I'm a solo business traveller arriving into Tyson's Corner area (Sheraton Premier Hotel)by car at about 6:00pm early in July.

What is this area like regarding restaurants, sightseeing, etc.? I am totally unfamiliar with it.

Any chance of seeing any sights of DC that evening? How would I do this? Drive?

I fly out of Dulles the next morning.

In Tysons you will find traffic, shopping centers, traffic, office complexes and more traffic.

You can drive into DC by using I-66.

your hotel will probably have a shuttle to take you to the metro. you can then take the orange line into DC. should take 30-45 minutes.

I think ronkala failed to mention the traffic you will find in Tysons Corner.

First a restaurant recommendation:
This place is incredible!!!! Many meat and rices (I LOVE the orange rice)

Shamshiri ?Cholo kabol, 8607 Westwood Center Drive, Tysons Corner, VA 22182
Phone: 703-448-8883
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Lunch/Dinner: $5.95 - $9.95
Halal (Barg Kabab is not Halal) Persian cuisine served in a casual, however soothing ambiance.
Catering is Available. No Alcoholic beverages are served.

I would DRIVE into DC if you want do a little sightseeing. Especially at night you'll be going against traffic. Also, after business hours, you park close to most of the sights: Park right on the mall to see the capitol (plenty of spots as the museums will be closed) Park at the FDR memorial to see FDR, Jefferson, and Lincoln memorials (again easy at night). Park at the Wash Monument lot or the tiny Riggs bank lot at 15th & NY Ave to see the (outside of) White House. Park right on Constituition to see Vietnam Mem (after rush hour - 6:30pm). You can easily do all this in an evening with a car. DON'T metro in for one evening.

I work in Tysons Corner and the amount of traffic is way down from its peak in the late 1990s. Outside of rush hour the traffic is fairly light in comparison to other areas. The recession has hit Tysons Corner hard. Office vacancy is 30%.

Lots of places to eat and shop. Closest METRO is Dunn Loring on the orange line. 3 miles away. From there it is 30 minutes to Washington DC.

We just moved to the area - and I'm looking forward to all the responses you're going to get. In the Tyson's area - there are some really good restaurants - Taste of Saigon is right off of International drive - excellent food. There's also a Thai place (can't remember the name) in Tyson's 1 shopping center that is quite good. As far as driving - not being from here, I would highly recommend using the Metro. That way, you can make decisions on the fly without having to deal with the traffic - which can be interesting here..... If you caught the metro asap when you arrived, you could spend the whole evening in DC. I don't know of any good restaurants in DC yet - but I'm sure you'd find something good. You might also be able to arrange a tour through your hotel that could do a nice evening tour around the really beautiful sites of DC. It's really hard to drive and look at the same time...... Just another thought. Have a good time!

As far as touring DC, I agree with Bardo...Drive if you plan to go at night and you are good with directions. You will be able to find easy parking downtown at night, and the traffic from Tysons to DC will not be that bad after 7 pm. You will be able to cover a lot more ground by driving.

Better yet, you should consider taking a bus tour. I am pretty sure there are night tours of the monuments. That way you get someone who knows their way around to drive you and show you all of the sights.

Bill477, note that the metro advice from Bunchargum is the same Bunchargum who couldn't get up in time for a 6:05 flight out of BWI and missed it.

Carte005 is right about Bardo's being right - By the time you check into your hotel the traffic will have eased up a bit and driving into DC and parking shouldn't be too difficult. Try parking along the Potomac over by the FDR memorial and from there you can walk to the Vietnam, Korean, and Washington monuments (all pretty at night).

If you need to kill time before driving into DC, you might eat dinner in the Tyson's area. Not that you'd necessarily want to go to a mall, but there's a Tyson's II (Galleria) that has several nice restaurants in it. See http://www.tysonsgalleria.com for more details. Other than that, there are restaurants along Route 7/Leesburg Pike if you head toward Alexandria - such as the chain places like Chili's and On the Border and the local chains Tara Thai and Clydes. The Entertainment section of the Washington Post has info on local restaurants, as does www.washingtonian.com.

