My husband & I are going to Washington D.C. and we read on trip reviews that it is better to take the Metrorail in touring D.C.. Our hotel is in Arlington, Virginia (Hyatt Regency Crystal City), so I am worried if taking the Metro is really the best option to see the sights in D.C.
Thank you in advance for your responses.
2007-06-17 15:00:21 · 7 answers · asked by simply_sandy929 5 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Washington, D.C.
To all of you who kindly answered my question, thank you so much. Your time and kind replies help us a lot. We actually booked our flight and hotel together with a rental car, but we just cancelled it:-). Thank you so much. We greatly appreciate your kind replies.
We're looking forward for this vacation, and it's significance on my part.
2007-06-18 15:05:22 · update #1
How can I choose the "best answer" when all of you gave me not only the best answer but also courteous ones. I very much appreciate it. For me, all of you deserve the best answer.
To be fair, I'll let other users vote for your answers. Once again, thank you so much.
2007-06-18 15:07:48 · update #2
The Metrorail in Washington DC does an excellent job taking care of the tourists.
Crystal City is an Excellent Choice for lodging as both Reagon National Airport and Crystal City have Metrorail stops, but taxi is like a hop, skip and jump if you have too much luggage. There are many good places to eat in Crystal City as well plus one Metro stop away is Pentagon City that has one of the larger indoor malls with a rather inexpensive place to eat downstairs and across the street is a Costco Warehouse. You could even enjoy the walk back from Pentagon City to the Hyatt Regency.
Regarding driving into DC, it would be fine just on Sundays but any other day you would not not enjoy it bec parking is limited and would require too much unnecessary hassle going back to feed the meter, garage parking isn't cheap downtown and the cost of parking ticket(s) would simply ruin your vacation and exceed even riding a taxi. You could even you weren't tired, drive into downtown DC late at night (after 6PM when most parking meters are free) to enjoy the illuminated sights!
Best of Luck and Enjoy Your Well Deserved Vacation!
2007-06-18 00:05:04 · answer #1 · answered by dvskv 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You already have a number of quality answers, so I'll add just this. I've lived in the DC area for over 25 years. Crystal City is a great location. There is a Crystal City Metro rail stop, and Metro is also great. It's clean and safe. Lots of the things you'll want to see are very near a Metro station, and if not, just take Metro as close as you can get, and take a cab from there.
2007-06-18 12:41:33 · answer #2 · answered by Carlos R 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Since your hotel is at Crystal City, you will have a metro stop right there and you will find it really terrific. There is a subway stop called Smithsonian that opens onto the Mall, close to several museums. Capitol Hill South station is further up, near the Capitol and Library of Congress.
http://www.wmata.com/maps/maps.cfm?fromMenu=MapsAndStations.0
Metro doesn't get you everywhere, and I frankly find it very easy to park in DC. I drive there, because the metro adds way too much time for me, coming from an outer suburb. But, you'll be right on the subway line, so it will work well.
2007-06-17 16:09:59 · answer #3 · answered by cranberrychutney 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
IT IS WONDERFUL!!
I had family in Arlington & Alexandria, VA and constantly used the Metro.
It is convenient, safe, clean, and puts you close to everything. Most hotels will offer a shuttle if they are more than a couple blocks from the nearest Metro.
Once you are in DC, you will have to walk. If you are not one for walking, check out the tourmobile. It drops you off and picks you up at most of the sights.
Parking can be hard to find in DC, and it is often costly. Stick to the Metro - it can take you everywhere you would want to go.
2007-06-18 06:35:41 · answer #4 · answered by nova_queen_28 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Really your best bet to see the sights in Washington is to take the TourMobile. Take the Metro to the Smithsonian (Mall) exit, go up the escalator and turn left to walk toward the Washington Monument. There is a kiosk selling the TourMobile tickets before you get to the Monument grounds.
Do not talk to the sightseeing tour vendors at the top of the escalators. They are all con artists.
The TourMobile is a shuttle bus that takes you to all the sightseeing sites. You get on and off at each place you want to visit. The shuttle busses run in a continuous loop so you stay as long as you want at each site. They have 1 day or multiple day tickets.
Even though the shuttle busses take you around, there is plenty of walking so bring comfortable shoes.
The Metro is a good way of getting to and from downtown and your hotel. It is not the best way to sightsee.
2007-06-18 03:53:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
As a tourist from the Baltimore area who visits DC for concerrts and sightseeing, the best way to get around town by far is the metrorail by far. It's very convienient for most places around town, it's cheap (about 8 bucks for an all-day pass), and pretty much just forget about finding a parking spot in DC aside from early morning as a tourist. From my experience, that is just not happening. Remember DC is a tourist hub, and one of the extremely transient, that equals a lot of traffic and makes parking places coveted.
Also taking the metrorail takes out the ability to get lost in DC which is easy to do even with a map. My strong advice is to rely on the metrorail. Remember too, the metro rail saves you driving time, and keeps more gas in your tank.
2007-06-17 15:07:56 · answer #6 · answered by Baltimore Birds Fan 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
yes the metrorail is the best option you don't want to take a car b/c you'll never get where you want to get my hotel was at Hyatt Regency and i took a shuttle to the metro and i follwed a map that you can get at your hotel and i got where i had to go and the the metro rides are not that long
2007-06-18 01:38:11 · answer #7 · answered by Jessica W 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