Washingto DC Trip Planned (This post has no guitar content)

[TonyT]

Sara and I are planning to head to DC this summer for 4 or 5 days. She doesn't move very well, so we're looking at renting a scooter or something. The Smithsonian is our main attraction, but we'll see what else she feels like doing. We won't be renting a car. Anybody have any thoughts on hotels close to the Smith? Or any other tips? We haven't traveled since it became hard for her to walk, and I'm a worrier by nature, but I'm trying to chill out and make sure she has as good of a time as possible, cause her daily life ain't all that great. She isn't wheelchair bound, but walks very slowly and painfully with a cane. And of course, we need to keep costs as reasonable as possible.

I would appreciate any and all comments.

TT

 

[killdeer43]

I haven't been to DC in over 20 years, and the Smithsonian is a good place to spend a lot of time. But I can say that the Vietnam Memorial (The Wall) is as moving as anything there.

Whatever you end up doing, have as good a time as you can and safe travels to you and Sara. :wink:

Joe

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Tony: the Smithsonian is spread around the Mall in several buildings ... the Mall is the physical heart of 'Monumental' Washington; the US Capital to the east, Federal offices to the south, the Ellipse/Washington Monument/Lincoln Memorial to the west, and up-scale offices/more Federal buildings to the north (I've also spotted up the International Spy Museum at the top ... just is case you're interested):

There are no budget-class accommodations within easy distance. Most of the hotels in the immediate area cater to the expense account crowd; defense contractors, lobbyists, and other people doing business with the Government. The blue 'M' in the lower left-center is the subway/Metro station but metro means escalators (they also have elevators), turnstyles, but you are on your own when it comes to a place to sit comfortably.

This is link to a listing of hotels in downtown Washington. Several are world-class like the Hay Adams but most cater to business travelers ... who commonly have somebody else footing the bill. One suggestion would be to look/Google hotels in nearby Northern Virginia in the Rosslyn, Courthouse, and Crystal City areas; these are places that have developed around metro stations and have hotels in the immediate area; more of these hotels are likely to cater to tourists.

If you can get to the Mall, it has little jitney buses that are there to help people get from one destination to another on the Mall. It's hard for me to imagine the obstacles you two might have to overcome but in the last 40 years, the cityscape has been transformed from the vestiges of a sleepy 2nd-tier southern city to a breath-taking world-class vista rivaling places like Paris, Moscow, and Munich. If you think you've found a few hotels that might do, either post them here or drop them in a PM. Good luck; I hope your trip works out.

... or you can crash on Frono's couch ... he and Ms. Frono wouldn't be that far away.

Best wishes. John

 

[walrus]

I went there last summer with my son. I'd try to see the Natioal Archives, too. Also, we really enjoyed the open top bus tour at night. Goes to each monument, and its much cooler at night. For me, that was our only problem, it is pretty hot there in the summer, considering all the walking you do. I agree that staying close by is worth the extra money.

A scooter sounds like a great idea for anyone with trouble walking, especially in the summer heat.

walrus

 

[fronobulax]

... or you can crash on Frono's couch ... he and Ms. Frono wouldn't be that far away.

Best wishes. John

*snicker*

Most people who have tried it have been overcome by the logistics. Metro is not especially convenient from here and there is the whole elevator/escalator thing to deal with. Let's not talk about traffic if you have a car and want to be in DC in time to park and be at an attraction when it opens.

What CapnJuan said is basically true about accommodations. The closer you are to The Mall in DC the more you are likely to pay. You trade off the time to get places, for lower costs, by looking for something near a Metro stop. When I worked in Crystal City there was a lot of evidence of bus loads of school aged people staying in the local hotels and using Metro to get to DC. Crystal City is also convenient to National Airport which should be your preferred choice if you are flying and don't want to rent a car. Before you decide flights to Dulles are cheaper, include the dollar cost of an airport shuttle or taxi to get close to DC and the fact that the recommended arrival time is three hours before a domestic flight leaving in peak hours compared to one hour at National.