Enjoy your quick visit!

I live a mile from the Sheraton Premier. The hotel is nice and located on Route 7 at the Dulles Toll Road. It's a high rise that is hard to miss. For your short stay, you will want to drive and not take metro.

The T.C. area is a place to shop. In addition to the two malls there are several other shops, some designer stores like Gucci and Hermes. The Capitol Grill at Route 7 and International is good.

In early July it will still be light out, at least till 8PM. After you check in, visit your room and grab some happy hour muchies in the lobby on the way out.

Driving out of the hotel, to the light at route 7, turn left (west) onto 7. Follow the sign for the Toll Road to Washington. Your toll will be 25 cents. Follow the signs to I66 east. You may actually run into some traffic here.

Take 66 all the way to Rosslyn and you will see it split. Take the main lanes that bear left for Constitution Ave. As you cross the bridge, you'll see the Kennedy Center to the left with the Watergate beyond. To the right is the Lincoln Memorial.

Take Constitution for a short bit and park around 21st St. There you will find the Vietnam Vet memorial and Korea memorial. Walk further and visit the Lincoln Mem. Back to the car and continue on Constitution. When the Wash Mem. is clear of the trees, look left to see the White House. Turn right on 14th St and see the Capitol to the left Wash. and Lincoln to the right.

You'll see the Jefferson Mem. to the right as you approach the bridge and a view up the Potomac (right) from the bridge. Take the George Washington Parkway exit on the right at the end of the bridge. There are great views of the river and monuments along this drive. You can pull in to the park on the right to enjoy the view and watch some planes land at DCA.

You can continue along G.W. Parkway all the way to the exit at Route 123, McLean. 123 will get you to T.C. and Route 7 west to your hotel.

Or follow signs to Key Bridge and have dinner in Georgetown. Back across Key Br. and first right to GW Parkway and home.

Or you can visit the Marine Corps memorial in Arlington. Great view of the Mall. The directions are not simple.

To the airport the next day, get on the Toll Road in the opposite direction. There are exits on the left from the toll road to the Dulles Access road for an express trip to the airport. It's less than a half hour to IAD from the Sheraton.

Sorry, Bill. Tyson's is a suburban wasteland.

Closest metro is West Falls Church, not Dunn Loring/Merrifield. There are some decent restaurants in the area, including Maestro at the Ritz which may be one of the best places to dine in the region. In addition there is also 2941 in Falls Church which is also excellent. Reservations required at both. E-citi is also a decent restaurant bar, right near your hotel. There are a bunch of restuarants further up Rte. 7 towards the mall as well.

Don't look for too much entertainment outside of dining/bars in Tysons.

Tyson's is NOT a sightseeing area- but it is a terrific SHOPPING and restaurant area...
We normally stay at the Ritz Carlton and the Sheraton is nearby--
I think the hotel also has a shuttle to both malls--Tysons I and II...

Tyson"s II- the Galleria is home to Saks and Neimans and Macy's--

Restaurants in TYSON II is Mangione's Italiannd Legal Seafood- BOTH very good...

Restaurants located IN that same area are Mortons of Chicago, and The Palm....

Sushi restaurant in Tysons Area ( actually McClean) is Tachibana---

Sightseeing in DC-- Not unless you drive in.....

Hi bill,

Some other restaurant ideas in Tysons:

Bob Kinkead's Colvin Run Tavern: consistently ranked one of the best in the DC area.

Maggiano's is good for Italian; P.F. Chang's for Chinese; Sam and Harry's for steaks (of course, Morton's is nearby too).

Check this link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...Tysons&start=1

If you go into DC and like good martinis, try the Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Ave. It is in between the Mall and Dupont Circle.

Have fun!
Karen

If you're a Latin Mass Catholic, you might want to visit St. Athanasius Church. The priest is Father Ringrose, an old time priest not one of these Novus Ordo child molesters that are shaming the Church.