<p>Son will be headed to the 4H Center for a program later this month. He’ll be taking Amtrak down to Wash DC. The people at 4H suggested a cab from Union Station to Chevy Chase (easier than the subway + bus option).
Any locals out there who can tell us if it’s easy to get a cab nearby? Also, how long is the drive to Chevy Chase – am guessing about 15 minutes? Any tips would be appreciated.</p>
<p>There’s a long queue of cabs right outside Union Station. D.C. is on a zoned system for cab fares…the zones are set by Congress and, funny thing, every place you want to go in Northwest D.C. is in the same zone. Chevy Chase is across the line in Maryland, of course, and I don’t recall what the rate would be. At a guess, $20 should cover it because even Upper Northwest wasn’t that expensive. I’d allow a little longer than 15 minutes…more like 20-30.</p>
<p>Isp, I am not sure how often you use Amtrak but depending on your son’s boarding point of origin you might want to consider getting the reserved vs. the unreserved train. It’s more expensive but if he is boarding very far after Boston sometimes it is standing room only.</p>
<p>Thanks, both-- We’re happy to give him any info ahead of time just so he knows what to expect.
We already bought the unreserved seat. Had no idea they got that crowded 
It’s a 10 AM Express from Penn Station in NYC, so hopefully the rush of business travelers will be on their way by then. We’d better plan on getting there early, though. Thanks for the heads up!</p>
<p>Well…at 10:00 a.m. I’m thinking he should be fine - I have boarded out of Penn Station on the last unreserved train of the business day going to Washington, and either got very, very lucky or else another passenger offered me their seat. The people boarding in Philadelphia were out of luck though - my recollection is what happens is it fills in Boston, so it’s full or nearly so by the time it gets to New York. But 10:00 - you’re right, there should be places to sit.</p>
<p>If he has any significant luggage I would definitely say cab it to 4H, but otherwise, depending on traffic he might be better off taking the metro (red line) to Silver Spring and a cab from there. But I defer to anyone with recent local experience.</p>
<p>I thought that all of the seats on all Amtrak trains are reserved. Our family constantly rides Amtrak, and they always have reserved seats - that’s the only option available. Also, just to clarify - there is Chevy Chase DC and also Chevy Chase, MD.</p>
<p>Maybe there’s a difference between express/metroliner service and the regular trains? I do remember my mother once telling me that she couldn’t find a seat until a conductor finally found her a spot in the dining car, but that was the day before Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>
Chevy Chase, DC and Chevy Chase, MD. There are two. Adjacent to each other. Also, it’s not quite true that ALL of NW Washington, DC is in one zone. But I get TheDad’s reference - pretty much anywhere the legislators want to go on a routine basis is within one zone ;).</p>
<p>If he is headed to the National 4H Center, I believe it’s on Connecticut Avenue - in Maryland, not far over the DC line. </p>
<p>All in all, he should have no trouble getting a taxi. How well the driver speaks English is another question, but he still should be fine. It’s a pretty well-known building.</p>
<p>if he doesnt have any luggage, he could take the red line to friendship heights and then a cab from there. If the place is on conn avenue it might even be walkable</p>
<p>yes, yes, and yes… I used to live there. In fact, on Chevy Chase Parkway! (D.C.) But that was a long time ago.</p>
<p>I found a good map that overlays the metro system with a street map. Not walking distance, but Friendship Hghts and Bethesda would be closer than Silver Spring.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wmata.com/maps/metrorail_street_map.cfm[/url]”>Maps | WMATA;
<p>The 4H people said cabbies would know the location, but he’ll have the address just in case. I used to go down for work occasionally, but just to Rosslyn, and have forgotten the area.</p>
<p>JMM, no, G’town, for instance, is generously outside the inner Northwest zone. And, iirc, the inner northwest zone boundary runs just a little north of Dupont Circle…once I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get a cab until I realized that I was standing about 10 feet inside the boundary and looking “inward.”</p>
<p>I glanced at a boundary map when we were in D.C. back in July but it was an idle inspection as that’s how the three of us were getting around when we didn’t want to hassle parking except those times when the metro worked for our needs.</p>
<p>Ispf72<
Reservations are required for Amtrak Regional train travel. <a href=“Amtrak”>Amtrak; The FAQ describes the exceptions to this rule.</p>
<p>Hi! We were just out Connecticut Ave. (and the 4-H Center) last night–and I used to live about 3 blocks from there. It would be about 1/2 hour from Union Station by cab, but could take longer depending on the traffic. Cabs are priced by zones within the District. It’s true that the 4-H Center is in Maryland, but it is only 1 mile from Chevy Chase Circle, which is the roundabout that divides Chevy Chase, DC from Chevy Chase, MD. The closest Metro station is the Bethesda Station, which is on Wisconsin Ave, which runs parallel to Connecticut and is about 2 miles away. It is on the Red Line, straight out from Union Station, and there are usually cabs all over that area because it is downtown Bethesda and very busy with businesses, shops and restaurants. It is too far to walk to the 4-H Center from that Metro!</p>
<p>People at Union Station (ask the Amtrak personnel) are pretty helpful with directions about getting to the Metro platforms. Signs for the trains are pretty easy to figure out, and Metro employess are there to answer questions. </p>
<p>Good luck! If your son seems nervous about the Metro thing–just take a cab. He’ll see more of the sights than he would on Metro!!</p>