Planning our second trip to D.C! Things not to miss?

[taterhed]

Metro Directions
Ford’s Theatre is located near three metro stops.
Metro Center: Red, Blue, Orange and Silver lines

• Take the 11th Street exit.
• Walk straight ahead to the corner which is 11th and F Streets, NW.
• Turn left and go one block to 10th Street.
• Turn right onto 10th.
• Ford’s Theatre is located on the left, half way down the block between F and E streets.

Gallery Place: Red, Green and Yellow lines

• Take the G Street exit.
• Walk straight ahead toward F Street. At F Street, take a right and walk one block to 10th Street, NW.
• Turn left on 10th Street and walk one block.
• Ford’s Theatre is located on the left, between F and E streets.

Archives/Navy Memorial: Yellow and Green lines

• Exit at Pennsylvania Avenue.
• Walk to 10th Street and turn right.
• Walk one block to Theatre located on the right between E and F streets.

For more detailed information, visit Metro’s website.

 

[DaveNV]

Denise, I think we were in DC and at OTA right around the same time as you two years ago. And great minds think alike: We're also going back - in June! There is more to see than what we saw last time, so we're doing it all again.

This link is the thread I started with my trip report last time. You may find some things in it that may interest you: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212401&highlight=Town+Alexandria

This time we intend to hit more Smithsonian's than we had time for last trip. Also the National Portrait Gallery. We're doing the White House again, because now you can take your camera inside. We couldn't do that last time. The Washington Monument is open now, (the scaffolding is gone, finally) so we plan to see that, providing the tickets are available - last time it was booked out beyond our travel dates. There are a few monuments along the Mall that we didn't see last time - Martin Luther King and the Korean War monument, to name two.

My opinion: The National Zoo is great, as zoos go. But do you really want to spend an entire hard-earned vacation day at a zoo? Unless you have a special wish to see pandas, just about everything else there you can see at most any good zoo elsewhere. DC is such an amazing place, I'd save that day for something you can't see elsewhere.

Ford's Theatre will let you see things in reverse. When we were there a million schoolkids were on a field trip, and the museum was a nightmare trying to see anything. the kids were rowdy and made it just awful. After we were done in the theatre I asked the Rangers if we could go back into the museum,, and they let us. They were very nice about it.

The boat ride from Alexandria to Georgetown along the Potomac was pretty great. We intend to do it again, but instead of a roundtrip, essentially nonstop ride, we're going to do a one-way trip up the river, get off and explore Georgetown, and take the Metro back to OTA.

If you don't NEED the car from the airport, and if you're not carrying a lot of stuff, note that it's only two Metro stops on the train from National Airport to the King Street station. A taxi ride from the airport to OTA cost us over $20 for two. The Metro was $2.25 each. A definite savings. (See my review posted above - it has the specifics.)

Hope this helps some.

Dave

 

[Denise L]

Whew. that makes my head spin!

First: The Smartrip is just a debit card (RFID) with built-in discounts. You put money on it and then buy fares/passes with it. You simply touch the turnstile, or the vending machine to use the card. Fares/passes purchased with the card are automatically discounted. You can add money to the card at any time, but you can not (easily) get the money back. Don't over-load the card unless you'll use it. You can add value to the card at the front (outside) of the metro or inside the turnstiles (exit fare). Harder to find working/available exit fare machines, so avoid this.

If it were me....you already know you are going to use at least 30% of the weekly pass value (short pass) in a single day. I would buy it and add a little amount of fare over the pass for transfers that might not be covered and for peak fares (which I'd avoid). I would not buy the pass until I was standing at the Metro station ready to go.

I don't know if the Fairfax connector fare is included in the pass, discounted by the pass or ? It's $1.25 if not included (each way).

Hope this helps. It's been my experience that each person spends more than $6 a day if they use the metro. Just a guide.

Yep, my head is spinning too, but less now . We would probably avoid the peak fares on some mornings, but one day we have a 9:45 National Archives Tour, so I know we will be using a peak fare to get there in time. We will most likely be using peak times to travel back to OTA...the kids usually get exhausted from the walking by 4 or 5....

I'm going to look online and see what will work best for the places I know we are going. Then I can get a idea of the minimum amount I will need, but I am sure it is more than $36.