 

[kitniyatran]

If you're looking for good live entertainment while in DC, you might want to check the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. Here should be a link to the calender:
http://www.birchmere.com/calendar/calendar_list.cfm

 

[mikelhenry]

Tony:

There are no hotels that I can think of within easy reach of any of the Smithsonian's on the mall. Near my office, there are several within several blocks of the mall but it is still several blocks to the museums themselves. On 14th St. is the J.W. Marriott and across the street from that, facing Pennsylvania is the Willard Intercontinental where most of the dignitaries stay when they visit. On the back of the Willard, facing 15th St. is the Hotel Washington, a "W" hotel where a lot of the rock stars and other celebrities stay. The rooftop restaurant has a beautiful view of the Washington Monument and the western end of the mall. On the more reasonable price side is the Hilton Garden Inn on 14th St, near H.

Any of these would have access to the Metro Subway so you could easily get to the "Smithsonian" station where you'll have easy access to the mall museums. For the first three you would use the "Metro Center" stop and travel two stops to the Smithsonian on either the Orange or Blue lines. For the Hilton Garden, I believe this is right across the street (the others are blocks from the Metro Center stop) from the McPherson Square station and you would ride three stops to the Smithsonian station. As long as the elevators are working you will have no problems with the scooter, but Metro is notorious for outages and taking forever to enact repairs.

I agree that the Birchmere is a great place to see music, but the venue is not very convenient to the subway. I went there last week to see Nancy Griffith and had to transfer to a bus to get there. I am not sure the buses run down that road when the concerts let out. Iona also often has some great shows, but is not on the subway line either.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Gypsy and I rode to D.C. last summer. Road Construction was horrendous, which means spending the extra $ to stay close will be worth it. Plus, security in these hotels is better as well. Another upside to the higher end hotels would be cleanliness.

Personally I'm not a fan of any larger metro area but I can get in and out much easier on a motorcycle so a scooter is a good idea. All the roads are busy but for the most part it's not hard to get around (sans construction). It's been my experience that drivers are a helluva lot more courteous than most big cities I've been to.

Peace

 

[TonyT]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the info. Much planning to be done. And welcome, Mike Henry, to LTG.

 

[P-E-Z]

Sara and I are planning to head to DC this summer for 4 or 5 days. She doesn't move very well, so we're looking at renting a scooter or something. The Smithsonian is our main attraction, but we'll see what else she feels like doing. We won't be renting a car. Anybody have any thoughts on hotels close to the Smith? Or any other tips? We haven't traveled since it became hard for her to walk, and I'm a worrier by nature, but I'm trying to chill out and make sure she has as good of a time as possible, cause her daily life ain't all that great. She isn't wheelchair bound, but walks very slowly and painfully with a cane. And of course, we need to keep costs as reasonable as possible.

I would appreciate any and all comments.

TT

I don't getting to DC but the Capitol Limited is old Baltimore Ohio line for Amtrak.
The scenary is amazing!!

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Bikerdoc, I think Tony was refering to this kind of scooter;

One suggestion if Metro navigation isn't out of the question, is to stay in Bethesda Maryland. There's a lot of decent priced hotels and a bunch of great restaurants. There's a metro station there. You take the red line to Metro Center and change trains onto the blue line which takes you right to the metro station on the Mall next to the Smithsonian.

A small "Scooter" shouldn't be much trouble on the Metro.

My girlfriend's sister lives in Silver Spring and we take the Metro into the city whenever we're down there. You can also take the red line to the National Zoo! (Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan or Cleveland Park stops)

 

[TonyT]

This is the best map I've seen yet. Gracias.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Guilds of Grot said:

Bikerdoc, I think Tony was refering to this kind of scooter

:lol: :lol: Yes, I was aware of that and even easier to get around on that what I ride.

Peace

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Sorry Doc! I thought since you had motorcycle and scooter in the same sentence you were thinking along these lines.

