All things Baltimore

[mskaufman]

You will also have a toll at the Harbor Tunnel and on I-95 at Perryville.

[Terpnut]

I don't agree with this. I live closer to Baltimore but if you stay in this area (Hanover, Elkridge or even further south in Laurel) you will only be 45 minutes away from downtown DC. Silver Spring and Bethesda hotels are much more expensive. Greenbelt hotels can be very sketchy.

 

It can be real hassle to drive and find parking in DC, other than very expensive parking garages. I'd recommend staying in the areas I suggested above as a home base and driving to the Greenbelt Metro station and taking the train into DC. Then you'd avoid traffic but not have to worry about changing hotels the night before your cruise. Greenbelt Metro is only 20 minutes from Elkridge/Hanover and 10-15 minutes from Laurel.

 

Laurel can also be a bit sketchy but if you stick to hotels closer to the Laurel Regional Hospital, they are nicer and newer. I'm not sure if they do park and cruises packages down there.

 

Hanover is home to Arundel Mills Mall, which houses a sprawling outlet mall, mega movie theatre, Medieval Times, Walmart and even a casino. Many hotels to choose from with park and cruise packages. It's only 15-20 minutes to the port from this area. Elkridge is the least expensive and five minutes from Hanover. It's mostly business parks and residential homes.

 

 

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I agree with trixiegal. Take the metro into dc. I also live in the area.

 

I would suggest Hanover over the other areas just because of is more central. Easy access to highways to Baltimore and dc metro. But the mall, movie theatre, etc is good in case the weather stinks and you don't feel like going far. Lots of food options in the area too.

As I too recommend using Metro, the only disagreement then is where to base a hotel for a DC visit. And IMHO, the appropriate place to stay to visit DC depends greatly on just how many days pre-cruise you wish to visit DC. The more DC days, the closer you should stay to DC. If one stays in Hanover or Laurel, you will either be driving 35-45 minutes to drive (assumes NO traffic!) and park downtown, OR you will have to drive 20-25 min to Greenbelt Metro (again, NO traffic) and then an additional 30-45 minute train ride into downtown DC. And all this is EACH WAY. Since the poster has a car, the longer she plans to visit DC, the more beneficial it will be to be closer to DC. My suggestion of staying near a Metro station saves the 30-50 minute daily round-trip from a Baltimore-area hotel to/from the Metro. And again, none of the above even factors in the tremendous risk and hassles of area traffic on either I-95 or the BW Parkway should the visitor be driving anytime near the rush hours! I'm a Washington DC native and commuter, and it seems like you two are Baltimore or Baltimore-area residents so you probably have not had to routinely deal with the drives south to/from and into DC on a regular basis. If you did, you would definitely not want to be commuting or visiting DC regularly from Hanover as a base of operations for full-time DC touring! :) Edited February 5, 2015 by Terpnut

[RubyRuby1939]

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right as only my second time to ask a question. I am flying from the UK to Baltimore to go on the Granduer in September. My question is. Is any one able to tell me how to get from the cruise terminal to a hotel or the airport if there are no taxis at the cruise terminal. Have looked for airport shuttles but they only give information from the airport to the terminal. being in the UK I don not have access to all websites available in the USA. Also I am getting a taxi from my hotel to the terminal, will it drop me off at the terminal or on the outside, so to speak???

Any help great appreciated.

[Terpnut]

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right as only my second time to ask a question. I am flying from the UK to Baltimore to go on the Granduer in September. My question is. Is any one able to tell me how to get from the cruise terminal to a hotel or the airport if there are no taxis at the cruise terminal. Have looked for airport shuttles but they only give information from the airport to the terminal. being in the UK I don not have access to all websites available in the USA. Also I am getting a taxi from my hotel to the terminal, will it drop me off at the terminal or on the outside, so to speak???

Any help great appreciated.

Taxis should be plentiful at the terminal when you dock, and the taxi taking you from your hotel to the port will drop you off directly at the terminal.

[trixiegal]

As I too recommend using Metro, the only disagreement then is where to base a hotel for a DC visit. And IMHO, the appropriate place to stay to visit DC depends greatly on just how many days pre-cruise you wish to visit DC. The more DC days, the closer you should stay to DC. If one stays in Hanover or Laurel, you will either be driving 35-45 minutes to drive (assumes NO traffic!) and park downtown, OR you will have to drive 20-25 min to Greenbelt Metro (again, NO traffic) and then an additional 30-45 minute train ride into downtown DC. And all this is EACH WAY. Since the poster has a car, the longer she plans to visit DC, the more beneficial it will be to be closer to DC. My suggestion of staying near a Metro station saves the 30-50 minute daily round-trip from a Baltimore-area hotel to/from the Metro. And again, none of the above even factors in the tremendous risk and hassles of area traffic on either I-95 or the BW Parkway should the visitor be driving anytime near the rush hours! I'm a Washington DC native and commuter, and it seems like you two are Baltimore or Baltimore-area residents so you probably have not had to routinely deal with the drives south to/from and into DC on a regular basis. If you did, you would definitely not want to be commuting or visiting DC regularly from Hanover as a base of operations for full-time DC touring! :)

