This is for Martha Python: First of all, I am a D.C. policeman. When MY family comes to visit, I put them up in Crystal City. Why? Because it is safer than the district, certainly cheaper. <BR> <BR>And for your information, many of us travel to 23rd to eat. The food there is fantastic, and thousands and thousands of federal workers travel over the 14th street bridge to eat there everyday. <BR> <BR>Why? Because most of the restaurants (if they aren't closed for health reasons), are cheaper and offer more for the money. <BR> <BR>Your tone was extremely rude. If I were Elliana, I wouldn't bother posting information. <BR> <BR>For the record, I noticed it was "John" who suggested Crystal City first; she just agreed with him. <BR> <BR>If you want to post an opinion, do it with dignity and politely. It is people like you that ruin a forum. Your crassness and rudeness was unnecessary; moreover your information and input is wrong. <BR> <BR>For those of you pushing Dupont Circle - leave it alone. If you read Mary's original post, she specifically requested a suburban location near a metro station. <BR> <BR>Mary: Crime is reduced in the fall and winter months but you must take precautions wherever you travel. <BR> <BR>Also, schedules change dramatically in the fall and winter months. <BR> <BR>The best thing to do is identify what areas of the city (if any) you would like to see. <BR> <BR>If you are a nervous traveler, I recommend using a taxi. <BR> <BR>In Maryland, I would recommend staying in Chevy Chase, Bethesda, or Rockville. <BR> <BR>In Virginia, I recommend Crystal City. Key Bridge Marriott is also very nice, but nothing much to do in Rosslyn. <BR> <BR>Word of warning: In Rosslyn there has been much trouble with two Korean gangs so use caution. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your stay in Washington DC. Just exercise caution and you will be just fine. <BR> <BR>

Let me quickly try to play the role of peacemaker before we get into an all-out brawl. The key piece of info missing here is Mary's budget. If it is tight, the nice hotels in D.C. may be just too expensive. In that case, maybe she would have to settle for Crystal City (notice my bias here). If money is no object, I think we could agree that Dupont Circle and some of the other areas mentioned would be a total blast. <BR> <BR>Can we all just get along?

Thanks for all the interesting replies. Some of you have questioned by reasons for wanting to stay in the suburbs. We don't usually visit the nightlife spots when we travel; also we are driving and like to avoid driving into large cities because of the heavy traffic. Budget is a concern, but only slightly. We originally thought we would like to stay in the suburbs near a metro station as friends have advised us to do this, but after reading all of your posts, I might consider staying in the city if I can get my husband to drive into town. <BR> <BR>Mary

Uh, oh. I said the key piece of missing info was budget. It didn't occur to me that you might be driving, Mary, and that is a key piece of information. <BR> <BR>I'm not sure what to do with this one. If you are driving, you will have to park it at your hotel, and that costs money. You won't want to use it daily for garden-variety touring around the city as the streets are confusing (to me, anyway), and parking is tough and expensive for garages. Any chance that this is a rental car that you can surrender when you arrive in D.C.? <BR>

Why is everyone pushing Crystal City? Crystal City is one of the most bland and flavorless areas in Nova. Why not stay in Old Town if you are looking to get out of DC. Bethesda is also an extremely nice area with plenty of great restaurants. I live in Arlington and would personally suggest the Key Bridge Marriott and just take a taxi into D.C. My number one choice however would be to stay in DC. Whenever I have relatives in town they all stay over by the MCI center near ChinaTown and have no problems with crime. There are much more viabrant areas then Crystal City to stay in. Thats why I'm confused as to why everyone is suggesting this office park as a great place to stay. Just my humble opinon.

Mary seems to have vanished, so we can't tell what she meant by "outlying areas." It could mean Arlington or it could mean Shady Grove (end of the line folks). It could also mean DuPont, which is not that close to the mall. <BR> <BR>Wherever Mary went, perhaps David could join her. Really David, what ARE you talking about. Dupont Cir... prostitutes on every corner??? Is this a joke as the Circle has no corners??? I have lived within 10 blocks of the Circle for 10 years and have never seen a prostitute west of 12th street. The circle is a great area for visitors to DC.

If you don't mind staying out a little further, the Tyson's Corner/Vienna area about 20 miles outside of DC isn't too bad. Stayed there a year ago, and it is a very nice drive. It also has a park and ride metro station in town. Granted may not be the liveliest area, but it was a good value for me.

