many monuments and museums. If you have strong legs, you can even walk from there to Capitol Hill (I used to do it for exercise on my lunch hour). And commuting in from the burbs does take time. For instance, if you want White House tickets, you have to go to the Visitor Center, and you need to get there early. And it sure helps to be able to drop by the hotel if you forget something or want to rest mid-day.

Finally, there are many hotels in the District with lots of charm and character, and that is nice, too.

about two years ago i spent several days in washington d.c. with my neice. we stayed at a bed and breakfast (a basement apartment) in someone's house. it was east of the capital i believe. a couple of blocks but a pleasant walk. didn't think it was very expensive and loved being that close. we still used the subway sometimes. i found the place through a service there for bed and breakfast's. the phone number i got from the frommer's guide i believe.

Elliana,

I didn't know the sales and hotel taxes were higher in the District, although I wouldn't be surprised. Do you know how much they are in MD vs. DC vs. VA? (MD sales tax is 5%, but I don't know the hotel tax.) Just curious.

Cindy: The hotel tax in DC is higher than Maryland . The DC hotel tax is 13 percent; while in Maryland, the last time my secretary reserved rooms for my clients was 6 percent. I don't place clients in Virginia due to the proximity of my business.

I have read other posts and you say you live in Maryland. Just curious, don't you know?

Cindy and Chuck: The hotel taxes are 14.5% in the District; 5% in Maryland and 9.75% in Virginia.

There are a number of hotels within walking distance of the major tourist sites, depending upon what walking distance means to you. I would urge you to stay downtown but if you really don't want to, you could also consider Bethesda, Maryland. There's a Metro stop there (be sure to get within walking distance or a hotel shuttle) and lots of good restaurants for your evening meal.

As far as I know, the tourmobile runs all year long. It can be picked up at the monuments and various Smithsonian locations. Can't help you with other tour bus options, but they will certainly be operating in November.

Just wanted to correct a couple of small errors in Elliana's post:

1. There is a hotel located within walking distance of many of the sights on the Mall: Loew's L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, just off 12th and Independence Avenue NW. I haven't stayed there in several years, so can't vouch for its quality now, but it was quite lovely when I stayed there in the mid-90s. From this location it's a fairly easy walk to many of the museums on the Mall, the Washington Monument, the Ellipse/White House, and the Holocaust Museum. It's not a bad walk to the Capitol, either. The Mall/Ellipse stretches from Lincoln in the West to the Capitol in the East, and it's a loooong stretch, so no one hotel could be walking distance from everything.

2. While the *nearest* Metro to the Cathedral is probably Tenleytown, I wouldn't call the two "near" each other. The Cathedral is a longer walk from the Metro than the Zoo is from Woodley Park, for example--I'd say it's at least a half mile. If you're going to the Cathedral, plan on a hike from the Metro (downhill there, but then uphill back of course!) or take a cab.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend staying in Crystal City, just because I think of it as more of a suburban shopping-restaurant-office complex than an area of interest. (Your mileage may vary.) The higher hotel taxes definitely are a factor, but I'd still recommend staying in DC--closer to sights, can walk to things, funky and interesting restaurants nearby, etc.

I might suggest staying in/near Dupont Circle. You're right on the Metro and can get to everything quickly, and you're also in a fun and lively neighborhood with lots of good restaurants, cute shops, and small art galleries. No area is "crime free" in any big city, but Dupont is probably one of the safest areas of DC to stay in. There are several nice hotels in the area in a variety of price ranges.

How to put this delicately? Crystal City is not very nice. Lots of tall, modern buildings and very little character. Actually, no character at all. Unless your budget requires it, I'd stay away from Crystal City, and I agree with Gina's advice. Dupont Circle has some of the best D.C. has to offer.

JUST returned from 2 weeks in DC and Virginia. Stayed at the JW Marriott and it was a perfect location. We took taxis to get to National Cathedral and to dinner in Georgetown; metro to Arlington Cemetery and the Capitol, etc. but walked everywhere else. An evening stroll - just a couple of blocks to the White House grounds - ...or to the Washington Monument (band concert). We couldn't have improved on the hotel [unless we wanted to splurge on the Willard! ]

I definitely vote for staying in the city instead of the 'burbs. Dupont Circle has lots of good places to stay and eat, there are always people out and about regardless of the time of day, and it is a short ride on metro's red line to major sites. Noplace is "crime-free" -- not in DC, not in VA, not in MD, and as far as I know, not in the U.S., although obviously some places are safer than others. If you are determined to stay in a suburb then I would stay in Rosslyn (part of Arlington) which has lots of hotels near the metro station and is a short walk across the river from Georgetown. However, I personally find that if I'm walking around after dark, suburbs like Rosslyn, Crystal City, Pentagon City, etc. actually feel less safe to me than Dupont Circle -- this is because there is virtually noone on the streets of the suburbs at night (they have that "noone could hear you scream" feeling) whereas Dupont Circle is always lively, even at 2 a.m. Downtown hotels like JW Marriott are also a good option.

You can pick up the tourmobile at Union Station which also has its own metro station, on the red line. They run year-round.

Sorry, but I live in D.C. Elliana is absolutely right about Crystal City.

Dupont Circle is one of the MOST dangerous spots in the city; prostitutes on nearly every corner.

Lowe's L'Fant Plaza Hotel is housed in a huge concrete office building, along with the Comptroller of the Currency.

The place is surrounded by other Government buildings, i.e., US Postal Service, HUD, Department of Agriculture, both HQ and the South Building, to name a few.

The museums are at least a half mile or more walk; close if you are driving.

Yes, the metro runs underneath the Plaza, but it is full of office workers and a lousy location for a hotel. It was put there for the convenience of business travelers and not recommended for family.

Since you are traveling in November, it will be cooler and not conducive to alot of walking.

Stay in Crystal City. It is perfectly safe and since you were looking for a suburban location to begin with, I would go there.

If distance is not a factor and you prefer quiet, then take the Red Line from the National Airport and go to Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase at the MD/District Line, or go a little further North into Bethesda.

I definitely do not support Gina or Cali's advice. I have lived in this area long time.

None of us can say definitively what Mary should do, not just because we aren't Mary, but because we still don't know why she was planning to stay in the 'burbs. Her question, however, suggests some uncertainty about the safety of staying in DC. I think it is irresponsible to suggest to her that suburbs=safe and any part of DC=crime-ridden. There is some crime everywhere, and I have never noticed more in the popular parts of DC than in the soulless highrise parts of the suburbs. Crystal City is bleak in the extreme, the streets are deserted (read: unsafe) at night, the distance from the sights will wear on you, and no one would make a special trip for the food (Elliana does not like the food in DC, but plenty of other people will travel to eat at a particular place in DC, Alexandria, or Bethesda--not true for 23rd Street).