 

[Denise L]

Denise, I think we were in DC and at OTA right around the same time as you two years ago. And great minds think alike: We're also going back - in June! There is more to see than what we saw last time, so we're doing it all again.

This link is the thread I started with my trip report last time. You may find some things in it that may interest you: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212401&highlight=Town+Alexandria

This time we intend to hit more Smithsonian's than we had time for last trip. Also the National Portrait Gallery. We're doing the White House again, because now you can take your camera inside. We couldn't do that last time. The Washington Monument is open now, (the scaffolding is gone, finally) so we plan to see that, providing the tickets are available - last time it was booked out beyond our travel dates. There are a few monuments along the Mall that we didn't see last time - Martin Luther King and the Korean War monument, to name two.

My opinion: The National Zoo is great, as zoos go. But do you really want to spend an entire hard-earned vacation day at a zoo? Unless you have a special wish to see pandas, just about everything else there you can see at most any good zoo elsewhere. DC is such an amazing place, I'd save that day for something you can't see elsewhere.

Ford's Theatre will let you see things in reverse. When we were there a million schoolkids were on a field trip, and the museum was a nightmare trying to see anything. the kids were rowdy and made it just awful. After we were done in the theatre I asked the Rangers if we could go back into the museum,, and they let us. They were very nice about it.

The boat ride from Alexandria to Georgetown along the Potomac was pretty great. We intend to do it again, but instead of a roundtrip, essentially nonstop ride, we're going to do a one-way trip up the river, get off and explore Georgetown, and take the Metro back to OTA.

If you don't NEED the car from the airport, and if you're not carrying a lot of stuff, note that it's only two Metro stops on the train from National Airport to the King Street station. A taxi ride from the airport to OTA cost us over $20 for two. The Metro was $2.25 each. A definite savings. (See my review posted above - it has the specifics.)

Hope this helps some.

Dave

Hi Dave !

Yes! We are going back, but since our special needs daughter didn't do so well in the heat of June , we are going in late March-April, just in time to coincide with all of the school visits .

Well, I don't think it will be too hot, it might even snow or rain, right!? I think she can handle any weather except 95 and humid. So we will have to deal with Spring Break crowds instead!

I have a car reserved, just in case, but have a few weeks to decide whether to cancel it or not (Costcotravel is easy to cancel). It's $200 for the week. Pretty sure we can do the Metro with our luggage, but it won't be light (2 large pieces and four backpacks) and it will be during peak rush hour. We flew into IAD two years ago and used the car to drive to OTA for six nights (it stayed in the garage the whole time) and then to Williamsburg for four nights and back to IAD with a long pitstop at Udvar-Hazy :whoopie: before our late afternoon flight.

I did call Ford's Theatre yesterday and confirmed that we could go backwards only if we had purchased the audio (which we have). But we have to do it before we go across the street to the house.

I will research the boat ride now...is that something that I have to reserve in advance? I have to go find out what is is called in the previous thread.

Thanks for the old and new tips !

 

[Denise L]

Potomac Riverboat Company website lists tickets for sale starting April 2 and we are there the week prior. So maybe they don't start the river tours until then .

 

[DaveNV]

Potomac Riverboat Company website lists tickets for sale starting April 2 and we are there the week prior. So maybe they don't start the river tours until then .

Might be a temperature thing. DC can be fickle weather in the Spring. When I lived there years ago, Spring was often warm and wonderful, followed by cold and windy, then back to warm and wonderful. It was odd, for sure.

If you are there during blossom time, be sure to plan a walk along the Potomac opposite the monuments. The views are spectacular. I took some awesome pictures back in the day of the trees in full bloom, with Jefferson standing between the columns of his memorial across the river. Really artsy kind of stuff.

Dave

 

[Denise L]

No Worries.... you can add the pass online or just wait until you get to the very first Metro Station you ride. Go to the machine and buy the passes with your Smartrip card. You must have enough value on the card to pay for the pass. I'd wait until I got there. Just read up on the passes so you purchase one that works for you. Also, you'll need just a bit more on the cards to allow for paying for fares that are not covered by the Metro week pass (like some buses) or overage for use during peak rush hour.