Wow! over 25 responses, and way too much inaccurate information. Let's see what we have here. <BR> <BR>1. Someone thinks the weather at the beginning of November is "cooler and not conducive to a lot of walking." Temperatures should be between 50-65 degrees, hardly a frostbite risk. Nice crisp fall strolling weather. <BR> <BR>2. Mary asks for a hotel in an "outlying area" and is told by someone from Brazil (I think) that a Dupont Circle hotel fits the description. <BR> <BR>3. Boring, bland, dull Crystal City that is all the rage with office workers looking for lunch has somehow transformed itself into a "great place for tourists." <BR> <BR>4. Mary is told Crystal City is only two stops from the major attractions, when in fact it is four stops on the Yellow Line from the Smithsonian stop, including one transfer. If you avoid transfers by taking the blue line, it is 10 stops. Very inconvenient. <BR> <BR>5. Someone says there are no centrally located hotels, but there are at least two near the Mall where a large number of popular attractions are located: J.W. Marriot and Willard, and there are surely others. <BR> <BR>6. We have people saying the Cathedral is near Tenleytown stop, when that is really not the case. <BR> <BR>7. We have someone saying Dupont Circle has prostitutes on almost every corner, which is laughable. <BR> <BR>8. We have someone implying that Mary had better eat in Crystal City because "most" D.C. restaurants tend to close due to health code violations and so pose a health risk. Or perhaps this person is saying the Crystal City restaurants are the ones closed for health code violations. Either view is an exaggeration. <BR> <BR>This thread is way beneath the usual standard of reliable information visitors to this forum typically receive. What went wrong? <BR> <BR>Mary, perhaps post your question again in light of all of this and give everyone a lot of clear details. Like what is the story with your car? What is the duration of your stay? What is your budget in terms of dollars? In light of what you have learned, are you still worried about safety? Do you want to walk around after dinner and look in shops and interesting establishments, or are you happier to have a meal and go right to bed? Do you need to visit your hotel in the middle of the day? What sights do you want to see? Do you prefer chain restaurants or are you looking for culinary adventure?

Another inaccuracy in David's post - the Red Line does not go to National Airport. I know this because I ride that line every day. Also, Loews L'Enfant Plaza is a very good place to stay if you want to be in proximity to the museums. They are about 2 blocks from the hotel. Hardly the great distance that David alludes to. However, the hotel is not in proximity to good restaurants. I highly recommend staying in DC. Dupont Circle is a great area. I know you don't want to drive in the city, but see if you can convince your husband to drive at least to the hotel. If you tell us where you are coming from, we can perhaps give you the best directions. If you want to stay near major attractions, hotels are numerous (what is with the people who supposedly are familiar with the city, and say there are no hotels?). There is the J.W. Marriott and the Willard (very pricey) on Pennsylvania Avenue. Just a couple of blocks from the White House (and a block from my office) is the Capitol Hilton as well as a Marriott Courtyard. On Capitol Hill on New Jersey Avenue is the Hyatt as well as a Holiday Inn (the area is safe; I am very familiar with it). These are just a few of the hotels that are in walking distance to the Mall/ellipse/monuments. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me. I have lived and worked in the area for 12 years; my husband also is in law enforcement and can answer any questions about crime in particular areas.

For "Just the Facts": Thank you for your post. I had forgotten how ignorant, pompous and compative people in D.C. can be. <BR> <BR>You sure know how to discourage travelers to the Washington, D.C. area. <BR> <BR>Also - the temperature is nowhere near the 65 degree mark in November. Uh, but that's another post, right? <BR> <BR>Mary: I have stayed in the district, Maryland and Virginia and lived in the area for 12 years. <BR> <BR>Crystal City is very convenient. Since you mentioned the suburbs, take the advice of several of the other posters about Bethesda. You asked a very simple question - your only criteria was that it be suburban near a Metro station. <BR> <BR>Now, we have arrogant SOB's such as Just the Facts who wants to know your entire financial portfolio and your itinerary. <BR> <BR>The Hyatt in Bethesda is a beautiful hotel and the metro is right there. There are also wonderful restaurants within walking distance. <BR> <BR>I hope these argumentative, combative people eventually get it thru their thick skulls that this is a forum. These people are bashing each other and don't even know each other personally. <BR> <BR>Just ignore them.

To Just the Facts, Ilisa, The reason belligerent individuals such as yourself rant on a forum, is that no one else in the real world will listen to you. You both obviously suffer from severe low self-esteem. It is common knowledge that people will belittle others do so because of their own insecurities. <BR> <BR>Why don't you go to the Delphi forums? An excellent spot for your kind.

To Christine and Jennifer, <BR> <BR>Why are you so offended that others took the time to correct the errors in the posts? I think people should try to give accurate information. If they don't know what they are talking about, perhaps they should let others handle questions like this one, or at least state that they are not sure about the facts they are providing. Wouldn't Mary be messed up if she had relied on the wrong information and exaggerated information provided here. We are not talking about differences of opinion. We are talking about verifiable facts that were just wrong. And according to Yahoo, the temperature in D.C. last year in early November was in the range provided by Justhtefacts. I looked it up. So who is being rude and pompous?

