Washington DC questions
 

Hi, all,

Am going to Washington DC for a three day weekend, and have a few questions:

1) We're flying into and out of Dulles (IAD). What is the best way for 4 people to get into Washington? (As one option, how far is the shuttle ride to the Metro station? And, what is the fare into?
2) Is a 2- or 3-day transit (Metro) pass available, and worth getting?
3) I am traveling with Chinese friends. Any recommendations on Chinese restaurants in all price ranges?
4) What would be your favorite location to stay? I will likely use priceline to book a hotel. Their regions are: Downtown White House; Convention Center/Capitol hill; Georgetown/Foggy Bottom; and, Dupont Circle?

Thanks very much in advance for your help.

John H.

One other note: a hotel location near the metro or within walking distance of sites is preferred.

Thanks.

John H

Ummmm. I live in DC, work in DC, spend my free time in DC. Tourists are quite safe in DC as are almost all place where tourists are going to visit.

While DC may have a high murder rate, the crime is confined to mostly two parts of town a tourist is never going to go into and the victims are almost always people who live in those poor communities.

You seem to not know the slightest idea what you are talking about, Spygirl. Given your paranoid and hysterical posts in other threads, people should be very careful about accepting advice from you

Please don't let spygirl scare you. Note that she had to reach back 4 years for a scary anecdote.

When I bid for a DC hotel on PL, I favor 3* the CapHill/Convention Center, which is very near to DC's tiny Chinatown, where you can just walk up and down the 2 blocks of restaurants and pick whichever one looks best to you. There are a couple of huge ones that seem to accommodate lots of ordinary tourists but many Chinese as well.

Here's the page that explains the DC Metro fare options:

http://www.wmata.com/riding/passes.cfm

Why is it so important to you last two posters to absolutely attack someone who points out a fact: that Wash. D.C. is one of the most dangerous cities in the entire world-and you need to only look up the statistics and do your research to find that out.

Very, very strange. Ad hominem attacks for pointing out the obvious. There was a murder last night in NW DC, is that more recent for you?

Yes, there was a murder in NW DC Wednesday, but not in an area where tourists would ever go. There were also murders in affluent Notthern Virginia, near the area you suggested was safer.

The reality is that crime against tourists is almost non-existant. It has been years since a tourist has been the subject of a violent attack, and that attack occurred in a portion of own tourists rarely venture.

A review of your posts demonstrates you often post very alarmist, paranoid replies to questions. To scare off tourists by saying DC is one of the most dangerous cities in th world is one of the most absurd things I've ever heard.

I just returned from two recent stays in DC. I am a single woman and was traveling alone. I stayed in both the Dupont Circle area and the Thomas Circle area. Both were convenient to Metro. I frequently walked home from the Metro pretty late at night (10 ? 11pm) and the streets were usually busy. Later than that I just took a taxi. I NEVER felt unsafe. Of course you need to exercise the usual common sense and be alert to your surrounding as you would for any big city (or anywhere else for that matter).

This was just my personal experience and I?ve seen the crime statistics as well, but if you are staying in the areas where most tourists go, you should not encounter any problems. Please don?t let the previous poster?s warning scare you off on staying in and exploring DC. The advice to stay in Bethesda, Chevy Chase or Crystal City area because it?s safer makes no sense. Young women disappear from small towns too.

I appreciate the commentary and ongoing discussion on crime. But, I have made the decision to stay in Washington itself and therefore would appreciate advice on my Washington-related questions.

Thanks.

John H

Good for you John.

As for Chinese restaurants, we have a Chinatown although I don't know if the food is really terribly genuine and your chinese friends could be disappointed. Still, there are a few hole in the wall places in Chinatown worth looking for. That part of town is actually pretty small, so I would just do a little walking around and have your guests find something the like.

No one said anything about not exploring DC-you just need to be VERY CAREFUL-PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. A young female tourist from Seattle was murdered walking back her first night in DC from the Silver Spring Metro-that was last year. She was by herself. DON'T DO THIS. You should not walk around by yourself at night. Stick to the tourist areas-Georgetown, for example-and don't go exploring unfamiliar places at night. Always stay alert and aware of what's going on around you.

I refuse to sugar-coat the dangers of DC. Let others do that, if they wish to be so foolish as to think it is as safe as other major cities in the US-well, it isn't. There's a whole different type of policing that goes on the District-the situation on that front is pretty grim.