I am getting ready to add more value to our current $28 on our SmarTrip cards and have a question! We have decided to buy the weekly passes for $36 each. Can I add $13 to each card for a total of $41, and then when we get there, use the card to buy the weekly pass for $36, and have $5 left on each card to cover fare overages? Will that be enough to start? I can load more funds on via the online system once we get there. How does that sound? Will that work?

 

[DaveNV]

I am getting ready to add more value to our current $28 on our SmarTrip cards and have a question! We have decided to buy the weekly passes for $36 each. Can I add $13 to each card for a total of $41, and then when we get there, use the card to buy the weekly pass for $36, and have $5 left on each card to cover fare overages? Will that be enough to start? I can load more funds on via the online system once we get there. How does that sound? Will that work?

You can also add more funds right at the station. They have vending machines that let you add on as needed. No need to go to the website. We only used the website to plan which route to take - all the after-the-fact needed funds were added directly from machines at the Metro station.

Dave

 

[taterhed]

I am getting ready to add more value to our current $28 on our SmarTrip cards and have a question! We have decided to buy the weekly passes for $36 each. Can I add $13 to each card for a total of $41, and then when we get there, use the card to buy the weekly pass for $36, and have $5 left on each card to cover fare overages? Will that be enough to start? I can load more funds on via the online system once we get there. How does that sound? Will that work?

Should be fine. You can always add value to card. Just try not to get negative behind the turnstyle--exit fare machines are few and hard to use and can get busy. You can easily check your card by touching the machines BEFORE you go thru the TS.

I suggested waiting till you get there because peoples plans change....if you show up late (or early) and decide not to 'go out' that day.....if you already have the pass loaded--it will be activated on first use of the card. You might consciously make a decision to delay activated your pass by 1 day (I don't know your plans). This is why you might wait. Otherwise--you can add it now to save time.

Links about vending machines (easier to read/watch now than later with 10 angry commuters behind you). Why are commuters in DC always angry?
http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/vending.cfm

Link to Pass explanations and 'add pass' etc...
http://www.wmata.com/fares/purchase/passes.cfm

cheers.

Have fun!

Great app for helping with the connections etc.... Citimapper

 

[taterhed]

You can also add more funds right at the station. They have vending machines that let you add on as needed. No need to go to the website. We only used the website to plan which route to take - all the after-the-fact needed funds were added directly from machines at the Metro station.

Dave

Very true. My 1 caution: just don't show up 'late' at the station during rush-hour (or any busy station) and then get frustrated because there are long lines and you need to make 4 or 5 transactions. Which can trigger some security on credit cards. Ask me how I know?

 

[tschwa2]

Potomac Riverboat Company website lists tickets for sale starting April 2 and we are there the week prior. So maybe they don't start the river tours until then .

That's crazy. Peak cherry blossom is at the end of next week. There were groupons as recently as 3 weeks ago. I don't see any now but they may be back.


http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/blossoms2014.php
http://capitolrivercruises.com/

 

[Denise L]

I suggested waiting till you get there because peoples plans change....if you show up late (or early) and decide not to 'go out' that day.....if you already have the pass loaded--it will be activated on first use of the card. You might consciously make a decision to delay activated your pass by 1 day (I don't know your plans). This is why you might wait. Otherwise--you can add it now to save time.

Makes sense. We arrive on a Saturday late afternoon and leave on a Saturday, which would be 8 calendar days of potential Metro use and only a 7 day pass, right? So if we use it on our first day to get from DCA to OTA, we won't be able to use it on our last day. So we should keep that 7th day for our last day when we don't fly out until 5PM and could be sightseeing. So, I should load the weekly pass on Day 2, right?

 

[Denise L]

That's crazy. Peak cherry blossom is at the end of next week. There were groupons as recently as 3 weeks ago. I don't see any now but they may be back.


http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/blossoms2014.php
http://capitolrivercruises.com/

Every Potomac River Boat Co. site I go to lists tours starting on April 2, except for the Cherry Blossom tour out of Gaylord/Nat Harbor that starts on Friday, March 31. That link above is an old link for 2014 dates that still seems to show up and let me enter information, but if I go directly to the Boat Co. site, it doesn't show those dates at all.

I'm going to look some more. So much to research!

