Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: hblair on June 03, 2002, 03:57:28 PM
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Taking the family there this weekend. Daughters girl scout troop is supposed to go in the white house, maybe see GW. Problem is they want us all to ride a bus up there:eek:. The reasoning is there is nowhere to park in DC. I haven't been there since I was a kid. Surely I could park somewhere in the van and we could walk around the mall/memorials, etc. Any of you live there? Gimme some feedback. Gimme a reason to drive.
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Well I'll be....
I'm making my maiden voyage to DC this weekend also, for business.
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Will you be coming from Alabama, or flying up and renting something? Eh, doesn't matter... The best way to do it if you ask me is to park at one of the outlying Metro stops, then take the Metro to downtown. I hate trying to park downtown, so I just don't do it. check out http://www.wmata.com/ for more info on Metrorail.
[edit] I know the Dunn-Lorning Metro-station has pleanty of parking, and as long as there isn't some huge event downtown it shouldn't be crowded on a weekend. Franconia Springfield might also work for you. Where will you be staying while you are down here?
-Sikboy
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I'm gonna be up in the DC area this weekend too.
Speak o' the devil!
-- Todd/Leviathn
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Two ways, hb.
Metro works great and is cheap.
If you have a crowd, rent a limo for the day. Yes, it'll cost you some but it does two things.
You have a driver that knows the area and the sights at your beck and call. He's a great resource in planning your day and seeing that you get right to where you want to be with a minimum of fuss.
Also, the act of getting chaffeured around DC in a fancy car with a TV inside will make it a memorable thing for the kids all by itself.
My family has done this in NYC and it added to the experience as well as making things much simpler. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be but I don't know the DC rates.
YMMV.
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Gimme a reason to drive.
So you'll have a back seat for AKSwulfe and your intimate first date?
Girl Scouts:rolleyes: You're going to DC to meat wulfie.
... thought about changing "meet" to its correct spelling but thought better of it;)
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There's parking ... it's just not cheap :) Expect to pay $10-$14 for the day in a garage, and there's plenty of them within a few blocks of the mall.
The weather is nice in DC right now, so street parking will be REALLY tough unless you get into town right around the time the street parking restrictions lift (usually 9:30 AM). If you scope out a good street and time it right around 9:30, you can get those free spots.
Or, just keep driving around until you get lucky, which you eventually will. Might take 10 or 20 minutes is all.
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Take the train--support the transportation institution that was vital to the United States' economical maturation.
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Dude, who kidnapped Nath and replaced him with Jesse Jackson???
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I would say use the Metro as well if you don't want to take the bus. It at least gives you a little freedom to do what you want and not be subject the bus schedule.
I'm not sure if they have restricted parking in the park in front of the White House (off of Constitution, in the park). You used to be able to park there no problem (as long as there wasn't an event taking place) but it required you getting there before 9:00 AM. I play grass volleyball tournaments on the Mall every once in a while and it isn't too bad getting a spot. I'm there early though so that does make a difference.
Hope you enjoy!
>S<
TITAN
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I haven’t been there in several years but I doubt things have changed much.
Yes, parking sucks. As already mentioned I would still drive the van but stage it at a metro station. Anywhere you want to go you can get there via the subway or pretty close to it. It’s very clean and well kept. Just keep in mind rush hour times as the system gets very busy.
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I attribute my complete lack of knowledge about mass transit to growing up in Southern California.
I have looked at the Metro website, but it looks like you need to purchase passes before you go to the station. I am a complete dweeb about these things, help please! How exactly does this work?
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Metro stations have fare card machines just inside the gates but outside of the... well whatever the hell those things are that have a 50/50 chance of closing up on your nutz.
There's two prices- one for non-rush and one for rush hour. All prices are from that station to the one you are heading to.
As far as parking- well it's all over the city. Lots of it too, but if you want to come back to a vehicle that isn't stripped and/or in flames.. then you are pretty limited.
The areas around the mall (a huge grass area that has trees on either side and is located between the white house and the wash monument) has free "3 hour parking" during the weekdays. I call it "free all day parking if you get there at 9:30AM". They never ticket for not moving, but they will ticket if you leave your car too early. Only happened to me once and I leave it there too early all of the time.
