# National Harbor



## wauhob3 (Nov 20, 2012)

I am more then half way through my week here and so far so good. We are mainly utilizing the free shuttle to get to and from DC. It takes you to your choice of Union Station or the Old Post Office which is close to the Smithsonian's. During rush hour you can only go to/from Kings St Metro Station. One day when we had to be there early for a Congressional tour and stayed late for a night tour we parked at Huntington Station about 9-10 minutes away and took the Metro in. The drive hear and ending up on the tail end of rush hour was enough to convince us not to try to drive in during rush hour.  The Shuttle starts at 6:49 AM  and last shuttle from DC runs Monday to Thursday is 8:15 PM. Friday the last one is 11:30 PM, Saturday 11 PM and Sunday 6:30 PM. It has been very convenient. The unit is nice, we like the area which is a new urban area with a variety of restaurants in the mid price range with a couple fast food places and a few fine dining.


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## ronparise (Nov 20, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> I am more then half way through my week here and so far so good. We are mainly utilizing the free shuttle to get to and from DC. It takes you to your choice of Union Station or the Old Post Office which is close to the Smithsonian's. During rush hour you can only go to/from Kings St Metro Station. One day when we had to be there early for a Congressional tour and stayed late for a night tour we parked at Huntington Station about 9-10 minutes away and took the Metro in. The drive hear and ending up on the tail end of rush hour was enough to convince us not to try to drive in during rush hour.  The Shuttle starts at 6:49 AM  and last shuttle from DC runs Monday to Thursday is 8:15 PM. Friday the last one is 11:30 PM, Saturday 11 PM and Sunday 6:30 PM. It has been very convenient. The unit is nice, we like the area which is a new urban area with a variety of restaurants in the mid price range with a couple fast food places and a few fine dining.



Thanks for this update

That shuttle is something new I think. Or I missed it when I was there last year.  Also I dont remember mid priced restaurants and fast food (only the high priced stuff....I think Ill go back


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## staceyeileen (Nov 20, 2012)

How frequently does the shuttle run?


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## lcml11 (Nov 20, 2012)

We are at National Harbor often.  It is a nice place, the choise of restaurants is good, a lot of food types are represented.  Some are very pricey, a few moderate priced but great.  For those that like fast food, McDonalds is opening not far away.  When you come in from across the bridge, there is a gas station there, it is going in near the gas station.


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## wauhob3 (Nov 21, 2012)

I asked and it began running this year. There are 11 shuttles from M-TH going either to Kings St Metro or to Downtown DC depending on the time of day. Staggered times from 6:49AM with the last return being 8:15 PM from the Old Post Office with the Union Station pickup always a half hour earlier. Union Station is 5 blocks from the capital building and the Old Post Office is closer to the White house and museums within a 3-6 block radious depending where you are going. There is a great view of the city from the tower in the Old Post office. 

On Friday they add two more late evening ones with the last pick up being 11:30 PM from the Old Post Office. 

On Saturday there are 10 times all going all the way starting at 8:30 AM and last pick up from DC is 11 PM on Saturday.

Sunday first pick up from Wyndam is 8:34 and last from Old Post Office  is 6:30 PM.  

The McDonalds is open but you would have to drive there or perhaps a mile walk, there is a Subway, hot dog places, a chain Mexican place. Then there are mid price restaurant like Ketchup, Rosa Mexicana and a place on the corner that sells half chicken dinner for $11.99 and you could get a whole chicken to go for $17.99. My daughter and boy friend went to an italian restaurant and thought it was good. Then there are expensive ones like Bond where you can get a 12 ounce steak for $50. I think for a urban area the prices are similar to what you find in like areas. The kitchen is fully stocked and we brought some things so we haven't eaten out a whole lot but did walk around. The only type of restaurant I din't see was a greek or diner type so going out to breakfast may not be optimal.

We are catching the 10AM shuttle shortly, this is the earliest one that goes all the way to the Old Post Office on week days.


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## lcml11 (Nov 21, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> I asked and it began running this year. There are 11 shuttles from M-TH going either to Kings St Metro or to Downtown DC depending on the time of day. Staggered times from 6:49AM with the last return being 8:15 PM from the Old Post Office with the Union Station pickup always a half hour earlier. Union Station is 5 blocks from the capital building and the Old Post Office is closer to the White house and museums within a 3-6 block radious depending where you are going. There is a great view of the city from the tower in the Old Post office.
> 
> On Friday they add two more late evening ones with the last pick up being 11:30 PM from the Old Post Office.
> 
> ...




Breakfast would be Ketchup or McDonalds.  Maybe, I missed a couple.