 

[taterhed]

Makes sense. We arrive on a Saturday late afternoon and leave on a Saturday, which would be 8 calendar days of potential Metro use and only a 7 day pass, right? So if we use it on our first day to get from DCA to OTA, we won't be able to use it on our last day. So we should keep that 7th day for our last day when we don't fly out until 5PM and could be sightseeing. So, I should load the weekly pass on Day 2, right?

Every Potomac River Boat Co. site I go to lists tours starting on April 2, except for the Cherry Blossom tour out of Gaylord/Nat Harbor that starts on Friday, March 31. That link above is an old link for 2014 dates that still seems to show up and let me enter information, but if I go directly to the Boat Co. site, it doesn't show those dates at all.

I'm going to look some more. So much to research!

Call them...they update with the weather.


Yes, the 8 days/7 days thing was my point. You decide. Just plan to take a little more time if you need it--when you first buy/activate your passes.

Cheers!

Hope you have a great time in DC. Besides the fact that it snowed here all day today (geez) it was a beautiful day!

 

[Denise L]

Hope you have a great time in DC. Besides the fact that it snowed here all day today (geez) it was a beautiful day!

Thanks! We leave on Saturday! I haven't had time to call the boat company yet . Oh well.

Does anyone have family friendly gluten free restaurants to recommend? We are going to get the $36.00 weekly pass so we can take the metro to try new restaurants, I hope. Anything in Georgetown, or is it all fancy there? Never been there!

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks! We leave on Saturday!!

Have a great time, and be sure to let me know what you did. We'll be there in two months.

Dave

 

[MULTIZ321]

Thanks! We leave on Saturday! I haven't had time to call the boat company yet . Oh well.

Does anyone have family friendly gluten free restaurants to recommend? We are going to get the $36.00 weekly pass so we can take the metro to try new restaurants, I hope. Anything in Georgetown, or is it all fancy there? Never been there!

Best Gluten-Free, near Georgetown, Washington D.C. - from Yelp.com

Gluten Free Dining - Washington DC Participating Restaurants - from opentable.com

The 15 Best Places with Gluten-Free Food in Georgetown, Washington - from foursquare.com


Richard

 

[taterhed]

Thanks! We leave on Saturday! I haven't had time to call the boat company yet . Oh well.

Does anyone have family friendly gluten free restaurants to recommend? We are going to get the $36.00 weekly pass so we can take the metro to try new restaurants, I hope. Anything in Georgetown, or is it all fancy there? Never been there!

There are some great little restaurants and bars (with food) from Georgetown to Dupont. I'll try and send a list tomorrow. I love the Greek Taverna just off Dupont Cir.

IMHO, things don't get better in DC just because you pay more. And, you can pay a lot more.

This list has a few I know.

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Best+Inexpensive+Places+To+Eat&find_loc=Washington,+DC

 

[Miss Marty]

Spring arrives in the Nation's Capital


The forecast for the beginning of
Peak Bloom for 2016 is March 24

Bloom Watch

Stage 1 Green Bud
Stage 2 Florets Visible
Stage 3 Extension of Florets
Stage 4 Peduncle Elongation
Stage 5 Puffy White

Getting Around DC
Metro

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides metro (subway) and bus service in Washington, D.C. The nearest metro stop to the festival is Smithsonian on the Orange and Blue lines. The two entrances/exits to Smithsonian Metro are at 12th &Jefferson Drive SW and 12th & Independence Ave. SW. To avoid crowds, consider walking from Foggy Bottom (Orange and Blue lines), L'Enfant Plaza (Orange, Blue, Yellow, and Green lines), or Arlington Cemetery (Blue line).

Take the Train: There's no Metro stop that's especially close to the Tidal Basin, but your best bets are the Smithsonian (Orange and Blue lines) or L'Enfant Plaza (Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green lines) stations.

Check out the new DC Circulator Bus
http://nationalmall.dccirculator.com/

 

[Denise L]

Thanks for all the great restaurant links and help.

