<p>A friend of mine is planning on visiting me at Georgetown next April, and has booked a hotel in Alexandria, VA (close-by to DCA, which is where he’ll be landing). It’s a 4 day, 3 night visit, with many stops in Georgetown and D.C. in general. </p>
<p>What’s the most prudent course of action? Rent a Car or Hailing a Taxi?</p>
<p>Also, I have booked (thank god for Priceline) for Parents’ weekend, in which my father will be attending for the hosted SFS P-Weekend. Somehow, by the mercy of the Internet, I managed to book the Wyndham Washington D.C. Hotel for an incredible price; same question: have him taxi back-and-forth to Georgetown or would renting a car be the better option? (He will be staying for 3 days, 2 nights, also landing in DCA). </p>
<p>Thanks in advance! I will be leaving in ** one week ** for the Hilltop! (Wow, time has passed so fast! But these next six days will be incredibly unbearable)… Thank you for the wonderful support of the CC parents!!</p>
<p>tlaktan - Is your father’s hotel the one on M Street? Definitely no car for him, imho. Just a hassle. While taxis are not as omnipresent in DC as they are in Manhattan, they are pretty readily available, as is the metro which is a wonderful option. With that in mind, no car for the friend either. A car is truly just an expense and hassle to park and drive. Public transport is good in DC, so they may not even need taxis at all.</p>
<p>Others will probably even chime in with the exact Metro stops, but my memory isn’t that good, since I’m a DC native but not a current resident. By the time your friend gets there, you’ll know all the stops yourself. </p>
<p>DCA is so convenient, too. I always seem to end up at Dulles, which is “out there.”</p>
<p>Yes! jmmom! My father’s hotel is the one on M Street. How is the hotel, if you don’t mind me asking? From looking at the website, it looks like quite a steal! ($67 a night…) I’m quite excited at the prospect of seeing some familiar faces close to the future…</p>
<p>Also, the hotel my friend will be staying at is the Holiday Inn @ Alexandria, if you have any comments about that particular hotel too. I hear Alexandria is quite beautiful.</p>
<p>I’d say rely mostly on Metro and use a taxi if needed, especially since DCA has a stop. For the Wyndham, take the blue line towards Largo Town Center and get off McPherson Square.</p>
<p>A friend of mine who worked at Georgetown last summer said there was a shuttle between the uni and the DuPont Circle metro station. I’m not sure if this is only for GTown IDed persons only, however.</p>
<p>tlaktan - I agree that your father shouldn’t get a rental car. In addition to the hassle, parking at hotels can be quite expensive in DC. The parking fees will probably be far more than cab rides. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that Georgetown does not have a metro stop. The closest stop is Foggy Bottom/GWU. This is a good walk from Georgetown U. But the fall weather can be spectacular, so walks can be great. Otherwise, you could combine metro and cabs.</p>
<p>There are two, if not three, Holiday Inns in Alexandria. None are particularly close to the metro, but one might not be too far away - 3/4 mile or so.</p>
<p>True there is no Metro stop in Georgetown, but the bus system in DC is good as well. A combination of walking, Metro, buses, and taxis should be fine. Your friend might be better off trying to find a hotel in the city or in Arlington, VA near the Key Bridge which is just a walk into Georgetown. That area of Arlington has buses that come right into Georgetown.</p>
<p>I would take the metro… it’s a lot more reasonably priced than the taxi. you can probably get off and walk to where you need to walk to. DC is fairly easy to navigate.</p>
<p>Most DC hotels charge $25/day for parking (in my experience). Add that to the $25/day for a very cheap rental car (before taxes etc.) and you can take a LOT of taxis any time you want, even if you don’t like the Metro or buses.</p>
<p>DC is a very walkable city, as well. Things are actually quite close to each other. I remember walking from National Airport to Georgetown once when it snowed so hard that all flights were cancelled (after I got to the airport) and taxis were impossible to find. (Yes, I had boots and a friend to walk with.)</p>
<p>metro and taxi for sure. I just got back from DC for the first time sice 911…since I had lived in DC before, I knew the streets and directions, but was still astounded at the traffic – rivals Manhattan at rush hour. Of course, all my old short-cuts were eliminated due to new security.</p>
<p>Hi:
We live in Virginia and travel up to DC for culture etc. Quikbook.com is a good booking agent for the DC hotels and allows cancellations but read the small print…also they tend to sell only one bedded and smaller rooms, so call the hotels directly when needed to inquire. Boutique hotels are good for single travelers or couples…trendy and small with good price breaks. For two bedded rooms for families, try the Jury hotels at D Circle. Very generic large rooms and well run. In fact, I always book at hotels with access to Dupont Circle because there is the huge Marriott, the two Jury’s Hotels and numerous boutique sized hotels all near a great Metro stop close to the Smithsonian stops. Dupont Circle has a great small art museum, Woodrow Wilson’s retirement home and all the Embassies…Embassy Row. Dupont is on a very convenient big Metro stop surrounded by good cheap or chic places to eat. It is not “dead” at night as is Foggy Bottom for instance, so it is safe to get out in evenings, and you can jump on a Metro the next morning and meet friends on the very strollable Mall. Lunch is always great in the basement with the waterfalls at the National Gallery of Art. But at 5pm you had better be in a different sector of DC as the Mall area is suddenly dead as it is not residential.
The Old Town Alexandria Holiday Inn hotel (be careful which one you booked) is quite lovely on cobblestone streets with plenty to see and do, but it is no where near any Metro so therefore is a huge pain if you plan to take relations to the Smithsonian and the Mall.<br>
Check Fodors.com for reviews and client comments.
For Mall visitors who want to tour while you study, book them into the Holiday Inn on the Mall…it is generic but can’t be beat for location. Then you can find your way to them. Also the Loew’s Enfant Plaza is one block off the mall and has a great view of the Smithsonian and good weekend price drops. Very nice but large hotel. However, it is a bit Lonesome in blocks of vacant federal offices on empty weekends. There really is no where to eat except at the hotels within a walk of the Mall at night.<br>
Georgetown is not good for Metro service and neither is Alexandria. But both have bustling lunch crowds of shoppers and lunch dining. I would post this question at your college chat room and let old hands in your student crowd recommend how to best house visitors. I would say house them in Dupont Circle as first choice, then near the Mall, and you go to them for the day. Then you can all hop the Metro to get elsewhere from the Mall easily. Time to buy a used Fodors or Frommers on ebay. Going to college in our nation’s capitol makes you an unofficial “host.” And you are not going to be able to spend all that time with everyone but you will want to give them direction.</p>