I'm going to be attending a convention in D.C. this weekend and am trying to decide whether to take Amtrak or drive from upstate New York (5 hours). Does it make sense to have a car in D.C.? Is it easy to park (and safe) on street? Thanks for your help.

It's a pain in the ass to have a car.

While some free spots can be found, it's not all that easy. i go to DC often (from Albany) Where in DC will you be staying? (include street)

There are some outlying metro parking lots you could park at, or maybe get to an Amtrak station South of NYC.

Forget the car. You don't need it to get anywhere in the city....walk or metro or in worse case take a cab. You can take the new dc orignator bus from Union Station up to the convention center for $1.00. It is only 9 blocks so you could also walk it if you wanted to.

If you are staying downtown there are plenty of great restaurants and things to do. Go to the Spy Museum which is about 5 blocks from the convention center...near the MCI center.

This forum is such a blessing. Thank you for your advice.

You could drive to Greenbelt... would you be coming down I-95? If so, right after you get on the Beltway (counterclockwise or "inner loop") there is an exit for the Greenbelt Metro station. Parking is free weekends and they do have a section for overnight parking. You will be at the northern end of the Green Line, which stops at the Convention Center. See www.wmata.com I was also thinking of maybe if you drove to NJ, such as Princeton or Metropark, you could take Amtrak from there. If you live near Albany NY, you could fly to BWI, it would cost $3 for the bus to Greenbelt.

I've driven a car into DC, but I'd never park one on the street. Driving isn't as bad weekends but parking always seems to be a pain, or expensive.

Since it's just a weekend, I'm with the train folks. If flying is an option for you, there's a metro from Reagan Airport (is that the name now?)-don't know how much faster it is by the time you go through security and all.
Anyway, think about being able to read on the train trip as opposed to driving! No contest in my book. If you were staying longer, driving would be helpful to some places outside the city. Most major hotels have parking available. It's as easy and safe as any big city to park on the street.

I live just north of Westchester County. To take the Amtrak, I have to take the Metronorth to Grand Central - then get over to Penn (about 1.5 hrs)- a bit long - before I even get the Amtrak. But I guess it's better than driving. I'm staying at the Hilton Washington in D.C. I could park there for $23 a day.

Noooooooooooooooo!!!!
Been there...done that...got the flipped off birdies to prove it...

After that, we flew into Reagan, cabbed it to Metro Marriott, then on get out of town day, rented from an Enterprise near the Pentagon or Crystal City stop.

DC has to be one of thee screwiest cites to drive in.

As everyone has already said, take the Metro!!!!! Again I repeat, Metro!!! Did I mention the Metro?

www.wmata.com

I'm going to pile on...

DON'T TAKE THE CAR!

Also, if you want to do a tour of the monuments and don't want to walk from the Washington to the Jefferson...pick up a tour mobile ticket. Takes you between all the monuments and memorials - get on / off as often as you would like for one price.

You are going to sight see, aren't you?

You say you are staying at the Washington Hilton... I assume you mean the one on CT Avenue. You can walk to the zoo from there. You just head right out of your hotel and up CT Avenue until you hit the zoo on the right. Is your convention in that Hotel or is it at the new convention center? That is a bit of a walk for most people and you would need to cab it.

There are three Hiltons in DC. The one denice7 referred to is called the Hilton Embassy Row.

But, back to your original question - AMTRAK.

To reiterate what others are saying...skip the car. Your hotel is in a great location, it's within walking distance to both Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan.

Hiltons in DC:
Capital, at 16th and K
Washington Hilton and Towers, Conn. Ave at T St
Hilton Embassy Row, Mass. Ave near 20th

I'm from Westchester County and go to school in DC. My parents always drive when they come here to visit, and usually stay at the Capital Hilton and just park there, I assume paying the $23 a day.

I personally always fly when I go home. It's cheaper than taking the train and usually quicker, even if I go into Laguardia, but I often fly to Westchester Airport.

It doesn't sound like you'll need your car while you're in DC but I would drive over the train, because Amtrak is never reliable.

Sorry to confuse things, but I'm going to vote for driving rather than Amtrak. Although you won't need the car during your stay (I do agree that you should use the Metro while you're there), in your case the trek to Amtrak, the cost, and scheduling limitations really make the car worth the effort, IMHO.

I'm not nearly as averse to having a car in DC as several on this forum. Many of the sites are easier to drive to (Arlington, Mt. Vernon, etc.) and I've never found it to be as much of a hassle to have a car there as many here seem to think.

My vote is probably for train, but just by a hair. I'm not familiar with the Hilton you are staying at, but if it is not within 10 blocks of the Mall, I'd opt for the car.

OP could have flown nonstop from HPN, (Westchester County Airport, White Plains) to DCA nonstop.

we just returned from a brief vacation there and took the subways everywhere, or walked. it was great- and really easy! very clean and safe, too.