Today, I got a call that a pediatric neurologist in D.C. had a last minute opening for an appointment we have been trying to get for my daughter. It threw me for a loop because I was sure that there would be no way to see this doctor who is supposed to be excellent in her field. She is located somewhere in Georgetown? 1101 30th St NW #320, Washington, DC 20007. I will just have to use Google Maps to find her office! Anyhow, it makes our trip to Ford's Theatre a bit stressful because the museum entry is for 11:00 AM and the doctor appointment is at 1:00 PM. The museum looks to be 30 minutes, up to 15 minutes to take photos in the theatre, 35 minutes for the show, and some amount of time to walk to the house. Then I think it is done? So we could be done with the theatre by 12:20 and then I can call the doctor's office to see if she is running on time? Apparently she can run late. We will have to take a taxi from the theatre to the office because I don't think we will have time to catch a Metro train.

The other option is to send my husband and son to Ford's without us . I looked online and other dates are all sold out for the tour.

I am happy we are seeing the specialist, but I'm not happy about it making our Ford's Theatre visit a bit time constrained.

 

[Denise L]

Hey, a quick Trip Planner question! Am I doing this correctly?

Using Trip Planner, it says I can walk 0.19 mi from Ford's Theatre to Metro Center Metro Station and take the Blue Line toward Franconia to Foggy Bottom, and then walk 0.65 mi to get to 1101 30th St NW #320, Washington, DC 20007.

or the Silver Line toward Wiehle Reston East to Foggy Bottom

or the Orange Line toward Vienna-Fairfax GMU to Foggy Bottom.

Of course, walking 0.65 mi might take awhile...

 

[taterhed]

You're doing it right.

Try the Google Maps function too (once you have the idea down pat). It will let you adjust the time etc....


It's about 25 mins that time of day (Metro Center to Foggy). If you just grab a cab at the Foggy bottom station, you'll drop the time significantly.

Keep in mind; metro has delays, single-tracking etc... Make sure you know the current status (planned status) prior to jumping into Ford's.

cheers.

 

[Denise L]

Call them...they update with the weather.


Yes, the 8 days/7 days thing was my point. You decide. Just plan to take a little more time if you need it--when you first buy/activate your passes.

Cheers!

Hope you have a great time in DC. Besides the fact that it snowed here all day today (geez) it was a beautiful day!

I finally called them! Washington Monument Cruises started TODAY. They have openings on Sunday, leaving Alexandria dock and going to Georgetown. Do you folks recommend this Monuments Cruise one way or RT? They have various times open, starting at 11:30 and the last one is at 7:30. How much time will I need to allow from OTA to get to the dock to load? I'm thinking maybe we do the one way (she said an hour total from boarding to getting off) and take the Metro back from Georgetown?

If we take the 7:30, will the Monuments look cool but then it will be harder to see the Cherry Blossoms? Never been there during Cherry Blossom time so am assuming they are just everywhere?

 

[DaveNV]

I finally called them! Washington Monument Cruises started TODAY. They have openings on Sunday, leaving Alexandria dock and going to Georgetown. Do you folks recommend this Monuments Cruise one way or RT? They have various times open, starting at 11:30 and the last one is at 7:30. How much time will I need to allow from OTA to get to the dock to load? I'm thinking maybe we do the one way (she said an hour total from boarding to getting off) and take the Metro back from Georgetown?

If we take the 7:30, will the Monuments look cool but then it will be harder to see the Cherry Blossoms? Never been there during Cherry Blossom time so am assuming they are just everywhere?

We did a roundtrip, and I wish we had gotten off in Georgetown. The roundtrip is just that - boatride up, boatride back, and no getting off in the middle. (Or if they allowed it, we didn't think to ask.) Next trip we'll do it one way, have a nice dinner in Georgetown, then take the Metro back to OTA.

So I vote for one-way.

Dave

 

[Denise L]

We did a roundtrip, and I wish we had gotten off in Georgetown. The roundtrip is just that - boatride up, boatride back, and no getting off in the middle. (Or if they allowed it, we didn't think to ask.) Next trip we'll do it one way, have a nice dinner in Georgetown, then take the Metro back to OTA.

So I vote for one-way.

Dave

She said you can book one way at 11:30 and come back on the 8:30 out of Georgetown. Not sure if you just buy two one ways, but that is how she said I could book it. A few dollars more that way.

Did you enjoy the trip? Was it narrated and was there plenty of room to walk around? The lady said 120 max on the boat.