We have tickets to a 1:30, Friday afternoon matinee performance, next month at The Kennedy Center. We live a couple of hours away in Richmond, Va but thought we'd spend the night and make a weekend trip out of it. Hate the traffic around DC and have never actually driven into city myself,so could use some advice as to when to leave Friday morning as to not be in rush hour traffic and which area would be the easiest place to stay and park. Not sure what to do after concert.
Don't think we'll do the museums and mall this trip as we've done that before with our families.We are just two women feeling like getting out of town. Would prefer hotel to have two beds and some atmosphere, nice, clean and not outrageous parking fees. Any suggestions for a nice restaurant also? Not too expensive and not gourmet but still a nice experience. What would be the best place to stay to do as little driving in DC traffic as possible. We really would appreciate any help you could give us. Thank you in advance.

Rush hour into DC from the south on 95 starts at about 5:30am and lasts until about 10:00am. If you get to the Kennedy center early enough you may be able to find a spot in the garage. I'd call them and ask.

Figure 90 min. into DC and leave Richmond anytime between 7:30 - 9 am (you'll be going against Richmond rushhour, right?). You can, indeed, park at the Kennedy Center, but be aware that at the end of the concert you'll be bottled up with everyone else in the garage AND trying to merge into one of the worst bottle-necks of DC's afternoon rushhour. I'd strongly recommend figuring out where you want to stay and leaving your car there. Consider staying just over the river in Rosslyn (there's a Marriott and, I think, I Hyatt and a Courtyard -- I liked the Courtyard and it had good weekender discounts. You aren't far from a Metro stop and if you have to take a cab, it's not too terrible. Only downside is that the Rosslyn restaurants are limited -- you have to go out Wilson Blvd. to get to the interesting ones, or else over the bridge in Georgetown.

Try eating at Luigino's near the Metro Center - you can take the metro there. Delicious Italian food - the best I've ever had. For two, with appetizer and dessert and no wine, about $80.

Thank you for the advice so far. Was kind of thinking of staying in Old Town Alexandria in the Embassy Suites Hotel there. Would we be able to just park our car there and take the metro to Kennedy Center? Or would it be better to park at Columbia Plaza and take the shuttle over and then check into a hotel after performance? Also should I plan to drive to a restaurant or take the metro(have never ridden on the metro before so would I get lost?) More suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

Staying in Old Town is an excellent idea. I don't know if the Embassy Suites has parking or not, but it's directly accross from the King St Metro station.

Embassy Suites in Old Town is a good spot if you're not concerned about staying in the city. It's right across the street from the metro, and easy walking distance into the "heart" of Old Town Alexandria.

I would park at the hotel and metro in if you have the time. You can get right on the Blue line at King Street and take that to Foggy Bottom. It's about a 10-15 minute walk. People always moan that it's farther than that, but having down it a million times as a student (of course, I was doing my grocery shopping at the Watergate rather than attending a performance), I can tell you that's not that far. Of course, you have to dart across several busy roads without the benefit of crosswalks.

I also would eat in Old Town, as there aren't a lot of restaurants close to the Kennedy Center. If you like seafood, go to the Warehouse on King Street in Old Town. It's a nice place (table cloths, good service, great food), and it's not horribly expensive. It's near the river, and is a bit of a hike from your hotel, but if you have the time, it's a nice walk down there, with lots of little shops along the way. Le Gaulois (I'm sure I've butchered the spelling) is an excellent French restaurant, also on King Street, but much closer to your hotel. Landini Brothers (Italian) is a little closer to the river than the Warehouse. Not my favorite, but a lot of people love it.

Thank you for replying. I have made reservations at the Embassy Suites in Alexandria. Reservationist did suggest same thing, to just park car there and ride metro to Foggy Bottom. When I got my tickets from Kennedy Center they said they have started a new free Kennedy Show shuttle van from Foggy Bottom Metro that runs every 15 minutes so we won't have to worry about crossing streets.Thank you for the advice about restaurants. Seafood sounds good. Really don't want anything to expensive but do want restaurant with good food and nice atmosphere. Thank you again for all your help. If anyone else has some fun ideas for our couple of days away I'd love to hear them.