Washington DC in Winter?

[Blackwolf]

Hey AU!

So, talking with Mrs. Blackwolf this evening, suddenly there is a slim but very real possibility that a trip cross-country might be planned for early December. Quite unexpected just a few days ago, but current fares from Sacramento to Washington DC are very smile-inducing in that sweet-spot just after Thanksgiving but before the Christmas madness. Lets just say, getting from one place to the other in sleeper the whole way is just a hair over what flying sardine-class would be.

Other than the absolute must-see attractions like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the National Mall monuments, Library of Congress, etc., what other DC-specific places should we keep in mind for December that should be visited? As it stands now, we're looking at 5-6 days in the city. In addition, does anyone have a reason NOT to stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites on New York Avenue? ($94 a night seems like a pretty darn good deal for DC...)

Lastly, we'd take the train at least one direction... Possibly round-trip. Looking at the history between the California Zephyr and Capital Limited for the past month, both have easily been making their connections in Chicago. Should we worry?

Thanks!

 

[afigg]

Other than the absolute must-see attractions like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the National Mall monuments, Library of Congress, etc., what other DC-specific places should we keep in mind for December that should be visited? As it stands now, we're looking at 5-6 days in the city. In addition, does anyone have a reason NOT to stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites on New York Avenue? ($94 a night seems like a pretty darn good deal for DC...)

Looking the Comfort Inn up on the map, there is a reason it is $94 a night. It is a 1.4+ mile walk from the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro station in an area, that while it is getting better, I would be very hesitant to walk at night. That Comfort Inn is in a stretch of motels on NY Avenue that are mainly aimed at people with cars and is not the best neighborhood. If you are planning to use the DC Metro system to get around DC and not get a rental car, I suggest you take a look at hotels across the Potomac in VA near Metro stations in Crystal City, King Street/ Old Town Alexandria, Ballston. Unfortunately the nicer hotels in DC that are close to the Metro stations tend to be rather expensive.

 

[guest]

A trip to DC this year in early December offers the bonus of having both the House and the Senate in vital lame-duck sessions because of the so-called fiscal cliff dilemma. I would certainly contact one of your senators and/or House representative for tickets to the House and Senate galleries. The tour itself of the Capitol is worthwhile as well; the best way to set up a tour is to arrange it through one of your senators. As you are from California (I surmise), tours are probably offered by someone in the office of one of your senators, as you are from a large state. If not, you can arrange for a general Capitol tour at the tour desk in the Capitol Visitor Center.

As for sightseeing, here are some other great attractions in addition to those you listed, depending on your particular interests, historical, cultural or whatever:

1. Ford 's Theatre, which has a terrific new museum, the Center for Education and Leadership--a look at the legacy of Lincoln's assassination--included in the tour. Need to book as far in advance as possible, though the time period during which you plan to visit will be the least crowded time of the year.

2. National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian, which has current special exhibits on the Civil War and on Amelia Ehrhart in addition to its collection of Presidential portraits, Native American paintings and other treasures. An often-overlooked part of the Smithsonian but which gives you a terrific entree into American history through art and artifacts. It's very close to the Archives and Union Station.

3. The Archives itself has a special exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis as the 50th anniversary was last month. It's impressive and makes you think of many what-ifs.

4. The Smithsonian's Museum of American History, which has lots of great exhibits, including a vintage Southern Railway locomotive and related railroad memorabilia in its collection.

5. The National Gallery of Art has a special retrospective exhibition on Roy Lichtenstein, the purveyor of iconic American pop art beginning in the 1960s.

6. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, which you can see in numerous places outside Washington if you rent a car, or in Washington itself in the Georgetown district. If you rent a car for a day or two, it's worth taking in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia as well as the canal site at Great Falls between Harpers Ferry and DC. Lots of Civil War and 19th-century transportation history along the way. At Harpers Ferry, you can walk along old railroad bridges spanning the Potamic and get a great feel for why that location was such a vital transportation node with three railroads converging at that spot.

7. Old Town Alexandria Virginia, just across the river from DC, which was where people lived prior to the District being built. Lots of history and sites in a compact, walkable area with easy Metro access.

8. Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington, just south of Alexandria and easy accessible by car or by bus connection from the Yellow Line Metro in Virginia.

As for accommodations, I would suggest you look at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, a Marriott property in Chinatown a half-block from the Metro Gallery Place station (Green, Yellow and Red lines) and in the heart of DC. It's completely refurbished from its time as a Red Roof Inn and is very, very nice and not that expensive, especially on a Friday-Monday weekend stay. It's far nicer and in a much nicer area--Chinatown and the Convention Center area--than the Comfort Inn.