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## wauhob3 (Nov 22, 2012)

lcml11 said:


> Breakfast would be Ketchup or McDonalds.  Maybe, I missed a couple.



The Gaylord would have breakfast too.


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## Big Matt (Nov 22, 2012)

A little off topic, but for those outside of the Maryland/DC area, there will be a full blown casino in National Harbor.  It passed as part of the recent election at the state level.  That will make things real interesting. Of course that was the plan all along for National Harbor, but it took a while.


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## Laurie (Nov 22, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> I asked and it began running this year.


I don't think they offered this free shuttle this past March when we were there, but what a wonderful amenity. 

We liked National Harbor a lot, more than expected, and this feature makes the place  even better.


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## wauhob3 (Nov 24, 2012)

Laurie said:


> I don't think they offered this free shuttle this past March when we were there, but what a wonderful amenity.
> 
> We liked National Harbor a lot, more than expected, and this feature makes the place  even better.



One of the residents told me they had it then the transportation company went under and another got the contract. It is free for Westin, Wyndam and resident DC office workers. I thought it was odd they classified the residents as office workers. I hope it continues but it was never full. The next best option would be driving the 9-10 minutes and paying the $4.75 for parking at the Huntington station and then taking the metro in.


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## chapjim (Nov 25, 2012)

wauhob3 said:


> One of the residents told me they had it then the transportation company went under and another got the contract. It is free for Westin, Wyndam and resident DC office workers. I thought it was odd they classified the residents as office workers. I hope it continues but it was never full. The next best option would be driving the 9-10 minutes and paying the $4.75 for parking at the Huntington station and then taking the metro in.



There used to be a Metro bus stop just up the hill that took you to the Branch Ave. Metro station.  No driving or parking involved.

I would think the Huntington Ave. Metro parking lot would be full of commuters during the week.


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## wauhob3 (Nov 25, 2012)

chapjim said:


> There used to be a Metro bus stop just up the hill that took you to the Branch Ave. Metro station.  No driving or parking involved.
> 
> I would think the Huntington Ave. Metro parking lot would be full of commuters during the week.



The concierge recommended the Huntington Station, there was no mention of the Metro bus. The parking lot was only half full so we didn't have a problem.


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## Laurie (Nov 26, 2012)

Yup, that's what we did (metro bus) - every day, and it was pretty painless and convenient, even tho we'd driven up to National Harbor. We just parked our car for the week and enjoyed the easy public transit. I'm surprised the concierge didn't mention this option, we asked at the front desk and were pointed in the right direction.


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## richjester (Dec 8, 2012)

*Great news about a shuttle*

We're going to be much more willing to stay at National Harbor versus Old Town if this shuttle bus is a permanent thing.  Thanks for sharing.


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## lcml11 (Dec 8, 2012)

richjester said:


> We're going to be much more willing to stay at National Harbor versus Old Town if this shuttle bus is a permanent thing.  Thanks for sharing.



In a recent stay at National Harbor, a member of the staff indicated getting to D.C. via the shuttle was fairly easy but getting a seat coming back could be difficult.  The shuttle will just pass stops when it is filled.


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## 55plus (Dec 8, 2012)

*National Harbor's water taxi*



richjester said:


> We're going to be much more willing to stay at National Harbor versus Old Town if this shuttle bus is a permanent thing.  Thanks for sharing.



We own at Old Town Alexandria and stay at National Harbor from time-to-time. We find taking the water taxi from National Harbor to Old Town Alexandria saves time and is enjoyable. You can either walk (lots of restaurants and shops along the way), take the free trolly, or city bus up King Street to the King Street Station and catch the Metro (Blue and Yellow Lines) into DC, Reagan National Airport, etc.). The free trolly runs every 20 minutes.


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## chapjim (Dec 8, 2012)

morrisjim said:


> We own at Old Town Alexandria and stay at National Harbor from time-to-time. We find taking the water taxi from National Harbor to Old Town Alexandria saves time and is enjoyable. You can either walk (lots of restaurants and shops along the way), take the free trolly, or city bus up King Street to the King Street Station and catch the Metro (Blue and Yellow Lines) into DC, Reagan National Airport, etc.). The free trolly runs every 20 minutes.



Water taxi is $16 for a round trip.


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## wauhob3 (Dec 9, 2012)

The week we were there the shuttle was less full coming back then going. Plenty of space either way. Once though we were picked up at the old post office about 5 minutes early and they just went on to he next stop so I was glad we had arrived early. At the metro station it was 15 minutes late but there was a resident that called to make sure they were on their way. It was running behind due to the traffic.


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