Question for DC shoppers
 

I'll be in DC for 6 days in June for a conference staying at the JW Marriot on Pennsylvania. Since I'm pregnant, looking for some unique specialty baby stores or home funishing stores (no clothes for now!). Any recommendations? Also, what are the best malls? I've seen the store listing for Tyson's Corner Center & would like to go there. What is the best way from the JW Marriot? Time/Cost?
THANKS!

There's no easy way to get to Tyson's from DC -- 10+ miles and no direct public transport, but Pentagon City has Nordstrom and Macy's and is a just short taxi or Metro ride from downtown. Georgetown Park is convenient by taxi, but the large malls are outside the beltway (i.e., 10-15 miles from the JW).

Thanks, kayd. This is my first time to DC...so trying to figure this out. I take it cab is really the only way to Tysons Corner Center. Is a 10 mile distance a half hour cab or more? Does it depend on the time of day? Also, any rough idea on cost or does that depend on time of day as well? THANKS!

It depends on the time of day-- 30 minutes is the best you could hope for and it could take much longer. I have no idea what cabfare might be, but I'll guess $25+, since it is half way to Dulles airport and that's a $50+ ride. Unless you are a very determined shopper and your hometown is a retail wasteland, you'd probably find Pentagon City and G'town satisfactory.

Mindy:

Haven't been to D.C. in while but J.W. Marriott has its own indoor shopping, 2nd choice would be Georgetown which on Wisconsin has unique boutiques and stores. From the G.W. subway stop it would be a hike for you so I'd suggest taking a taxi from your hotel or to that subway stop and then take a taxi.

If I were you I'd go to Pentagon City mall. The trip to Tysons, unless you have a car, will exhaust you before you ever get there. Pentagon City is a newer mall and more attractive, in my opinion. And there is a Metro stop that lets you out right on the lower level of the mall. Here is the web site:
www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=157

There are plenty of stores in CD proper, a mall in Georgetown, there is a Filene's Basement and Hecht's in DC proper. Check those out, and Petagon City mall, before you go to Tyson's.

You will LOVE the stores all along/near M street in Georgetown. Great place. I always stay at the Ritz Pentagon City and I love that mall, goodness knows... BUT it is just a typical big mall with the typical stores. That's fine by me but not for others. There are a few great stores at Pentagon Row, behind the mall.

Thanks for all the advice. I do plan to go to some of the areas mentioned, but was intrigued by the store listing at Tysons and thought it would be good for one free afternoon. I live in Nebraska & our shopping is ok but somewhat limited compared to DC...no Nordstrom, Macy's etc.. I appreciate the advice & would be interested if anyone has any specific baby specialty store recs. THANKS!

I don't know much about baby stores, but all of the specialty home furnishing stores I know would probably best be visited in a car. There are a couple up in Bethesda, like Urban Country, that are within walking distance of that metro station. Many others are just chain stores, like Pottery Barn (I think there is one of those near Friendship Heights.

I do think the mall at Tyson's (the upscale one which I think is called the Galleria, there are two) is nicer than Pentagon City, but there is no easy way to get there (Tyson's). There might be a bus going out there, but it will probably take a long time. I don't think Pentagon city is nicer, except in comparison to the lower-end Tysons mall. They have a lot more stores, at least major dept stores, than Pentagon City. Tysons Corner has Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Macys, Neiman Marcus and Saks, among the big names. There is a Hechts there, but that's an avg. dept store chain. There is a specialty baby store there, Janie and Jacks, and a Restoration Hardware. I like it because there is a Chicos, which isn't that easy to find.

Pentagon City is pretty nice, though, but I think the only dept stores are Macys and Nordstroms. Chevy Chase Pavilion is okay, also (on the metro stop at Friendship Heights). Chevy Chase has a Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor, and there is a Saks across the street.

I really don't consider DC a shopping mecca, however, and wouldn't spend my time in DC that way, myself. I do think Tysons is more of a shopping destination than Pentagon City, however.

Thanks, Christina for the info. Shopping is not the focus of the trip, just like to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise. I'll mostly be at the conference with free time in the late afternoon and early evening, just was curious about the shopping available. My husband is joining me for a long weekend after the conference, so we will be tourning the sites and museums we've selected together. THANKS for the help!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned ... Potomac Mills! It is the biggest tourist attraction in all of VA, if you can believe it. It's an enormous outlet mall. If you do a web search for "potomac mills" and "va" in the same search, I'm sure the web page will pop up. There are baby/children's stores in there. Transportation is an issue of course. I know Potomac Mills runs busses from DC - it's on their web page.

Mind you, I'm not advocating a trip to Potomac Mills. If it were me, I'd probably go to Georgetown, just because it is quite different from a regular mall such as Pentagon City. The nice Tysons (I or II, I don't know which) is truly a snooty mall, which is sort of fun to wander around in.

I'm not a shopper, so take this "with a grain of salt", but there's another mall between DC & Baltimore, "Arundel Mills", I think it's operated by the same company that operates Potomac Mills. I doubt that it's as big, but I think I've seen buses from BWI that go there. Maybe DC/Bawhmor locals can verify?

Mindy, I live in D.C. and am a mom, and I've traveled to Nebraska for business, so I hope I am an experienced voice for you. Tyson's Corner is too far from where you will be, I live in the District and never go there in my car because the traffic can be so awful (from J.W. Marriott it can be at least 45 minutes, 30 minutes at non-rush hour )the recommendations to go to Pentagon City (by Metro) are the best; any home furnishings store are accessible by car only and, depending on the time of day, could take a whole morning or afternoon from downtown. There is a very nice Nordstrom's at Pentagon City.

Hope this helps,

Mary