<p>The Red Line seems pretty safe to me (but then I live in Rockville and take it all the time). If two or three young people who are used to travelling are taking it together, they should be fine. They just need to pay attention to the schedule so that they don’t miss the last train! They can plan all their trips using the Metro website: <a href=“http://www.wmata.com/[/url]”>http://www.wmata.com/</a></p>
<p>“mini – you bad, bad soul! I have no doubt I will still be here on the 22nd.”</p>
<p>Hey, I’m not going anywhere, and I’m taking care of the pets.</p>
<p><a href=“http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/[/url]”>http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/</a></p>
<p>Amsie – Make it clear that they should have enough cash for the Metro machines…they don’t always take credit cards. And the kids should have some kind of credit card…'cause the machines don’t always take cash!</p>
<p>Two or three young women traveling together should not have any trouble taking the Metro to the Bethesda stop in the evening. It’s not particularly scary or deserted there. Just keep your fingers crossed that the escalator is operating properly. Bethesda is one of the deepest underground stations in the Metro. Having to climb the stairs there is one of life’s unique experiences. </p>
<p>And remember that the Metro doesn’t run all night. Here’s where you get Metro information [Metro</a> - Home page](<a href=“http://www.wmata.com%5DMetro”>http://www.wmata.com)</p>
<p>In addition to my suggestion for Crystal City, some of the hotels I’ve stayed in over the past few years in D.C. have been Hilton Garden Inn on 14th St which is well situated as well as the Courtyard Marriott, opposite the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery. Both are close to metro and have easy access to all with lots of restaurants. I also like the Hyatt Regency Capital Hill-good location, walking distance to Union Station, nice pool also after a long day out and about.</p>
<p>Thank you all for these hotel recs by the Metro. We are going to try to get to DC in early August, though it’s brutally hot, to see the American History Museum and the Dulles Air Museum, but we will fly in and out of BWI, so Bethesda area hotels just may be the way to go.</p>
<p>My husband and I first visited DC about 17 years ago when I attended a friend’s wedding in Silver Spring. We took the Metro down to DC and stayed at the Hyatt Grand, where movie stars would stay, and there was a gorgeous piano in the lobby. I remember being disappointed that there was no pool. But I also remember that the location was fantastic. We saw lots of the art museums, as well as everything on the mall. It probably costs a mint now, and I don’t even know if the hotel is still there, but I remember that we did a lot with no car at all.</p>
<p>I just checked Hotwire, and you can get a good 3-star hotel in either Rockville, MD or Dulles Airport for $68/night (plus taxes, fees, tips, drinks, meals, travel, rain gear, cosmetics, sundries, etc.). Longish Metro ride though.</p>
<p>Newhope: I thought about hotwire but the problem is the distance from the hotel to a metro stop. A long ride once on the metro is not too bad but I don’t want a hotel that is not close to a metro stop.</p>
<p>I just talked to a couple of young ladies who used a hostel in DC last weekend. They said it was very clean, well located and $35 a night. My 23 year old son has been traveling around Europe couch surfing and staying in hostels. It’s a safe, fun way to travel.</p>
<p>Especially with three young ladies traveling alone, I think proximity to a metro stop is important. Once you’re on the train, I would hope you’re relatively safe. I wouldn’t want to walk a few blocks to my hotel, no matter the neighborhood, if I’m taking the last train back to my hotel. There are some fairly inexpensive, for DC, hotels in Alexandria and beyond, even, that we considered for our DC trip, just because they could get us to a metro stop. Since we couldn’t find lodging in walking distance to the Mall, and were going to have to take a Metro, no matter what, the proximity to the actual stop became a more important factor in choosing a hotel. I considered a new Spring Hill or other smaller Marriott property, that was in a tech area, because it had king beds and large rooms to accommodate the three of us, and was a great price, but I could not find any tripadvisor reviews, so I opted for the more expensive Pentagon City property if we would have made our trip.</p>
<p>The DoubleTree on Wisconsin in Bethesda (4 block walk to metro station on the Red Line) has excellent rates if you mention American University. Ask for the AU rate…I stayed there recently for $169/night on weeknights, including breakfast, and for only $105/night for Friday and Saturday nights, also including breakfast.</p>
<p>Regarding Metro Safety – Sometimes, esp. late at night, there can be some rowdy/drunk/rude people. The girls should stay close to the doors, prepared to get out of one car and move to another. No one can move between the cars while the train is in motion. So if there’s an obstreperous person or group making them uncomfortable, they can just change cars. There’s time between the opening of a door and the closing bell.</p>
<p>DH and I had this problem. The hotel rates were through the roof for the dates we needed in Washington DC. I kept checking, and I was able to get a hotel room in a great location through Hotwire. It turned out to be a lovely hotel, and an absolute bargain at $89.</p>