Kezza_bo

I am travelling to NY from Melbourne (Australia) with my mother who is close to 80 at the end of March. She is keen to travel to Washington for a day. Is this too far for one day? If we do go, are there any suggestions for a day tour that might take in most of the "must see" sites?

Dukey

The land sistance is 240 miles. You could fly in less than an hour NOT counting the time it takes to check in, go through Security, etc. Train might be faster at less than 3 hours one way.

You could do a TourMobile tour of the exterior of the major sites but to do it with any sort of depth a day might not be enough.

sarge1

I have made this trip on numerous occaisions. I would not advise traveling down there (especially via auto) traffic is a KILLER and by the time you get down there it would be time to return. Way too much to see (museums, government buildings, monuments etc). It takes anywhere from 5 to 7 hours ONE WAY.

Anonymous

If you take an early Amtrak Acela train, and then one of the open-top bus tours, you could see quite a bit. Flying would probably take longer than the train, once you factor-in the ground travel and clearance times, not to mention the risk of airline weather-related delays.

Anonymous

open-top bus --> trolley tours

doug_stallings

While it's technically possible to do this trip in a day, I would strongly advise against it as this involves 3+ hours of travel each way. My mom would not have the stamina for that trip. She could do it, but she would be exhausted the whole time.

doug_stallings

Oh ... not to mention the cost. You would be talking about a cost of up to $500 for a day-trip given the cost of Acela service. Is that worth it to you?

Aduchamp1

I have traveled the route by plane, train, and car. The advatange of the train is that goes downtown to downtown and the renovation ofUnion Station in DC is spectacular. Please note that at Penn Station NY, they announce the track at the last moment and there is a mad dash to that platform.

The problem with the plane is that no one is allowed to stand during, the flight, with no exceptions, due to terrorist fears thus if someone has issues, it could be a problem.

A car takes forever. Whatever mode of transportation i would recommend an overnight stay.

Dukey

If you reserve early enough the cost of a shuttle flight can be considerably cheaper than using the train but you have to factor in the cost of travel to LaGuardia airport as well as the time to check in, etc., which I mentioned earlier.

Anonymous

If my mom were 80 years old, visiting from Australia, and wanted to see our nation's capitol, I'd be darn sure to make it possible for her.

The Amtrak trains are comfortable, and train travel from city center to city center is far more congenial than airline travel with the attending transfers, security, etc. I believe you can even pick up the tour trolley at Union Station.

In NYC, you might be able to get early boarding (i.e., sneak preview of the track information) due to mom's age. The reason that there's a last-minute announcement is to give arriving passengers a chance to disembark without getting trampled.

persimmondeb

I would take the train and stay overnight for one night. It can be done, but it's a long trip to do twice in one day. And the train is unquestionably more efficient than flying. For years, my father, who loves trains and hates planes, would crow over arriving at conferences, etc in DC long before his colleagues who had been silly enough to fly. I don't think he was ever beaten to one, and made some converts to Amtrak. This was in the days before Acela, too.
You can get up and walk around on the train, and there is much more leg room than on a plane. There is also a snack car, although they don't run the full dining service on that route.

ellenem

I would do this by train for all the reasons mentioned. Some of the trains are all-reserved seating, which means there should be a seat for everyone. However, the actual individual seats are not assigned, so once on the train you must scramble to find seats, especially if you hope to sit together.

GoTravel

I would take the train and overnight downtown.

As others have said, you travel downtown to downtown by train versus suburb to suburb via shuttle (that is what the plane trip between the two cities is called). Train is probably a little faster.

Anonymous

Well, at the DC end one of the 3 airports is very accessible to the city by Metro or taxi. Still, the ground transport and airport security concerns do add up in cost, time, and general hassles that are absent with train travel.

The problem with staying overnight is that there is luggage, and checking in and out (both in NYC and DC), all of which also constitute a time-and-hassle factor. A 3-hour Amtrak ride is a lot like just hanging out in your own living room, not really exhausting like some other forms of travel.

happy_train

I have to agree with Doug Stallings on this one, I think it would be too much for an 80 year old, although there are certainly some who can do it! Invest in Acela tickets, and have a red-cap handle all your luggage (if you go overnight). It's definitely worthwhile!

dmlove

Take the train (I love trains) and stay over one night, but store your luggage at your NY hotel -- just take a small overnight bag for both of you.

nytraveler

This is a long trip for one day - but doable - if your mom has the energy.

The best travel option is Amtrak - since it's city center to city center and much less stressful and more comfortable than flying.

I would put together an itinerary in advance and assume than within DC you will travel by cab. Metro is fine if you have time and don't mind walking quite a bit - but with limited time and energy cabs (esp for 2 perople) are not expensive around the downtown area.

You should know you can't get into the White House without long-term reservations made through your government - but you can see the outside. Also fascinating are the homes of the other two branches of government - the Capitol (house and senate) and the Supreme Court building.

But I always find the various monuments (Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Viet Nam, WWII etc more moving). And the Smithsonian museums (vast) are fascinating.

Do look at the website to check into buying train tickets in advance to see if there are discounts - and check out senior discounts.

Kezza_bo

Thank you all so much for the brilliant advice. I used this site before going to Europe last year ... and it was great to read all the threads - this is the first question I have ever posted and I really appreciate the thoughtful suggestions.