A few people have mentioned Bethesda, which is very nice, but I wouldn't recommend staying there as it takes too long to get to the major sights from there. Also, some people mentioned Alexandria which is also very nice, but if you are planning on parking at your hotel and taking the metro into the city, the metro is not very convenient (a VERY VERY long walk) to the interesting part of Alexandria (Old Town) or to most of the hotels in Alexandria. <BR> <BR>To the person who said forget Rosslyn because there's nothing to do there and recommended Crystal City instead -- I beg to differ. At least Rosslyn has the Newseum and is walking distance to Georgetown. There are really no tourist attractions in Crystal City (trust me, I used to live there). So if you do want to stay in a suburb I still recommend Rosslyn. Several people have mentioned the Key Bridge Marriott and that is a good choice there, convenient to major highways and also has nice views of the city. <BR> <BR>Mary, I'm glad you're also willing to consider staying in the District, although it is wise to avoid driving much in the district if you can -- very confusing to out-of-towners and a lot of signage isn't very well marked. Needless to say, the person who said something about "prostitutes on every corner" in Dupont didn't know what they were talking about. I live in Dupont. It's great. <BR> <BR>Good luck and hope you have a wonderful trip!

Christine, you are right this is a forum, so just the facts has a right to correct everyone else who was giving false and misleading information. Thats all. Your attitude reeks of the rude and pompous attitude that you claim to be so prevelant throughout this area.

David, I too have lived in DC for a long time--nigh on 16 years, in fact. You couldn't be more wrong about Dupont Circle, and I have to wonder when the last time was that you were there. (Me? About 15 minutes ago. I work four blocks from the Circle itself.) Prostitutes on every corner? *WHERE*? Are you nuts? <BR> <BR>Lisa is right: Dupont Circle is one of the safest neighborhoods in DC. It's definitely on the upscale as far as rents/purchase prices for housing: I couldn't afford to live in this neighborhood. It's also got lively nightlife, good restaurants, lots of people out strolling and shopping and eating at sidewalk cafes on summer evenings...it's a great city neighborhood. <BR> <BR>My favorite part of Dupont is stopping by and watching the chess players along the northeastern perimeter of the Circle itself. These guys are *serious*, and they're there all the time--literally. Black, white, young, old, all professions and all income levels, there for the love of the game...and they're *good.* It's fascinating to watch. <BR> <BR>As for the Loews, yes, it's in a complex with government buildings. Funny how those government buildings are right near the mall. You come out of the Loews, walk out to Independence Avenue, and bada-bing, there are the Smithsonians. If you call that half a mile, David, your distance perception is way off.

What a funny picture you all have painted! Poor Mary. If she listened to everyone here, she would go all over looking for the Radisson Barcelo because she is told it is in an outlying area. Frustrated, she would settle down in Crystal City to find out there is nothing at all to do there. Sure she could go to Arlington on the Metro, but she can see that anyway on the Tourmobile, something she specifically asked about. She would wander about in her overcoat, hat and gloves trying to find the Red Line out of National Airport so she could take it to see the National Cathedral. She would wear Kevlar outerwear when she goes to Du Pont circle and Rosslyn, and she would stock up on Immodium AD for all the food poisoning she can expect. While touring, she would hike past hotels much closer to the Mall. All the while, she would have to dodge all of the prostitutes in Du Pont circle. Some vacation!

To whoever recommended the Hyatt Bethesda: it is 8 metro stops on the Red Line plus a transfer at MetroCenter plus two more stops on Orange/Blue line to get to Smithsonian. All of it is underground, so Mary won't see anything at all during her commute, except perhaps people like me. I'm not sure about the parking situation, but streets tend to be metered parking there. Probably too far out for good touring, IMHO.

Plan another vacation. I live in D.C. <BR>The city stinks. It reeks of filth and crime. P.G. County is a hell hole. Go to the mountains or the shore for a relaxing vacation. Otherwise bring a body guard and watch your backside.

Probably foolish of me to respond to somebody calling himself "Snidely Whiplash" but it's a slow afternoon. <BR> <BR>First: since when do DC tourists get to Prince George's County? <BR> <BR>Second: PG County has its bad areas and its nice areas. Sorta like anywhere else. <BR> <BR>Third: If you hate DC that much, why the heck do you live here anyway? <BR>

Gina, Snidely doesn't live in D.C., and he has probably never been there. <BR> <BR>He is a chum.