Washington DC in the snow
 

My wife is a southern girl and has never seen snow. I thought Washington DC would be a great place for her first encounter. It's a wonderful city any time of year and the metro makes getting around easy without a car.

I have 2 questions for those who are familiar with the area:

What is the best time of year to encounter snow? I'm guessing January of February. I'd like to try and book as far in advance as possible to save some money, so we can't wait until we see a 10 day forecast.

Can anyone recommend a good hotel within walking distance of a metro stop? I have previously stayed at the Holiday Inn in Rosslyn at Key Bridge, and that was fairly close to the metro. Are there any closer / nicer hotels?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Dominic

January or February but the chances are not very good anyway. It doesn't snow here much. Go to a real snow place. Try Aspen. Also easy to get around without a car. They have free busses.

You can't count on snow in DC, at least not on any schedule. If you stick around for an entire winter, yes, you'll get a few snowstorms. Some bigger (4"+) but most less, from a dusting to a few in. Except for the biggies most of the snow will be gone with a few days - the average daytime high in DC is well above freezing, even in Jan/Feb.

I agree, chances for real snow in DC are never great; you might get a brief slush situation, which would turn your wife off the white stuff forever. Ice is another strong possibility. Sorry to be so negative!

As for accommodation, I always suggest Dupont Circle because it's such a lively, but not raucous, area for dining and the like. The Dupont Hotel is nice, Topaz is nice, and there are others. Really, there are lots of hotels near Metro stations, neighborhood is just a matter of preference.

Best of luck!

Agree on the snow front and lack of it in DC esp in DC proper. Growing up here we had lots of big snowstorms, but no more. Sometimes we dont even have more than a few inches a few times during the Winter. I think our average is around 12-15" a Winter. This past year we had a big storm in the beginning of March. Seems we get "ice events" more than snow now. Unless we get more than 5-6 inches, it's gone quickly in the city and becomes a slushy mess, more brown than white. It's pretty while its snowing but that's about it.

I'd go further North, maybe Boston or out West as suggested.

If you're looking for a city, another option would be Toronto.

I got curious about the data on snowfall in DC and found this site
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/climate/dca/dcasnow.txt

If you want to see a city with snow, I would recommend going to a city that 1. gets a lot of snow, and 2. handles it snow very well (eg-good snowplowing, clearing of sidewalks), otherwise, you may find you have difficulties getting around. We were in DC for a family event following @8-12" of snow there aday or two earlier. It was a disaster. Coming from a much colder climate, where 12" of snow doesnt close anything, we were very disappointed. Although everythihg was open (except for some schools), it was difficult to get around and manuever around unplowed streets and unshoveled walks.

Another option for a great city with a good chance of snow (in winter) is Chicago. Enjoy!

There is no way you can determine more than a couple of days in advance when there will be snow in DC. It's quite rare in any sort of amount - just like in NYC - we're actually about 100 miles south of the snow belt.

So,, you will either have to wait until the last moment (and really last - sometimes storm tracks switch in the last hours and what is supposed to be 6" of snow is a dusting) or to try Rochester or Buffalo.

Don't wimp out - go for real snow. And if Washington gets real snow the entire city seems to have a seizure and shut down - so you may not have anything to do other than watch people have fits.

The reason Washington gets so psychotic about snow is that, in addition to the city's snow inexperience, residents are a combination of northerners who think snow-phobia is ridiculous and southerners who don't know what to make of it.

Come to Boston in January and if by chance there is no snow, you can rent a car and head a couple of hours north to the mountains and see snow - maybe even try some skiing so you can have a new cast to show off at home.

Minneapolis. Big city. Lots to do. And lots of snow, that they know how to deal with. And culturally, the antithesis of the south.

Minneapolis is indeed a winter wonderland. There's a great arts and cultural scene, and you can avoid the cold a bit by making use of the skyways that connect buildings in the city. There's also tons to do outdoors in the winter: festivals, ice skating, ice fishing, you name it (people drive their trucks out on the lakes and set up little 'towns' of ice fishing huts).

While there have been a few brown Novembers and Decembers in recent years, I think it's safe to say you're pretty much guaranteed to see snow if you come Jan through March (though if you show up in April...or May...there's still even a chance you'll see some!).

That being said, if your wife is from the South and has never even seen snow, the cold of the MN winters might be a little too much to handle, even though the city is very prepared for it. I grew up there but after moving away to the East Coast, it takes a lot of adjusting and a lot of layers when I go home for the holidays!

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I'm a Southerner who now lives outside Boston (although I had seen snow before I moved up here) and thought I would inject a few things you (and any other Southern folks contemplating a trip North in the middle of winter) might want to consider (this is offered for your wife's benefit - I realize you might be very familiar with snowy/cold winters).

If you go to a big city, there will be lots of interesting things to do, but it won't quite be a "winter wonderland" (except maybe in a large park, or if it is actually snowing). You'll need to be either in a mountainous area or a rural area to get that effect.

By the same token, if you come someplace like Boston and want to drive to outlying areas to see the scenery, make sure you know what you need to do and carry with you in case roads are icy, it snows while you are out, the car gets stuck, etc. And remember it gets dark pretty early up North in the winter.

In addition to getting dark early, it can be cloudy/overcast for days at a time. The amount of time you are in Snow Country might not be long enough that you experience any kind of depression because of the weather, but even after several years I still notice the contrast of winter skies and "gloom" here versus back home.

The longer it has been since the last snow, the worse things will look (like gray or brown slush mounded up next to streets and sidewalks - when they are plowed/shoveled, the snow doesn't just disappear!).

The cold really is a shock to a Southerner. When I first moved here from the Sun Belt, I was amazed at how cold winter is (I have started to acclimate over the last few years -scary!). Make sure you have the right clothing - and especially SHOES - or you (and especially she) will be miserable. Layers, layers, layers!

Make sure you have hand lotion and lip protection, too (and wear them while you are sleeping as well as while you are awake). It isn't as humid as down South, plus the air inside is dried out by the heaters.

Be on your guard that you don't slip on patches of "black ice" on sidewalks, streets, parking lots, etc.

Make sure that things you want to see/do while you are here are actually open! Big city museums should be, but a surprising number of attractions outside the cities (and maybe even some in them) are closed from Columbus Day (or so) until Memorial Day (or later) each year. That is true for New England, at least.

Although it is unlikely, be ready for the possibility that you could get snowed in and have to spend extra time at your destination due to flight cancellations.

All this is not to scare you, of course. It's just part of being prepared (as well as a native Southerner's take on Northern - or at least New England - winters). Kind of like telling folks who visit the South from up North to remember a hat and sunscreen and insect repellent and to keep hydrated and how to deal with the daily afternoon thundershowers. ;)

I live in DC, and have to emphasize that the idea is just bad, don't do it. It only snows here a lot once or twice a year, and you can't predict that in advance to book far ahead.

You should go to Colorado or some ski resort area which has beautiful mountains and you definitely know there will be snow around.

Yes, DC is very different from Boston! Things don't close for the winter season, and a heavy snowfall is just unlikely--not impossible, but unlikeley, and short-lived. Not winter wonderland at all! Go to real snow country for more bang for your buck.