Message: 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?

Also, any suggestions on reasonably priced hotels VERY near/next to metro station? How long would it take to get to the capitol/mall?

Message: 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!

Sorry everyone....it's me again. I keep trying to post on the Washington DC section, but my message always winds up here in the "general category". I don't mean to be taking up space and repeating my messages.

I would really suggest not staying in Silver Spring; it's completely disgusting, and not all that safe. The area is trying to go through a revitalization, but it'll be a long way to go.

If your goal is to travel to Union Station, then I'd recommend staying at a hotel on the metro red line--the red line is the only metro line to union station, all others would require transfers. That leaves out Old Town Alexandria, Crystal City and Rosslyn. Silver Spring is on the red line, as are Bethesda, Rockville and Gaithersburg. I think the closest hotel to the Silver Spring metro station is 3-4 blocks away, so that might not be the best. I also think there's a hotel right over the Bethesda metro, but that will probably not be reasonably priced. Rockville and Gaithersburg are further out and I'm not familiar with the hotels there. You might also want to check into hotels downtown--you can sometimes get good prices.

If you don't need to get to Union Station, but simply want to use the metro to get downtown, look into Alexandria, Crystal City and Rosslyn. I've seen some posts on hotels right near the Alexandria metro.

There is a Holiday Inn located in the same parking lot as the Eisenhower Metro stop in Alexandria, VA. That's pretty darn convenient.

Don't let the red line dictate where you stay. Transferring from one line to another is not a problem. Just stay someplace close to a metro stop...and I don't recommend Silver Spring either.

I live near Silver Spring, so I'll tell you, there are only TWO decent hotels within walking distance of the SS metro--a Holiday Inn on Georgia Ave and a hotel called Town Center on Colesville Rd. There are a couple other very cheap cruddy hotels/motels in Silver Spring--do NOT stay at them, they are beyond horrific (a Days Inn, Ramada Inn, etc). The Hoiday Inn and Town Center are perfectly fine and there is a decent Italian restaurant in the bottom of one. However, they are about 4-5 blocks from the metro and they are rather long blocks. There is a good Mexican restaurant and jazz club near the metro station, as well as cheap Indian restaurants and a VERY good Chinese restaurant (Quality Chef -- don't ask about the name, it is authentic and very good Chinese and they thought that sounded very American and classy) on Ga Ave near the metro station. There is nothing wrong with SS if you don't mind that walk to the metro and do not want to do anything there but go to your hotel room. SS is mainly just boring and without a lot of good businesses or restaurants, I would not say it is disgusting and unsafe. The revitalization has to do with business development. Anyway, if you do have someone with physicial limitations, then I would think it is out as it is a ways to the metro stop. It is about 15 minutes exactly to Union Stn from the SS metro, only a few stops direct; it is probably about 25-30 minutes from the King St station in Old Town to Union Stn (and one transfer). Personally I would not recommend Silver Spring as a good place to find budget lodging because there are only a couple hotels and I don't think they are much, if any, cheaper than hotels in the District, so what's the point. Old Town is certainly better for walking around and ambience than Silver Spring, I would definitely agree. But you have to really think about this physical limitation thing as many parts of Old Town are much farther from the metro than the Silver Spring Holiday Inn; I also doubt if you can find that many bargains there, either. Many DC hotels offer special discounts and packages to attract tourist business, I would bet they are as cheap or cheaper than these suburbs. Also, if you do have someone with physical limitations, then I think that potential transfers from line to line is a big deal and should be considered; transferring at Metro Center, for example, involves considerable walking and going up and down stairs. Perhaps you should specify your budget, maybe you think hotels in DC are more expensive than they are, or that ones in these suburbs are cheaper than they are. You don't mention dates, either, which affects hotel rates a lot--they are often lowered in a lot of DC hotels during winter season and on weekends, also. Maybe you aren't even around any more.