John,

The restaurant that everyone seems to really like in Chinatown is called, oddly enough, Eat First. It's on H street and is considered one of the best, genuine Chinese restraurants in town. It isn't fancy, however. The better Chinese restaurants are actually in the suburbs, oddly, but I've heard great things abotu Eat First.

The best way for 4 people is by taxi (probably $40 to $50, total). You can also take Metrobus 5A from the airport to the Rosslyn Metro station or to L'Enfant Plaza Metro for $3. Third option is to take the Washington Flyer bus to the West Falls Church Metro station for $8. Fourth option is to rent a car, but you would need to check on parking costs at your hotel.

See Dulles airport ground transport info here:
http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/

See Metrobus and Metro Rail info here:
http://www.wmata.com/

Most women are paranoid for absolutely no reason. I lived in the D.C. area twice and worked nights at the FBI in N.W. At no time did I feel threatened once the sun went down when I walked over to the post office for something to eat or even to the Harrington for a buffet breakfast. The West End and Georgetown are really great places to walk at night also. I'd say stay away from the area immediately around the Capitol but really don't be afraid of your shadow. I'd suggest staying in VA or MD, both have excellent subway systems and you can be in D.C. within 15 minutes no matter what state you are in.

I would also reccomend a taxi from Dulles airport if there's going to be 4 people. The Washington Flyer and Metro combination for 4 people would probably cost about the same.

The Dupont Circle area is the best choice for hotels. There's more to do in the evenings in that area.

Have a great trip!

I have worked in Dupont Circle for 18 years and I'm here RIGHT NOW. Dupont Circle is a wonderful neighborhood to stay because people actually live here, unlike the convention center and downtown areas. There are wonderful restaurants (Pizzeria Paradiso, Pesce, and Johnny's Half Shell on P Street, to name just a few). There are places to go and things to do at night. And the metro is right here.
(It's no less safe than any big city, but basic precautions are definitely in order here as anywhere).

That is simply not correct to say that DC is "as safe" as any other big city-it is factually incorrect. The crime rate (including homicides, assaults, robbery and other misdemeanors) in comparison to the relatively low number of persons who live there, is astronomically high in comparison to other major cities.

Very few people who live in the District have not been the victim of some type of crime. Very, very few.

Spygirl, I know you believe you are the expert on almost everything, but you simply don't seem to know anything or appear to misuse information.

I've lived in DC for 10 years and never been the victim of a crime. In fact, I would be hard pressed to identify anyone I know who has been the victim of a violent crime. Admittedly, I don't know a lot of people who live in the city's highest crime neighborhoods. Instead, I know people who live and work in ALL of the places tourists would go.

Please, only give advice and information in which you have first-hand knowledge, especially when the purpose of your posts is to scare tourists with wrong information.

There are some great restaurants in Chinatown! Eat First is definitely one of them. I also enjoy Lei Garden, Chinatown Express and Full Ke. These are all in the inexpensive category.

The trip from the airport to the Metro is under 30 minutes (I think)

I'd go for the Dupont Circle area on Priceline. All of the areas would be fine but I like the neighborhood-y feel of Dupont Circle and, as noted, some really good restaurants.

I lived in the DC area for years and oddly enough the only place I was ever mugged was in Crystal City. That was some time ago before it became a weekend mecca for tourists getting great hotel rates.

I agree with those who suggest a taxi. It's pricey, but split between 4 people not bad. The shuttle to Metro is a pain in the neck with luggage, particularly as it puts you on the always-crowded orange line. Re Chinese restaurants, one of the best is Peking Gourmet in Falls Church, VA (a favorite of many prominent politicians, but not too expensive). However, you might explore with your chinese friends whether they want Chinese food--do you go to China and want American food? There's many ethnic types of food to explore in DC. Just go to the Adams Morgan area and take your pick. as places to stay, I'd avoid the convention center area--it's rather foresaken at night. Dupont Circle area is probably best for nearby metro access and walking distance to restaurants and night spots. Georgetown is a bit off the beaten track for Metro (and is kind of like staying in a shopping mall--I'm not a G'town fan). Capitol Hill can be fun, but the night life is a bit sparser than Dupont Circle. Re this silly safety debate: I've lived in the DC area on and off for 17 years. It's a big city. Yes, I've been mugged--walking alone from the Metro late at night in my neighborhood, which was a pretty dicey area at the time. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the city. Just take reasonable precautions and have fun!

If you do stay in Dupont, I would suggest the restaurant City Lights of China at 1731 Connecticut Ave. NW, Tel: 202-265-6688.