Tia

Visiting DC for third trip in August, however the friend I'm staying with has recently moved. She now lives in Mechanicsville, MD. I will be renting a car to be able to drive to the Metro to go into DC on my own while she's at work. I am unsure which stop is the closest. I'm thinking either Huntington or Franconia/Springfield. They look to be a horse a piece as far as distance and drive time. Can anyone offer any suggestions and/or what the best route to take to get there might be. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as always! Thanks!!

Tia

mrwunrfl

Those Metro stops that you mentioned are in Virginia. The metro stop you would want to use would be Branch Ave on the Green Line.

bardo

You might do a little research to find out what time the Metro parking fills up. Some fill up by 8 am while others never quite fill up (I personally don't know about the Branch Ave stop). Anyone here know?

Tia

Thanks for the info. Also, I never really thought about parking being filled. We probably won't get there until 10 a.m. or so. Therefore, parking may be a problem. Any suggestions?

Tia

Traveler_A

The Branch Avenue stop has a park and ride and probably is the easiest to get to from Mechanicsville, but it isn't in a very good neighborhood. If you feel like driving a little further, you could do the Franconia-Springfield station that someone recommended above. Either way, you're in for a long trip in the car and on Metro. Definitely start early in the morning so you can get a parking space at the metro.

Traveler_A

On the other hand, there are commuter buses that go from that part of Maryland into DC. You might do a little research into that and see how that affects your options for driving. Try the Metro website at www.wmata.com for more help.

Tia

The bad neighborhood part scares me a bit as far as leaving our car there. I'm thinking driving an extra few miles to the Franconia station might be my best bet. In your opinion, how early do we need to get to the Metro station to get a place to park? Thanks for the info thus far!

Tia

jnn1964

In August parking might not be too bad, since so many people are on vacation.

mrwunrfl

Pardon me, but going to Franconia to get on the Metro is dumb idea. That would mean going across Wilson Bridge and through the Springfield mixing bowl. The Huntingdon metro makes just a little bit of sense.

Hundreds (thousands?) of commuters go through the Branch Ave station every day. The neighborhood is not so bad, but anyway your just going to the Metro (with the rental car that you're getting at BWI, right?, and you will have left your luggage and stuff at your friend's place). If you like, go on to the Suitland metro station and park. It is right on the edge of the Federal Center there and is safe for hundreds more commuters, so it is safe for you.

You can probably ride a commuter bus from Mechanicsville to the Branch Ave station, do your touring, and return with the commuters.

You can of course, drive into the district and pay to park.

bardo

Tia,
Park at the Branch Ave. stop - it's perfectly safe. Amen to you mrwunrfl! Traveler_A has actually posted to potential tourists to be "careful" on capitol hill and discouraged them from wandering the neirghboorhod bewteen the Capitol and Lincoln Park as it can "change quickly block by block" (can anyone name even ONE blockj that fits that description???) . Sheeesh! So unfair to the tourist, not to mention residents.

bardo

Tia, BTW, one lot that NEVER fills up is the Greenbelt station on the green line.

Tia

Ok, now I'm totally confused. I'd like to go to the Branch Street Metro station. How bad is the neighborhood? I will have a totally empty car (rental) with no luggage. There is a good chance we will arrive back to our car in the evening, possibly after dark if we eat dinner in DC. What are all of your honest opinions about safety at this stop? Also, do you think there will be a chance I won't find a place to park at say 9-10 a.m.?

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Last month I stayed at the Days Inn 2.5 blocks from Branch Ave Metro station. I think your concern would be the availability of spaces, not safety.

I did not walk to the hotel at night, only because I couldn't see it from the station (its sign not visible) and I worried about the neighborhood. So I wasted money for a taxi ride, but walked back the next day.

The area seemed plenty safe to me. Lots of streetlights and brand new sidewalks. The station parking is fenced in. I do have to state that I didn't notice any empty spaces on my route - and I was looking - but of course I didn't walk up and down each line.

Traveler_A

Bardo- while you may be correct in stating that using the Branch Ave. metro station is perfectly safe (I stand corrected, as it's true hundreds of commuters park there each day), you have me mistaken for someone else regarding the posts about the safety of walking around between Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park.

Tia- As long as you're driving so far already, you might consider driving into DC and trying to park there. Yes, it may be difficult to find a spot, but it may work out better for you since you've been to DC before and may know your way around a little bit.