Hope this helps you plan a great trip!

 

[VentureForth]

My experience is that hotel prices/availability in DC directly correlates to whether or not Congress is in session. Though many lawmakers have residences, their staff take up plenty of hotel rooms which are priced higher just for them.

FWIW, I recommend The Clarion Collection Hotel Arlington Court Suites. It's about a half mile from the blue line, I think. Some nice diners nearby and very comfortable rooms.

 

[Jim G.]

You should be able to get a tour of the Capitol thru your Congressman. I did that last summer and highly recommend it. Go to his/ her website and you should find the information and email address.

 

[Notelvis]

Here are a couple of possibilities that you might want to consider for DC area lodging..... both places that I have stayed before -

The Camp Springs, MD 'Country Inn and Suites' is a 6-8 minute mostly level walk from the Branch Avenue Station on the Green Line of the DC Metro. Here you've got the reliability of a chain hotel that brands themselves as being a step up from your typical Comfort Inn. Their shuttle van will do pick-ups and dropoffs at the Metro Station. As with many hotels these days, complimentary breakfast including a few hot items is included.

http://www.roomstays.com/hotel/33005

A little more eclectic is the Henry Clay Inn in Ashland, VA which might interest you for one or two nights during your stay. Ashland is a small college town just north of Richmond, VA and can be reached aboard any of the NEC regional trains which continue to Richmond, Newport News, or - coming soon - Norfolk. THIS Henry Clay Inn was built in the 1990's and is a faithful reproduction of the old Railroad Hotel in Ashland which burned to the ground a couple of generations before. It's front porch is literally right across the street from the Amtrak Station (which doubles as the Visitor Center). Plenty of CSX freight trains, and a boatload of Amtrak trains - the Auto Train included - grumble through town every day. I love this aspect of the place - my wife did not. It's a small place, only 14 or 15 rooms, and offers kind of a continental breakfast...... bagels, muffins, fruit, cereal - etc with your room. It has been 5 or 6 years now since I've been there and I have read reports online which make it sound as if the place is starting to get a bit threadbare though...... may want to do a little due diligence if you consider it.

http://www.henryclayinn.com/

 

[Ryan]

I would definitely avoid that hotel, there are some good suggestions here for better places to stay - I'd go with anywhere in Crystal City, or near the Orange line in Virginia.

There's only 1 reason to go through your congressperson's office to schedule a tour - try and schedule a "Dome Tour" - you get to go all the way up to the top of the Dome and outside:



E PL by Ryan Stavely, on Flickr

It's unlikely that you'll get one because the Member is supposed to accompany you, but it's an AWESOME tour (I've never done it, the wife did when she worked there), so it's worth a shot.

If you can't get the Dome Tour, there's no reason to go through a member's office, you'll get a much better tour from the guide service. Some of the wildly incorrect stuff Amy heard from the random interns that members use to give tours is really amusing.

If you want gallery passes, they do have to be arraigned through a Member's office, but (for me) sitting up in the gallery is about as exciting as watching C-Span. It would be worth it to see the chambers, I suppose (I couldn't wrangle a Dome Tour while I was there, but I was able to get onto the House floor with Amy one afternoon when Congress wasn't in session).

You can make the reservation yourself online: http://tours.visitthecapitol.gov/

All of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall are awesome - my favorite is Air and Space, but American History has some really cool stuff too. If you're going to rent a car (and you're into aviation), it's worth a drive out to Dulles airport to visit the Udvar-Hazy Center to see the Space Shuttle (and many, many more aircraft).

I wasn't as much a fan of the Spy museum.

I haven't been yet, but I've heard that the Newseum is pretty excellent.

It's one of the most depressing ways to spend an afternoon, but the Holocaust Museum should be a "must do" for anyone visiting the area.

 

[bmorechris]

Everytime I drive into the city by way of New York Ave and pass this hotel along with the others in the area, i just think to myself what a shock the poor schlubs who have booked these hotels get when they arrive. Not exactly what most people think of when they think Washington DC, the nations capital! As others have said, its far from Metro, there are no food options, its not an area you want to walk around at night, its right on a major commuter route (essentially a highway), right next to the NEC (ok, maybe a plus for some!)

