Silver Spring vs. Old Town Alexandria?
 

Message: We're looking for a place to stay and take the metro in to Union Station. A long time ago, someone suggested Silver Spring was a good place to find reasonable lodging, but I don't see *any* recommendations of that nature on this site. Would it be better to go to Old Town Alexandria? <BR> <BR>Also, any suggestions on reasonably priced hotels VERY near/next to metro station? How long would it take to get to the capitol/mall?

If you only asked which would be a better place to stay, it would be Old Town Alexandria without question. Unfortunately, the Alexandria metro stop is outside of the Old Town area. You can walk, but it's not right nearby. The Alexandria metro line goes downtown more quickly than from Silver Spring, however, the line that goes directly to Union Station is not located in Alexandria, though it is in Silver Spring.

Old town is a much nicer place to stay - one of the nicest places in the DC area, in fact. Of course, probably more expensive as well.

How long does it take, via metro, from Silver Springs to Union Station? From Alexandria to Union Sta? I'll be traveling with someone w/physical limitations, so vicinity and ease of travel is important. Thank you!

There is an Embassy Suites at the Kings Street Metro station. It will take about 20 minutes from the King Street stop to Union Station.

there is also a hilton at the king street subway stop. old town is a very nice area to stay in.just about every single hotel in old town participates in a van bus service that takes you around to subway stop-national airport or to stops in alex for shopping , dinner, eve. tours,etc

We went to DC to sightsee last year and wanted the same thing (easy quick ride on subway) We stayed at that Embassy Suites. It (like the Hilton) is across the street from King Street station - extremely convenient and a 5-10 minute ride directly on the Smithsonian line. Old Town is really nice and is a 3 minute ride (driving) from there. Loved the Embassy Suites for their amazing free breakfast, free cocktail hour (not just beer and wine, but all drinks, kid's drinks and popcorn, etc) Very very nice!

Silver Spring is probably safer but there isn't anything really to see there. Inhabitants are generally older Jews (totally safe) and, increasingly, Hispanics, who are not overly violent. Old Town Alexandria has a lot of yuppie wealth and has more sites to see. However, some of Alexandria's housing projects are within easy striking distance of Old Town. Very often, some of Old Town's wealthier citizens find themselves on the pavement after being hit over the head by one or more of Alexandria's "under-priviledged" and magically relieved of some of their treasure. Less than a mile from Old Town an eight year old boy was knifed over seventy times by one of Alexandria's "under-priviledged". This particular murder is being investigated as a hate crime.

JR, Todd's comment directly above notwithstanding, you have some excellent advice in these messages. The King Street Metro station (which, like all Metro stations, has elevator/wheelchair access) is directly across from the Embassy Suites hotel on Diagonal Street. The Embassy Suites has a shuttle that will take you to the heart of Old Town, a mile east (the shops along King Street are a delight and run all the way out to the Metro station). <BR> <BR>Rates at Old Town hotels depend entirely on conventions and meetings. I know people who have gotten $119 weekend rates (including breakfast); the "rack rate" is closer to $179. If you have sufficient mobility, the Holiday Inn Select on King Street is right in the heart of Old Town, and offers the opportunity to return to your room for breaks. It has a shuttle that will take you to the Metro station.

Hi JR. If Silver Spring or Old Town Alexandria are the only options, then I definitely recommend Alexandria over Silver Spring. However, you must also be considering staying in the district because I responded to another query you posted regarding a Clarion in the city. So if DC is still in the running then I definitely recommend staying in DC. <BR>Define what you mean by "reasonable" lodging, pricewise, and we may be able to make some suggestions. If you do a search of old threads, you will find several that have recommended a Best Western New Hampshire Suites on New Hampshire south of Dupont Circle, at very cheap prices (I think they booked through an 800 reservations discount number or discount website like quikbook.com if I recall, but check old threads to be sure), and supposedly it was very nice, although several blocks from Dupont Circle metro. Also, a couple of people have recommended Radisson Barcelo which is only a block or so from Dupont Circle metro, but I don't know the prices there. <BR> <BR>As several others have mentioned, the problem with staying in Alexandria is that the metro isn't actually in old town, and in my opinion it is a VERY very long walk to the charming part of Alexandria from the metro.