But in terms of accessibility, metro transit is the best. They have stops all over that get you to a lot of places- especially on the mall. Navy/Archives will put you out at 7th and Penn in front of the National Archives. Smithsonian exit will put you on the mall (if you go out the right exit)... which is also where the Smithsonian Air&Space is located.
Basically all the worthwhile stuff (aside from Washington's home.. whatever it's called) is easily accessible by metro. I'm not actually sure if Washington's house (or whatever you want to call it) is accessible by the metro train, maybe by metro bus.
So if you take a bus up here, get a place in Arlington VA, Roslyn VA, or Crystal City VA (near the Pentagon) and use the metro to get into and around DC.
If you drive up, do the same thing unless you don't mind driving around looking for parking.
You're coming on the weekend, though, I suppose... so your best bet is to use the metro.. and if you bring your own vehicle.. use that for getting to places outside of/around DC.
-SW
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Thanks SW.
I'll be on a working visit, but I have some free time. Staying at a hotel near Georgetown on 22nd St.
I heard this is only about 3 miles from the Mall. Is it walkable? Doesn't seem far to me. I walked all over Manhattan last time I went there, with no troubles at all.
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Is it walkable? Yes, but for a dollar (or maybe 50cents more, I haven't ridden the bus in a long while) you can hop on a metro bus that'll take you down to the mall.
The mall extends from about 6th (maybe even 5th) & Penn N.W. and goes all the way down to the Wash, monument.. which I think is like 14th, maybe 18th street. But, that's still Penn Ave.. and it goes up on either side of Penn Ave (all letter/name streets go parallel to Penn) So if you are on, say, K street.. you are basically about 10 blocks away from Penn Ave. ( well Penn is 2 blocks over from the mall and Constitution is one block over)
Check out the bus routes from where you're staying at, I'm sure there's a bus that has a stop by you and can go down to near the mall.
-SW
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So Wulfie, why is hblair really going to Washington?
Come on, you can tell, we're among pals here.
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"So Wulfie, why is hblair really going to Washington?
Come on, you can tell, we're among pals here."
Uhm.... NO MORE QUESTIONS!!!
-SW
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It's for the people Animal, it's for the people.
(http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/MrSmith/images3/jimmy_arthur_mrsmith_deskstill.jpg)
Can't wait til I get there, to show those corrupt politicians what for!
(http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/MrSmith/images3/jimmy_mrsmith_sightsee.jpg)
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Just got back. Learned a few things:
1. Major bummage.
D.C. is bum central. I ignored most of them, even at union station (the homeless' mecca) They ask for a quarter, I just tell 'em I'm broke. I was doing real good.
We pulled up at a red light and see a homeless dude with a couple of flowers and a cup. He gives the lady a flower and says something like "A flower for the beautiful lady!" and hands her a flower. then holds the cup up to the guy. My wife and I started rolling in the floor when we saw the look on the face of the man. Just like somebody had kicked him in the balls. He reaches for the wallet and gives the guy a buck. While my wife and I were distracted by this, a female bum makes her way to our vehicle from our 4 o'clock position and tells me "Happy Fathers day sir!" and look's at my wife and says "Hello my lady!, you look so beautiful!" and holds up a cup. I grab some change outa my door and give it to her. She got me!:o
Seriously, I think the huge numbers of homeless is a big problem, people come from all over the world to visit D.C. and when they see all the bums it has to leave a very negative impression. It did with me. They prolly think the rest of the country is like that, but it's not.
2. Changing of the Guards at the tomb of unknowns
Still as somber as it was when I was a kid. It left an impression on my wife and kids.
3. Memorials are impressive
Lincoln, Jefferson, Korean conflict, and of course the Vietnam veterans memorial and whichever ones I'm forgetting. We spent a lot of time at them, the kids learned a lot.
4. Get in shape
Much walking. (much meaning miles and miles)
I drove it. It's about 700 miles from my house to Washington D.C. Bad weather and a breakdown ('98 mazda MPV has three belts: one is power steering, one is air-conditioning, and one is water pump/alternator, now which of the three is crucial for the van to be driven? now guess which belt shredded 250 miles into the trip. Yeah, that one. ;)
But it was a good overall trip. We spent yesterday at Gettysburg, which was really cool.
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...did you slip out at night to meet up with Wulfie? ;)
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I think I saw him frolicking around nekkid in the reflecting pool. I ran the other way.