DC area

Colo Native wrote:
We were in Dc a couple of years ago stayed at Holiday inn in Alexandria 1 block from the Metro

Which Holiday Inn did you stay at? I see 2 in Alexandria but both are several blocks or more from the Metro.

We just did the DC thing this past mid Nov. for us everything was great, cold but the crowds were light according to every place we went to. Originally we were going to take our RV and stay at Andrews AFB but after we learnt a very cold front was coming we change our plans and stayed at hotels (not my favorite thing but worked out)We stayed close to one of the last Metro's stations called Branch and took the train downtown everyday instead of dealing with traffic & trying to find a place to park. I took a picture of DC Marriott parking sign that said daily parking was $42 + tax, as well as overnight parking $42+ tax. We found by being on the beginning of the Metro trip into DC we were better off cause each stop brought more people going into DC and then you feel like a sardine. Get a Metro card figure out how much money needs to be put on it and you're good to go. They do have a site you can go to for information (wmata.com)
Like above person said go to your state's senator's office and request a Capitol tour, warn you it may take month's to get approved cause they do a background check on you and who ever will be with you (bring ID). Think it took us 3 months to get our paperwork. But worth it cause we had a personal tour with a guy that works in our senator's office. We also did a White House tour. If you go to the Washington Monument make sure you get your "free" tickets at the office/store that's down from the monument itself, seen several people walk all the way up to the entrance of the monument and be told to go back down the hill to that small building (park worker pointing) cause they didn't have tickets. Well worth seeing you get a bird's eye view of the landscape. We also went to the Bureau of Engraving & Printing seen how our money is printed, we had an appointment for that, I suggest first thing in the morning. See as much of the Smithsonian as possible lots of different buildings. (I enjoyed seeing the first ladie's clothing, hubby the Air & Space, we both liked American History Museum)
But first and foremost have GOOD walking shoes cause you will get a workout trying to see as much as possible, we were there a week then headed over to Gettysburg, Hersey's Candy and on to Philly was great how it all came together. Just get on your computer and find out as much as possible about what things you'd like to do think that's why our trip was good hubby did a lot of pre trip planning to make it go smooth, the cold weather was our only blimp but it was sunny and clear which was better than having rain or snow with that cold front. Good Luck!

And the natives can smell a rookie a mile away.

LOL! That we can and take advantage of it!

Seriously, even as Boston drivers we don't tackle DC. Aside from traffic, parking is an issue. Cherry Hill will take you in on a bus tour or take you to the Metro, which is what I'd recommend. How long will you need? A lifetime and you won't see it all. Just like Disney, make a list of "must sees" and work from there. Air and Space museum is our favorite.

We were in Dc a couple of years ago stayed at Holiday inn in Alexandria 1 block from the Metro which is the best way around IMHO bought a 7 day pass we were there 5 days should have stayed at least 7, we seen most everything. If you want to see the Capitol or White house you have to contact you congressman or senator.

We will be outside the DC area closer to Baltimore next month and will have a car. I hear parking downtown is almost non-existent and expensive and am told to take the Metro. Problem there is everyone seems to tell me that nearly all metro station parking are filled by 8am. So if I can't drive into DC and can't park at Metro stations how do we tour DC? We'd be wanting to go late morning 9-10ish.

I lived in DC most of my life and did not see everything. The best plan is to pick what you really want to see, what you can't see anywhere else, and do that. I would rank monuments above museums, and only pick two or three museums to tour. After the first couple, staring at things can get rather boring.

Highlights: Botanical Gardens; National Zoo; Air and Space Museum; Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt Memorials. I like the National and Hirshhorn Galleries but I'm an art junky.

If you get a chance, visit the Iwo Jima memorial at sunset. Even better if there is a full moon.

If you like beautiful buildings, visit the old executive office building, the old post office, union station, and the Library of Congress.

If you want to see important paper (Declaration, Constitution, etc.) visit the Archives.

Just what I have listed above will easily fill 4 days. And I haven't mentioned the majority of museums...

Definitely use metro. Cherry Hill is the most stress free way to visit in an RV.

I am not sure when you plan to visit, but be prepared for CROWDs... especially at the popular "must see" items within the museums. For example, it took forever to get close to see the Hope Diamond, but there were lots of beautiful jewels (even more beautiful than the Hope in my opinion) with almost no one looking at them. I was there in early June, and the hotel was FULL of buses of school kids. Use of the pool in the hotel was almost impossible because of all the kids.

I do agree with using the METRO... where I live we don't have any type subway, but it didn't take but a little bit to get the METRO figured out.

I could spend several weeks visiting. I hit the high spots in several afternoons/evenings and then 2 long days... we only made the monuments on the mall, Arlington Cemetary and 2 of the Smithsonian Museums. Another thing to consider is the Sept 11 Memorial at the Pentagon. It is a really nice memorial and makes you realize how close we all came that day. This trip was primarily for work, with a few days of vacation tacked on the end. I stayed in hotel this trip in Arlington looking out over the cemetary and the city.

Two places that I will never drive in again. Boston and Washington, D.C. Both places have an excellent subway system and horrible surface traffic 24/7. One hand on the wheel and one hand on the horn. And the natives can smell a rookie a mile away.

You can spend at least a couple of weeks in the DC area and not see it all! It really depends on what your interests are. The best thing is, from Cherry Hill you will not have to use your vehicle at all. They have a shuttle to the metro, which will get you everywhere. I would not relocate to go to Alexandria, just take the metro! Old town Alexandria is definitely worth the trip, but start early. It takes a while to get there either by car or metro. We took a water taxi back up to Georgetown after Alexandria, had dinner there and continued our site seeing. Don't misses are anything on the mall. Don't forget the Holocost museum, the national zoo, Fords theater, crime and punishment museum and the spy museum. Have fun!

We stayed at the Capitol KOA in Millersville, MD which is about 20 miles from the heart of D.C. They have a shuttle bus for a fee, but the parking in the city is very expensive, making the shuttle economical at times. We weren't intimidated driving in the city, but we had our truck, not towing our rig or in a MH.

We spent five days there, and would have liked a few more. I would stay in the area at least 7 days and map out an itinerary before you go so you can hit as many attractions as you can in the same vicinity.

You can go through your state senator's office and get free tours of the national mall and other attractions (visit your senator's online websites). Be sure not to miss the Steven Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport. It's different than the Air & Space Museum on the mall, and much better. We thoroughly enjoyed Arlington National Cemetry, Ford's Theater and the guided tour of the Capitol. We took a drive up to Gettysburg and sadly only gave ourselves about 3 hours to visit, but it's at least a whole days experience.

Enjoy your trip!