Here we go--Silver Spring is NOT safer than Old Town Alexandria. S.S. has improved in recent years, but the downtown area is still not one I would walk around at night. <BR> <BR>The horrible stabbing of Kevin Shiflet took place in the Del Ray neighborhood, somewhat removed from Old Town. It is not being investigated as a hate crime. Some guy wacked out on drugs killed Kevin. <BR> <BR>Third, I used to live next to the public housing in Old Town, and never felt threatened. The only precaution we had to take was to make sure to never leave ANYTHING (not even a sweatshirt) in our car overnight. Cars didn't get stolen, they just got broken into. Regardless, the King Street Metro and the Embassy Suites is well away from this housing. <BR> <BR>King Street metro stop really isn't that far from the "quaint" part of Old Town. Maybe 15 minutes, tops. My office was at the corner of Henry and King Street, which basically marked the beginning of he heart of the "quaint" part, and it was a 9-minute walk from the Metro. <BR> <BR>Other alternatives are North Arlington, specifically the Courthouse neighborhood and Rosslyn. At Courthouse and Rosslyn Metro, you are only 2 and 1 metro stops, respectively, from the city. Not sure of the hotels in these neighborhoods, though. <BR> <BR>On the other hand, why not stay in the city? Decent hotels in the burbs are getting as expensive as the hotels in the city.

And not take anything away from the tragedy, Kevin was not stabbed 70 times. He was stabbed several times, as was his grandmother and a neighbor who tried to help. Just want to make sure the facts are straight, and not let Todd scare people with misinformation. Want to bet he listens to Rush Limbaugh?

If your primary criteria is to take the metro directly to Union Station, stay in Silver Spring over Alexandria or Bethesda, which will cost more than Silver Spring. Or look into accomodations near the metro stations in Rockville or Gaithersburg. The last two are not particularly exciting but are on the "red line" which is the metro route that goes to Union Station. In order to metro from Alexandria to Union Station, you'll have to transfer. I second the recommendations of those who advise looking for reasonable accomodations downtown, however. DC is great to stay in and makes getting around easier.

Dear Annie, <BR> Got my facts from the very proudly liberal WASHINGTON POST, thank you. This was the same WASHINGTON POST which refused to tell its readers the race of the killer though he was still at large, presumably dangerous and not yet accorded due justice for such a heinous act.

Todd, if he has a smart group of lawyers I'm sure he'll get off SCOTT FREE just like a certain ex-football player did in Los Angeles!!!

Absolutely right, Bill. I would add another misleading point made by Annie. Racist scribblings were found in the motel room of the suspect. The suspect wrote of killing the racist white boys, or something to that effect. Though I do not believe in hate crimes laws (what does poor Kevin Shifflett care that his killer hated whites?), the Shifflett murder seems to warrant prosecution as a hate crimes offense as according to the recently passed flawed statute. As another aside, the Alexandria city police and government were shown by this sad episode to be carelessly irresponsible in the way they originally refused to let people know what race the killer was WHILE HE WAS STILL AT LARGE. The Alexandria bureaucracy did not want to enflame racial tensions, or so they have hinted. Actually, the Alexandria powers that be proved themselves to be irresponsible cowards. They do not deserve your business. Political correctness comes before crime enforcement in the city of Alexandria.

Todd, <BR>As a former newspaper reporter, I cringe when people say "Well, I read it in the paper!" Everyone makes mistakes at work, including reporters. <BR> <BR>Since I live in Alexandria, I went to the source: the police. Those records are public and anyone can read them, so I did. <BR> <BR>And what difference does it make what race the guy, unless they have a full description? If they said he was white, then I should be scared of all white men? If they said he was black, should I avoid any black men? Anyway, I knew his race because I read the police report. <BR>

Annie, knowing the race of the victim helps in winnowing down the number of suspects in a crime. If a criminal is a dwarf, that should be known. If he had one arm, that would help winnow it down. There are dozens of relevant characteristics that can assist police and citizens in winnowing down suspects of crime. The arrest of thugs helps keep all decent people safe.

Enough already, Todd. Your odd preoccupation with the murder of a boy is a little misplaced in this thread. And I agree with Annie. Just announcing the race of the suspect is of no help at all, particularly in an area as racially diverse as Washington D.C. metro. Let's just wish JR a nice vacation if he/she stays in Alexandria. <BR> <BR>JR, for what it is worth, I personally think Old Town Alexandria is head and shoulders better than Silver Spring. I'll defer to the great advice you've received from everyone, save Todd.

JR: <BR> <BR>Why either Silver Spring or Old-Town Alexandria? Frankly, neither would be at the top of my list for affordable lodging with easy access to the Metro. When I lived there, there was a Comfort Inn right across the street from the Ballston Metro station. It also has easy access to I-66, as well. I would guess that it would take you about 10 - 15 mins. to Union Station. <BR> <BR>Looks like Annie's PC radar went on overload......