I don't really have any specific recommendations for hotels unfortunately, since I live in the area I normally don't stay in DC. If you are really thinking of hitting up the major sites, check for deals at hotels in downtown/gallery place area, I would crosscheck them with tripadvisor reports to make sure they aren't terrible. This is a very touristy area, but it would give you access to the major sights along the mall and Metro to get to other areas. Other ideas you could check are Arlington/Clarendon/Ballston areas, they are all along the Orange/Blue Line that will take you directly to the Smithsonian stop on the mall as well as other downtown locations. If staying over a weekend, Crystal city could be affordable, downtown is easily accesible by Metro, and sometimes hotels can be inexpensive here, but its a pretty desolate area on weekends, mostly big gov't contractors in this area.

Suburbs with Metro stops may be options, but consider if you are going to be going back and forth to the city at least once or twice a day, depending on off/on peak Metro fares, that can add up if on the outskirts of town. I'm sure others will have some suggestions, if not you can try to check out washington dc centric travel sites for more info.

Edit to Add:

Things to do

Smithsonian is great, and free.

I have enjoyed the Spy Museum (sometimes a little cheesy but I liked it overall) and the Newseum (ton of interesting stuff there) but both have entrance fees unlike the Smithsonian.

As Ryan recommended above, Holocaust is not exactly fun, but it is important and very worthwhile to see. (In a similar vein, while in Munich last year we took a tour to Dachau concentration camp, again, not what i would call fun but a very moving experience)

Since it will get dark very early the monuments along the mall will be lit up early also, when there are still many people out so you won't feel unsafe walking around the mall (not that it is unsafe anyway).

 

[John Bobinyec]

You might consider the National Zoo, especially if you like giant pandas.

jb

 

[AlanB]

Other than the absolute must-see attractions like the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the National Mall monuments, Library of Congress, etc., what other DC-specific places should we keep in mind for December that should be visited? As it stands now, we're looking at 5-6 days in the city. In addition, does anyone have a reason NOT to stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites on New York Avenue? ($94 a night seems like a pretty darn good deal for DC...)

Looking the Comfort Inn up on the map, there is a reason it is $94 a night. It is a 1.4+ mile walk from the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro station in an area, that while it is getting better, I would be very hesitant to walk at night. That Comfort Inn is in a stretch of motels on NY Avenue that are mainly aimed at people with cars and is not the best neighborhood. If you are planning to use the DC Metro system to get around DC and not get a rental car, I suggest you take a look at hotels across the Potomac in VA near Metro stations in Crystal City, King Street/ Old Town Alexandria, Ballston. Unfortunately the nicer hotels in DC that are close to the Metro stations tend to be rather expensive.

Just take the shuttle that the hotel provides to/from Washington Union Station and you'll be perfectly fine.

 

[Blackwolf]

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone. Its been a very long time since I was last in DC (Reagan was President,) and even then I was really too young to appreciate it.

I have one additional question. Has anyone used the "Add Hotel/Rental Car" link that is found on the Discounts page of the check-out process before? There are several hotel options that are tempting price-wise there as well, and I have to wonder if there are added benefits of any kind in doing a combined check-out. Though I highly suspect this is not the case, it sure would be nice to have some sort of link where, say the connection in Chicago from the CZ to the CL is somehow missed because of a delay and you arrive into DC a day later than originally scheduled, the hotel you're planning on staying at does not flush your whole reservation because of a no-show the first night.

 

[Railroad Bill]

You might want to check out the Hyatt Regency near Union Station. On weekends, their rates are close to $100/night and it is a beautiful and convenient place to stay. Short walk to WAS and the Capitol. Can take Red Line from WAS to various points around town.

The American Indian Museum on the Mall is a place we recommend, Holocaust Museum near the Smithsonian, The U.S. Botanic Garden on the Mall is a neat place with many exotic flowers and trees inside.

 

[afigg]

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone. Its been a very long time since I was last in DC (Reagan was President,) and even then I was really too young to appreciate it.

DC has changed since Reagan was President. The old downtown area, now known as the Penn Quarter and around the Metro Center & Gallery Place Metro stations, has undergone a dramatic revival (IMO) and is now a busy retail and restaurant area. Transportation options have improved a lot with the completion of the Metro system, stuff like the Capital Bike Share system and improved bus services. It you get a rental car, be warned that parking at hotels and in the core part of DC can be pricey.

One advantage of visiting in early December is that it is a slower period for tourist visitors. Can still be pretty crowded, but not quite the crowds of school groups, protest groups, busloads & busloads of tour groups that show up in summer and fall months.

