d.keir

can you please help with the downtown area. would you recommedn a nice hotel that two e=seniors can reach easily from I 95 going south to washington? is the area conducive to stolling and is it near ametro sowe may tour on our own or would a gray line or some such be better?

Jud compton

Except for the Tourmobile on one day, we've used buses to get around. The bus drivers are very helpful and give you transfers if needed. There also is a low senior fare.

For two trips, we stayed at the Howard Johnson Hotel on Rhode Island Ave. Some Fodorites think this is a bad part of town, but we had no trouble. The hotel is old but comfortable and a good rate. The franchise owner has a string of hotels -- many in India.

If you want more details, just check our web site . . .

http://www.geocities.com/judcomp

Good luck in picking the attractions you want to see. There are so many.

ilisa

The easiset ways to get into Washington, DC from the north are by exiting off of I-95 and taking either 295 (Balitmore-Washington Parkway) to New York Avenue, or 495 East. An easy hotel to get to in a good area is the Capital Hilton on 16th and K, Sts., NW. It is in walking distance of the metro and the White House. You would take I-95 South to 495 East. Exit 495 onto Georgia Avenue South (Exit 31). Stay in the far right lane and make a right onto 16th St. Follow 16th all the way down to the 1000 block. The hotel is on your left. This takes you through part of Maryland and through a better part of town than getting off at 295.

Christina

I think there is a mistake in the previous directions which may be confusing: from I95, you would have to go WEST on 495 (not East) to reach the Georgia Ave. exit, and you will have to watch carefully getting from Georgia Ave onto 16th St., be on a real lookout for signs in Silver Spring where the turnoff is; it's not marked that much and is in a rather complicated intersection. Another option might be to take the beltway 495 West around Wash even further past Georgia Ave and take the Connecticut Avenue exit south and stay in one of the hotels in upper NW DC just off Conn. Ave. near the Woodley Park metro stop (either the Omni Shoreham or the Sheraton). That area is great for strolling around, plus is within a block of a metro stop, although it's not in the downtown area. Both those hotels would have good parking, though, if you have a car. Another alternative would be to go further south down Conn Ave (which is one of the major No/So streets in DC) and stay at the Mayflower Hotel, it's right on Conn Ave and is very convenient (one block or so to metro stop Farragut North) and nice and is in a good area for strolling around and is really more in downtown DC proper. You can easily tour DC on your own, you might want to find out about the Tourmobile hop on/off bus someone else mentioned, but other than that, I wouldn't bother with a tour if you like to walk a bit as DC is very walkable.

Gina

I'd endorse Christina's recommendation of the Woodley Park-area hotels; this puts you near the zoo and within walking distance of Adams-Morgan restaurants (as well as the nice Connecticut Avenue restaurant strip), as well as right on top of the Metro. I'd recommend Woodley Park or Dupont Circle (the Carlyle Suites on New Hampshire Avenue near the Circle are a nice budget option, as well) rather than staying right in the mall/downtown area...because there really isn't that much going on on the mall or downtown in the evenings as far as restaurants, etc.

(The rapidly-growing 7th Street corridor is an exception, but in general, if you're down near the mall the sidewalks roll up in the evening.)

Anyway, two thumbs up for the Shoreham or Sheraton. I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with Jud about the HJ on Rhode Island, though. While the neighborhood isn't *that* bad, if you're from out of town (and particularly if you're from a small town), you might find it a little...questionable. I actually used to live just a block from there, and never experienced any crime, but things do get a little interesting around there at night. Just a couple of blocks further west, things are much better.

ilisa

Christina is right - it is West. I made that same mistake giving someone those directions the other day. He was less than happy with me.