That would be a cool way to zip around DC though!

 

[TonyT]

Just found out that no scooter's allowed in the Smithsonian. Bummer.

 

[fronobulax]

Just found out that no scooter's allowed in the Smithsonian. Bummer.

Segway? Wheelchair?

 

[spiderman]

Finally a subject I can address with some relevance. My son lives in DC near Union Station, and used to work on the edge of the Mall. The Mall is immense, not just a few blocks long. Photographs make it seem a lot smaller than it is. The first time my son took me to the Capitol Steps (pre 9/11) at night, I could barely see Lincoln at the other end of the Mall. The Mall lengthwise is just under 2 miles long, The Washington Monument marks the rough midpoint of the Mall.My guess is its about a quarter of a mile wide. Be sure and look at a map before you go.
My wife is disabled, but since we had a driver (my son) we could do the tourist driving route. Since my son lives on the second floor of a no elevator building we stayed at the Phoenix Park Hotel just off Union Station. The experience was generally OK and less expensive than I expected. One thing to watch for is the beds, they were about 10 feet off the floor, well not quite but very high. It was a challenge to get into them.
The Metro is a wonderful subway system, but is not very disabled friendly, again we had our son as a chauffeur.
I was not aware of the anti-scooter policy in the museums. Some less well known outdoor attractions:
The Hirschorn Sculpture Garden - good assortment of often quirky pieces.
The Korean War Memorial - often neglected, but a powerful place.
The FDR Memorial - off to the side and less often visited.
My favorite outdoor attraction: Einstein Memorial - just off the Mall, on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences. A giant bronze sculpture of the physicist, at his feet is a stylized map of the universe. People often sit in his lap and read.
Favorite indoor attraction: National Botanical Garden - quite small but with an upper walkway in the main exhibit, which may be elevator accessible. Lots of small rooms, including one for orchids, one for endangered species. Across the street is the Bartholdi Gardens a lovely little landscaped triangular plot, with lots of benches.
Restaurant food is incredibly varied - Ethiopian, German, Indian, Japanese, Soul, etc.. One example of the more eclectic ones is the Star and Shamrock serving up Jewish and Irish specialties in a pub setting.
As with any urban area take heed. Certain areas that are fine during the day can be problematic at night. If uncertain ask your hotel and trust your instincts. You will run into a fair number of homeless and panhandlers, but they never gave me any grief.
I never expected to enjoy the city as much as I did, I look forward to every visit (in addition to my son).

Harmony H-173 bought in 1960 (retired), Alvarez AC60S 2008, Eastman AC320ce 2008 "Hybrid", Guild D25M 1974, Martin Grand J35E 2009, Martin D12-20 1970, Martin OM-21 2009, Martin 00-15M Custom (full gloss, wide neck) 2011, Voyage-air VAOM-06 2010
"I'm glad there are a lot of guitar players pursuing technique as diligently as they possibly can, because it leaves this whole other area open to people like me."
Richard Thompson

 

[capnjuan]

Just found out that no scooter's allowed in the Smithsonian. Bummer.

Did you ask about wheelchairs? They might have them available.

 

[fronobulax]

Just found out that no scooter's allowed in the Smithsonian. Bummer.

Did you ask about wheelchairs? They might have them available.

Hmmm.

From here, referring to the National Museum of Natural History:

By law, service animals and power scooters are allowed in the Museum.

From the same page, an access map:

Part of the issue may be that "The Smithsonian" is actually an umbrella entity that includes several museums and a large number of geographical locations. While many of those locations are in downtown DC near The Mall, the National Air and Space museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Virginia near Dulles Airport, for example.

Policies may not be consistent across individual museums because of their unique circumstances or it may be that the "magic words" indicating that a powered scooter is a medical necessity were not uttered.

 

[TonyT]

I knew if I put you pitbulls on this you'd help me get to the bottom of it. I'm back on the attack.