There are so many hotel choices and options that there is no single answer or area I could recommend. As someone who lives in the DC Virginia suburbs, I have not stayed in DC hotels, although I have been some of them for meetings, conferences, etc. While the Comfort Inn may have a shuttle bus, my preference if I were doing it, would be to stay in a hotel within walking distance of a Metro station or, as an option, near a Circulator bus stop, so you don't have to wait for the hotel shuttle bus to show up.

Two links for transit options in DC:

DC Metro. If you are visiting over a weekend, check the weekend track work link as an FYI in case it affects you. The Metro will be running and you can get to every station, even the closed ones, but the track work can delay getting around the city.

DC Circulator bus system. Buses with 10 minute frequencies on fixed loop routes. Has become quite popular in the past several years by filling in the gaps of parts of the city that are not served by the Metro system.

 

[lmctrouble]

We stayed across the river in the Holiday Inn Rosslyn - no DC madness and just.a short Metro ride away. I'd also recommend a visit to the International Spy Museum - not free but reasonable - and if you pay extra you get to go on a secret mission!!

 

[Huskers88]

The "Newseum" is impressive. Everything from actual pieces of the Berlin Wall to a display of every Pulitizer Prize winning newspaper photograph. Well worth the price of admission, which if I recall correctly is only like $10. Some of the views from different parts of the building are very impressive as well.

 

[the_traveler]

I have one additional question. Has anyone used the "Add Hotel/Rental Car" link that is found on the Discounts page of the check-out process before? There are several hotel options that are tempting price-wise there as well, and I have to wonder if there are added benefits of any kind in doing a combined check-out.

although I have not, another AU member I did travel with has in POR. The room rate was higher than what I could get, and be doing so on the Amtrak website, it was non-refundable! I don't know if that is the norm. Needless to say, we paid the higher rate!

 

[TimePeace]

The most impressive and moving place I've been in DC is the Viet Nam Memorial Wall.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

I'd recommend a hotel in Rosslyn too. I stayed in Rosslyn when I was on my fact-finding trip before moving to Alexandria.

First thing to know: Metro is a bear to use on the weekend. Like 15-20 minute headways and closed stations everywhere. If you have a smartphone, get a DC Metro app to look up arrival times before you start heading to a station.

I'm an aerospace guy by trade and by hobby. NASM is showing its age pretty heavily these days, but still worth it. Going out to Dulles is completely worth the expense and time. Its collection puts downtown to shame. Discovery is a hell of a sight. You can't go wrong with the American History Museum (that big green SOU locomotive is in there!), the monument set (hit up WWII and have your picture taken with your state's pillar like everyone else does), head across the Potomac and go to Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps Memorial. Really, you can't go wrong with any of the museums. Duck into the Natural History Museum and see the Hope Diamond. Its actually more impressive than you'd think it would be. The Washington Monument is broken, so you can look but not touch, unfortunately. Look into seeing if the Old Post Office's clocktower is open. Its the tallest not-washington-monument building in DC. Good photo location.

If you're downtown and going to Old Town Alexandria (which is totally worth an afternoon, especially once you hit 4 PM and the museums get close to shutting down for the night), take the Yellow line from L'enfant to King St. It parallels the Long Bridge and the old RF&P main on the surface south of the airport, so you might get some rail fanning in. If you're lucky, you might see the Juice Train. Make the walk down King St. The first few blocks are just offices. It gets better. You'll find somewhere to get dinner in Old Town, I promise. If you don't want to make the hike back from the Potomac to King St, there's a free shuttle. Take a peak at the ALX station too. I love that little thing. I might be a bit bias about Old Town (I live in Old Town North!).

Georgetown might be worth it too. It never wowed me, but the ladyfolk sure seem to like the sorts of stuff that's over in Georgetown.

There's a lot of very specific things around the city that most people don't know about or bother to see. Like the Navy memorial at Penn Quarter. Its pretty neat, in my opinion. If you can find the WWI memorial, you're a better sleuth than most people.

Lastly, if there's a sort of food you're looking for, post in this here thread and I (and knowing what other people around here are like) will steer you towards something.

 

[Ashland Train Enthusiast]

1. Ford 's Theatre, which has a terrific new museum, the Center for Education and Leadership--a look at the legacy of Lincoln's assassination--included in the tour. Need to book as far in advance as possible, though the time period during which you plan to visit will be the least crowded time of the year.

I'd concur with this one, this is one place that's really worked to improve its offerings over the past couple of years; a college friend of mine has recently worked in their promotions office, and just the work they've put into it when I last visited was evident.

3. The Archives itself has a special exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis as the 50th anniversary was last month. It's impressive and makes you think of many what-ifs.

