Washington DC for cherry blossom, where to stay?
 

Hello,

We are driving to Washington DC for cheery blossom from Massachusetts. We plan to stay for 2 to 3 nights. Can any DC expert please recommend a hotel in the north (for example, Bethesda) where I may stay/park and take Metro into town for sight-see? I'll be happy with any Marriott, Hampton Inn etc.

(I read in an earlier thread which recommended Rosslyn Metro area. Rosslyn is not convenient for me because I am coming from Massachusetts, and will go back to Massachusetts.)

Thanks in advance.

Check around Greenbelt MD which is the end of the green line.

Hopefully you're planning for 2023? We were in DC yesterday for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and the blooms are past peak.

I would stay as close-in as your budget allows and somewhere near Metro. You mention Bethesda (~40 minutes on Metro to Smithsonian, with only one train line option) and disregard Rosslyn (~15 minutes on Metro to Smithsonian, with two train line options). Pick your poison; there's little difference between the two.

1. Stay in Bethesda. A 2-night, 1 sightseeing day stay means 80 minutes on Metro. A 3-night, 2 sightseeing day stay means 120 minutes.
The 2-night total is 80; the 3-night total is 120.

2. Stay in Rosslyn. 60 minutes drive time from MA (30 extra minutes each way). 2-night/1 day adds 30 minutes on Metro. A 3-night/2 day adds 60.
The 2-night total is 90; the 3-night total is 120.

Is there any reason why you don't want to stay closer in? I think it is so nice to be able to return to my hotel during the day or before dinner and head back out again.

Thanks for all of your responses. I chuckled at the "Pick your poison."

"Is there any reason why you don't want to stay closer in?"
No, I was hoping to get to Rockville to dine at one or two of the popular Asian restaurants, that was why I thought about staying in Bethesda. But I guess I could not realistically combine "sight-seeing in DC" with "dinner in Rockville" into the same day.

Of course you can do that!

Take a look at this Hilton property. As I recall, it’s steps from the Twinbrook metro station. I believe we stayed at this location several times when it was branded as another hotel chain.

https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ma...amenities.html

And in Bethesda itself, there is a Hyatt property that is very convenient to the metro station there.

Be sure to phone the hotel directly to ask about the location and proximity to the metro.

Thanks to obxgirl and k_marie's reassurance that it can be done.

Befoore making any decision, be sure to check on the status of service on the metro system. I’m generally aware they have had issues lately but I don’t know details of which lines are affected. We stayed in the area when my husband had meetings in Bethesda/Rockville and I used the metro to get to the museums. Yes, it can seem time-consuming but not having a car and dealing with parking in DC was worth it to me. Please report on the hotel and the restaurants you choose!

It isn't that time consuming if you stay in Bethesda or Silver Spring, which is what I'd suggest. I would not stay in Greenbelt as it is farther out and there is nothing around the metro area. In Bethesda, you are in the center of it, more or less, and you could walk to restaurants, etc. easily. Same in Silver Spring IF you stay near the metro, not just in some general area named Silver Spring, which is large.

There is a Hyatt right on top of the Bethesda metro. Nearby are two chain hotels, I think, An AC by Marriott on Montgomery Ave (currently a wreck due to street contstructio, I wouldn't stay there ideally) There is a Hilton Garden Inn nearby and a Residence Inn by Marriott, on Waverly St or Wisconsin, they would be a bit better situation, if you don't want the Hyatt. There is parkingo around there which is really cheap compared to DC (I think the garage under the Hyatt is only about $7 a day).

In Silver Spring, you have a Doubletree, A Ctyd by Marriott and a Sheraton within a few blocks of the metro. Do not stay in the other cheap motels you'll find (or the HI Express). That is a good location also as there are theaters and bars and lots of restaurants nearby, in fact, more than Bethesda. Again, cheaper parkiing, the Ctyd by Marriott is attached to a county parking garage which I think is only about $10 a day (and you can park overnight).

Another alternative would be Chevy Chase right on the border.of DC/MD at Friendship Hts metro. THere is an Embassy Suites at CC Pavilion which is right on the metro.

All of those places would be easy from the interstates/beltway, SS is just a mile or so from the entrance to 495, same for Bethesda. CC would be farther up Wisconsin, but you can see on a map. All of those are probably only about a 10 minute metro ride to metro center on the red line.

I would stay in any of those 3 in preference to some place farther out for distance reasons and because they all are walkable to restaurants, etc.

I personally never return to my hotel in the middle of the day when visiting a place on vacation. And depending where you might stay in DC, it wouldn't even be that much less time consuming if you were into that. All of those places have good restaurants nearby so you wouldn't need to go into DC for that unless you wanted, Bethesda and SS in particular I know have lots. There are some near the other, like Clydes, which is good but nothing exotic.

oh, cherry blossoms are kind of over but I think there are still some activities related to that

my post with ideas went into moderation for some unknown reason. FWIW, I thought I wrote it was about a 20 minute metro ride from SS or Bethesda to metro center, not 10.

Thanks to Christina for your response.

I have saved everyone's input into my WashingtonDC.doc, and will use it for 2023, trying to make the trip in March before the blossom fade away.

To k_marie, as for restaurants in Rockville, my friend recommended several. Top on my list to try are: (1) Taipei Cafe, (2) Yi-Fang Fruit Tea, (3) A&J Restaurant.

Thanks for the restaurants, Reading54. I hope we will soon be heading to DC for a few days and I’ll be sure to keep these in mind. And I’ll recommend them to a younger friend who lived in Taipei (as well as Beijing) after college graduation.

A&J is a classic in the DC area. Not much to look at but they serve great food.

The National Park Service website does a peak blossom prediction: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryb...loom-watch.htm

Also this one: https://cherryblossomwatch.com

Worth checking in on when you are planning your trip next year.