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Since eaststang will not answer my pm (did you get it?), I need some insight. I am going on the tourist trip to D.C. in October. Never been before and want to see the normal things. I am flying into BWI. My main concerns are:

1. Where is a good central place to stay?
2. Rental car or public transportation?

I want to see the memorials, the Capitol and the Whitehouse (already contacted my Senator, and please no one tell him I am a conservative), and my wife is a big civil war buff so she wants to venture into the areas of Virginia that may be of interest in that regard.

Any information would be appreciated. pm or email to [email protected].

Thanks.

mrydel wrote:Since eaststang will not answer my pm (did you get it?), I need some insight. I am going on the tourist trip to D.C. in October. Never been before and want to see the normal things. I am flying into BWI. My main concerns are:

1. Where is a good central place to stay?
2. Rental car or public transportation?

I want to see the memorials, the Capitol and the Whitehouse (already contacted my Senator, and please no one tell him I am a conservative), and my wife is a big civil war buff so she wants to venture into the areas of Virginia that may be of interest in that regard.

Any information would be appreciated. pm or email to [email protected].

Thanks.

My daughter and I took that trip last fall. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. It was walking distance to pretty much everything we did except for Mount Vernon and a brunch cruise we took. (I recommend it...I think it was called Odyssey Cruise or something like that). ESPNZone, the Verizon Center and a movie theatre next door, Madame Toussad's, etc are all walking distance. There is a bus tour for which the station is very close; there are two lines (green and orange I think?) that run all day long and take you everywhere this is to go in DC. If you want to get off at, say, the Library of Congress, you hop off then catch the next bus that comes by later.

One thing I noticed about DC is that EVERYONE smokes. If you don't, be sure to confirm that you have a nonsmoking room at your hotel.

We rented a car, although I think you could do almost all of it w/ public transportation.

Williamsburg is nice if you can squeeze in a side trip.

I haven't done the DC trip in a long time. If you are going to see any of the battlefields in NVA I would suggest renting a car. While there are a lot of sites close together, there weren't many public transit options between battlefields the last time I went (early 00s).

I sent you a private response. Adding to abezontar's comment, if you want to take a day trip to battlefields, go to Gettysburg, its 2 hours north of town and hit Antietam on the way back (near Hagerstown, MD). But any battlefield excursion takes a day. Richmond (the Capitol of the Confederacy) is two hours south of town and there are lots of (Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Bull Run) battlefields in between. The Revolutionary battlefield of Yorktown is about 4 hours south east of town and should be part of a separate trip that includes Williamsburg and Jamestown.

Thanks for all the feedback. I have already added a day to the trip. Looks like 2 days for Civil War and 1day for DC memorials. Sounds like Alexandria may be home base with Amtrak to there and then car rental.

BTW PonyPride, I tried to respond to you and thank you but I do not think it went through. So thanks to you also.

If you have time, the Naval Academy is well worth the trip. I think that it is only 30 miles from DC.

jtstang wrote:Williamsburg is nice if you can squeeze in a side trip.

between williamsburg and the vietnam memorial its a tough choice, only use the public if you are staying in dc...and in a safer area

since we are the same age and graduated the same year I can confirm the Vietnam Memorial is a must. very moving and our generation.

if your wife likes the civil war history, Gettysburg is very interesting. Pickets Charge and Jousha Chamberline with the 20th Maine.
she'll know what I'm talking about. He was awarded the metal of honor, wounded on the battle field and promoted to General by Grant with expected moral wound. was at appomattox court house. gave the command to salute Lee as he wrote off after he signed the surrender. Chamberline saw it all and had no military training. learned from reading books.

FYI outside the center of the town ,beyond the memorials, Washington DC can get very seedy.

As it is coming together, it will be Arlington or Alexandria as home base. We will see Gettysburg, Arlington National Cemetery, Appomattox, Vietnam, and WWII Memorials along with the standards of Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington. A good friend insists I go to the American Museum of History.

Those are the "musts". As time permits we will add battlefileds, Mt Vernon, Williamsburg, museums, and/or the Capitol and Whitehouse. The later two may be too time consuming without Congressioanl assistance, so that will have to be seen.

It is already obvious that a 2nd trip will have to be planned in the future.

I appreciate all the suggestions I have received and welcome more if anyone else has any. Thanks to all.

ps to bubbapony: I have a friend on the Vietnam Memorial I plan to look up.

mrydel wrote:Those are the "musts". As time permits we will add battlefileds, Mt Vernon, Williamsburg, museums, and/or the Capitol and Whitehouse. The later two may be too time consuming without Congressioanl assistance, so that will have to be seen.

I was back there in Oct. (Navy game) and toured both of those places on a Friday afternoon. Unless they've changed it, the White House tour is short and you'll be out of there in well under an hour. The Capitol tour is led by someone in your Congressman's office and can take 60 - 90 minutes, depending upon the number of other tours ongoing and questions.

All in all, very worthwhile.

I didn't know there was a teaparty scheduled in DC during October. Why else would you go there?