Weekend to DC for Redskins game
 

Hello,

We are taking a guy's weekend in DC to catch the Redskins vs. Cowboys football game on Dec. 30.

We'll be getting in on Saturday, game on Sunday, leaving Monday.

Looking for a good hotel that will be a central location for entertainment on Saturday, and convenient access to Fedex Field on Sunday.

It looks like the Metro goes to the stadium at some point...is this an advised way to get to the stadium? How much walking would be involved if so (I suspect it to be very chilly around this time).

Would renting a car be more advisable to maximize time, or is the metro better than driving, parking, etc. I remember the metro being very nice and easily accessible to most places, but it's been about 5 years since I've been there, so it's hard to remember.

On Saturday, we might like to go see one, maybe two historic sites at max, then just hanging out at a bar or something afterwards.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Updating with full city name - Washington DC, for search purposes.

A hotel in the Metro center, Penn Quarter area would put you in the middle of the downtown restaurant/entertainment district and walking distance to some of the important museums.

There's no Metro stop at Fed Ex field but you can get there using Metro plus a bus. Consult wmata.com for routes, schedules, and fares. Parking there is reported to be terribly expensive and still requiring a long hike; a car would be of no real value (maybe even a hassle) for what you want in the city.

Your dates are during the slowest time of year for business/convention travel, so the hotels should have very competitive rates. If you are willing to use Priceline, the areas to bid are Convention Center, Downtown, and Dupont. Any 4-star in those areas would be fine for Metro access and walking around at night.

I agree - NO CAR.

From the Redskins website:

&quot;<i>Just take the Orange Line to the Landover Metro station or the Blue Line to the Morgan Boulevard Metro Station. The Morgan Boulevard Station is located on Garrett Morgan Boulevard and is within 1-mile walking distance to FedExField. From the Landover Metro station, you can take a shuttle bus directly to FedExField on GameDays only. The buses travel to and from the stadium approximately every 15 minutes. During regular-season games, buses begin their service two hours before game time and the last bus after the game departs Lot B2 two hours following the game. For night games, the shuttle service runs from 5 p.m. until approximately 1 a.m. A roundtrip bus fare costs $5.00; however, this price is subject to change without notice.</i>&quot;

You might want to try the Red Roof Inn in Chinatown, 10-15 minutes walk from the Capitol. Seconds from a subway stop. Pretty good eating, not just Chinese.

Thanks for the suggestion for Priceline. We were able to get the Hyatt Capital Hill for about $90 a night.

Now that we have our hotel situated, any suggestions for hangouts/places to go around there. Any bars within easy walking/mass transit distance from there?

I've heard DC is kind of a ghost town around that time of year, so I'm not expecting much of a party going on anywhere.

The Redskins' stadium is in a rather poor, crime-ridden neighborhood in Prince George's County. The few bars in that area would not be places you'd want to go to. Tailgaters have quite a time at the stadium, however. The fun starts hours before the game itself.

Your hotel is pretty close to Union Station, but the nightlife will be better in the Chinatown-Penn Quarter area. Walk or taxi over to 7th and F or thereabouts -- only about a half mile, but not a very scenic hike past the courthouses, which will of course be dark.
Or Metro from Union Station to Dupont Circle.
The city, though not as busy as it is during congress/convention seasons, is not really a ghost town at year-end. There are some tourists, locals continue to go out, and all the young adults home from distant universities and first jobs need to meet up with old pals.

I agree w/ kayd - there is not much RIGHT BY your hotel, but if you walk just a few blocks west to 7th st. between E st. and I st. there are a ton of bars and hangout type places.

You could also Metro to the U St. stop on the Green Line Sat. evening for wall to wall bars/clubs.