4. The Smithsonian's Museum of American History, which has lots of great exhibits, including a vintage Southern Railway locomotive and related railroad memorabilia in its collection.

Both good choices, and especially if you go in the middle of the week early enough in December, crowds should be light. Haven't seen the Cuban Missile Crisis exhibit at the Archives yet, but last time I went with family over the summer, they had a really interesting exhibit on Food in American Culture, with quite a few really interesting primary source documents.

A little more eclectic is the Henry Clay Inn in Ashland, VA which might interest you for one or two nights during your stay.

...

http://www.henryclayinn.com/

My fiancee and I stayed here for several nights back in August, and it was really quite pleasant, both the inn and the town. I think the station might hold the record for the unstaffed station with the most trains that both stop and pass through it, and for railfans, in the visitors center (staffed by town volunteers), they have a timesheet of both freight and Amtrak movements through the town that is updated fairly frequently. The entire town is walkable, as we just took a regional down and back, so if you don't fancy being in DC for the entire time, this is definately an option. If you do go, there's a trackside restaurant by the name of Iron Horse that had delicitible fare when we visited, and with giant plate-glass windows looking at the tracks, you can catch a train or two if you time it right

All of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall are awesome - my favorite is Air and Space, but American History has some really cool stuff too. If you're going to rent a car (and you're into aviation), it's worth a drive out to Dulles airport to visit the Udvar-Hazy Center to see the Space Shuttle (and many, many more aircraft).

Going out to Dulles is completely worth the expense and time. Its collection puts downtown to shame. Discovery is a hell of a sight.

I was just out at the Undvar-Hazy center this past weekend with friends, and I will concur that it is a wealth of aircraft; you can only scratch the surface in a one day visit. In addition to driving, the Smithsonian offers a shuttle to and from their location on the mall (unfortunately they wern't able to repurpose Discovery for this purpose :giggle: ).

Look into seeing if the Old Post Office's clocktower is open. Its the tallest not-washington-monument building in DC. Good photo location.

I'd concur in checking out the Old Post Office Clocktower; it's a bit hidden away (as in no flashy signs pointing towards it from the street), so it's a bit less crowded, and on a day with good weather you get a heck of a view.

Given that Nick's put in a plug for his stomping ground, I also wanted to throw out the option of taking the Red line 5 stops and 14 minutes north to Silver Spring, which has revitalized it's downtown in the past decade to make it a quite walkable community, with several brand-name hotels within half of a mile of the METRO station, as well as a variety of dining, drinking, shopping, and entertainment establishments that are all walkable. It also tends to be less crowded than some of the other locations presented, however in the offseason such as you are thinking of visiting, it won't be that much of a difference.

I know others have said this before, but if you have any other questions, feel free to throw them out here or in the Destinations forum, and we'll be happy to answer!

~ DCTE

 

[Blackwolf]

Thanks again! Looks like the trip is a go, not withstanding unforeseen hiccups. I may get in touch with a few specific individuals for further questions if/when they arise, but I've taken the information as a whole up until this point and written it all down in a notebook.

We're going round-trip on the train, in sleeper both ways. California Zephyr to the Capital Limited outbound, and Cardinal to California Zephyr back home.

We'll be staying in an Executive Level room at the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosslyn. A total of 6 days in DC and 6 days on the train.

We can't wait to head out!

 

[Ryan]

Sounds like a great plan. Certainly don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

 

[greatcats]

I have visited Washington many times and always have an interesting time. My tastes are a bit more specialized, but I have not seen these mentioned in this thread: Washington National Cathedral. Go for a leisurely look or take in a service, or perhaps the AEvensong in late afternoon, followed on most Sundays by an organ recital. I consider it the most beautiful man made place in America. If you are into music or theater, go to the Kennedy Center, which is now more than forty years old, and is a wonderful venue.

 

[greatcats]

And I would agree with the others about not staying on New York Avenue. There are many other good possibilities.

 

[benjibear]

While I enjoyed going through the Newseum, I kept thinking I had to pay when there are many free things to do in Washington..

For a nice view, skip the long lines at the Washington Monument and go to the old post office tower. That is free and gives a pretty nice view.

For something really emotional, go to the Holocaust museum. It is very good and will make you think. This place gets really busy in the summer so the winter is a perfect time.

Something small is the Smithsonian Postal Museum. It traces the history of the US postal service. Last time I was there, it made me think how much longer will the post office survive. This is right across from the station.

 

[ParrotRob]

I wouldn't walk around New York Avenue in broad daylight, much less at night.