<p>So, I am a city driving wimp, and I don’t know DC at all. But D wants to visit American U and we will be in Virginia. Can anyone suggest…a hotel near the subway on the outskirts of town…a foolproof route in? A better way of looking at the problem? Thank you!</p>
<p>American is in a neighborhood that is very suburban in feel. There’s a parking garage right on campus (well across the street from the main campus) where you can park for free with a pass from the admissions office. Are you sure you don’t want to drive in? If you are coming from Virginia and want a less scary route in try to come from the southwest and take the Chain Bridge over the Potomac. That’s easier than Key Bridge. I don’t know hotels as we stay with my sister-in-law.</p>
<p>Gwen, a lot of it depends on where in VA you are staying! If you want to be close to Metro and AU, you are almost better off staying at the Hyatt or Hilton Garden Inn in Bethesda, both of which are within walking distance to the Red Line and get you to the AU Metro station.</p>
<p>Chain Bridge has been under fairly continuous construction for the past couple of months and has been closed from time to time, mainly on the weekends. Check Wash Post to see if there are any current updates (try “Dr. Gridlock”). </p>
<p>I work nearby, so PM me if you have specific Qs.</p>
<p>Just about any hotel in Alexandria or South Alexandria (Alexandria part of Fairfax County) will take you to the Huntington or King Street Metro stops. I generally don’t mind driving in DC (am in Northern Va) but AU is a trip I would try to avoid.</p>
<p>Gwen,
If you are not staying with friends or family in Virginia, follow CountingDown’s advice and stay in Bethesda on the Red Line.</p>
<p>The Virginia Metro lines are Blue (National Airport area)/Yellow or Orange (along the Courthous/Ballston/Falls Church corridor). Either will require a transfer to the Red Line.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone-- we’re coming from Winchester VA, so it looks like Bethesda makes the most sense. I’ll check those two hotels and go from there. Thank you!</p>
<p>Yes, 66 east to 495 north to 355 south to Bethesda; but if you are willing to drive there, I’d just go directly to AU, stay nearby and get the feel of the neighborhood. The suburban part of DC you’d be driving in is nowhere near ‘downtown’ or ‘the mall’.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.american.edu/admissions/pdf/upload/Directions-to-AU.pdf[/url]”>http://www.american.edu/admissions/pdf/upload/Directions-to-AU.pdf</a></p>
<p>AU’s neighborhood will not feel surburban to anyone who lives in suburbia. True, it is less built up than downtown, but it still has crazy drivers, dense traffic, narrow lanes that disappear suddenly and traffic circles that range from tightly controlled to chaotic. </p>
<p>That being said, the 66 East to the Beltway to Wisconsin Ave (355) route can have VERY bad traffic. Try to avoid the afternoons because rush hour can start at 2 PM. Earlier on Fridays. Bethesda is a real treat. There’s a free shuttle that goes around, and many, many good restaurants.</p>
<p>Your fastest route from Winchester MAY be to go North through Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, towards Frederick, MD, then South to Bethesda (VA route 7 East to US 340 North to I-70 East to I-270 South). From my apartment in Rockville to Shenandoah U main campus it is less than 90 minutes. Of course, everything depends on the time of day. Going toward DC before 9 AM is not good no matter what your route would be.</p>
<p>Also near the Red Line in Rockville, are the Hilton Hotel next to Twinbrook Metro Station, and the Legacy Hotel across the street from the Hilton.</p>
<p>AU has a free shuttle from the Tenleytown Metro station to campus that runs about every ten minutes. Check AU’s website for details.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on your suburbia. My suburbia looks exactly like the neighborhood around American. That said, I agree that DC’s traffic circles take some getting used to. We always come in on Connecticut Avenue which is less crazy than Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Are you only visiting AU, or are you visiting GWU/Gtown or other locations as well?<br>
Are you hoping to do any DC sightseeing, or is this an in-and-out trip?</p>
<p>Just an alternative I throw out there for consideration since you are a “city-driving wimp,” and I would absolutely defer to the DC/NOVA natives upthread for their suggestions.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, we visited all three schools, stayed at a hotel near the Foggy Bottom metro stop (in between the GWU campus and the Watergate) and it was a very easy metro ride to the Tenleytown station and an easy shuttle to the AU campus. It was also an easy jumping-off point for us to go just about anywhere in the city. I find public transportation very easy and usable in DC; in fact, the worst part of our trip was when we rented a car and had to leave the city to get up to Philadelphia – it took us a good hour to get out of the city limits, the traffic was so slow (and this was a Saturday afternoon, not rush hour). </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m a native of DC and would agree with the recommendations to stay in Bethesda. When visiting relatives over New Years we stayed at the Residence Inn. It offers free full breakfast everyday and light dinners during the week. When you are looking at lodging costs, don’t forget to factor in the cost of parking, which can run $20-40/day. Also, look at the map of where the hotel is located - some are not walking distance to the Metro. For this reason, I would NOT recommend any of the hotels that have a Rockville address.</p>
<p>When we visited AU we were in DC without a car visiting GWU on the same trip. I found the metro then shuttle to AU a pain in the neck. In fact, the trip convinced my S that he didn’t want to go there. I guess pizzagirl is more patient than we are.</p>
<p>Hmmm…happymom-- we are coming from Shenandoah, and if it’s only 90 minutes it might be worth finding a commuter rail station where we can park and take a train in-- is there such a thing? (I’ll check the metro site) Thank you!</p>
<p>(We are only seeing American, as D will be a theater major, so we just need to swoop in and out.)</p>
<p>I sent you a PM with some suggested directions. It’ll take more than 90 minutes from Winchester to AU, but it can be a very pretty drive. (Rockville to AU, in my experience, can be 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic, which can be bad. You know you’re from DC when you never drive on Wisconsin Avenue.) If you don’t plan to stay in Washington, then you could come directly from Winchester, park at AU and have your tour, and go on to your next destination.</p>
<p>DC has a later than normal rush hour. Most people don’t get to work until 9am, so if you leave early enough, you can beat it. Alternatively if you plan to arrive at 11am, you should be OK. I would avoid driving in the area between 8:30-10am.</p>
<p>Twice I’ve driven from north of New York City to DC arriving around noon and it really has been an easy drive. No traffic on the beltway, even Wisconsin Ave was fine!</p>
<p>We are driving down on Thursday for the Fri/SAt open house at Gtown. Staying at Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn VA. Any special driving suggestions for getting to the hotel, and I assume a taxi or shuttle over to GTown is easy?</p>
<p>My next thought is how to fit a tour at UMd, where DD is also admitted to honors college and DH has not seen. (DH loves it based on price of course, site unseen. Out of pocket will be 20 grand at UMd vs 52 ++ at Gtown!)</p>
<p>I am trying to decide if we should see Md Thursday afternoon, on the way down, or Sat afternoon on the way back home…but campus likely to be less academic-looking on a Saturday afternoon!</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at the Key Bridge Marriott many times. No need to take a taxi. You can just walk over the Key Bridge and you’re on M Street in Georgetown. Lots of great shopping and fun restaurants. From M St., its just up 2 blocks to O St. Georgetown is at the intersection of 37th and O.</p>
<p>Don’t know if it still runs but there is/was a shuttle from Rosslyn to G-town. Sweettalk them into taking you, but agree the walk over Key Bridge is actually nice. Lot’s of students live in River Place, Rosslyn, and other spots in Arlington.</p>