 

 

Sigh... Haven't you heard about assumptions??? I'm a Silver Spring native, lived in DC for a few years for college AND in Greenbelt for seven years, so, yeah, all of my info is based on firsthand knowledge. You are making this much more difficult than it is. Guess you're not too familiar with my area and that thousands, YES, thousands of people commute to DC every single day on the BW Parkway from the Baltimore region. It's not that huge of a hassle and we know traffic is bad EVERYWHERE around the Beltway, so staying closer to DC in a Md suburb like Rockville or Bethesda does not guarantee less traffic. Ever been stuck on Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave during rush hour????

 

My advice was making it easier by having ONE HOTEL and not switching around hotels before even stepping foot on a cruise ship. It can be done without even driving to Greenbelt, especially by taking a MARC train from BWI or Dorsey into Union Station. I work in the hospitality industry in this area and hotel prices are very high in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville compared to Elkridge and Hanover. I wouldn't suggest any tourists stay in Greenbelt.

 

If one doesn't want to drive, then stay in DC. Otherwise, you will experience some traffic no matter the time of day and pay for expensive parking garages in the city. Parking for the day at Greenbelt is minimal.

 

 

 

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Edited February 5, 2015 by trixiegal

[bowbiter]

I'll be cruising out of baltimore in sept. And please someone tell me if any of the info I've found is off base. But a train for us, from Philly would be at least $80 each way. And I figure a taxi from the station would be another $20. We've called shuttle services and most are in the $300 range, one way. So we've determined our cheapest option is driving and parking. Figured $20-30 for gas roundtrip. And I believe the two tolls are the bridge and the MD/DE border. Both $4 each way for a total of 16. Parking at the pier I've heard is quite easy and close to the ship. It's $15 a day. So it would be around $140-150 total to drive down and park, including gas and tolls.

 

Driving would be easiest. Tolls roundtrip to Philly from Baltimore is $22 now? I just know it is over $20 now because of increases. Just leave plenty of time to get down. Traffic on 95 is usually OK but sometimes it can be very bad.

[Laney219]

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right as only my second time to ask a question. I am flying from the UK to Baltimore to go on the Granduer in September. My question is. Is any one able to tell me how to get from the cruise terminal to a hotel or the airport if there are no taxis at the cruise terminal. Have looked for airport shuttles but they only give information from the airport to the terminal. being in the UK I don not have access to all websites available in the USA. Also I am getting a taxi from my hotel to the terminal, will it drop me off at the terminal or on the outside, so to speak???

Any help great appreciated.

 

Did you check your hotel to see if they offer complimentary hotel and/or cruise shuttles? Many seem to offer those options.

 

You can also book private shuttle service if you so desire, but like previous poster, a taxi should not be hard to come by.

[finzzup]

We drove to Philly for your beautiful Christmas Markt.

Tolls were $24 round trip.

 

Cheryl

[Terpnut]

Sigh... Haven't you heard about assumptions??? I'm a Silver Spring native, lived in DC for a few years for college AND in Greenbelt for seven years, so, yeah, all of my info is based on firsthand knowledge. You are making this much more difficult than it is. Guess you're not too familiar with my area and that thousands, YES, thousands of people commute to DC every single day on the BW Parkway from the Baltimore region. It's not that huge of a hassle and we know traffic is bad EVERYWHERE around the Beltway, so staying closer to DC in a Md suburb like Rockville or Bethesda does not guarantee less traffic. Ever been stuck on Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave during rush hour????

 

My advice was making it easier by having ONE HOTEL and not switching around hotels before even stepping foot on a cruise ship. It can be done without even driving to Greenbelt, especially by taking a MARC train from BWI or Dorsey into Union Station. I work in the hospitality industry in this area and hotel prices are very high in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville compared to Elkridge and Hanover. I wouldn't suggest any tourists stay in Greenbelt.

 

If one doesn't want to drive, then stay in DC. Otherwise, you will experience some traffic no matter the time of day and pay for expensive parking garages in the city. Parking for the day at Greenbelt is minimal.

 

 

 

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Assuming a visitor wishes to do 2, 3, 4 or more full touring days visiting DC, why would you recommend that they stay near Hanover and drive in rush hour traffic BOTH ways to/from the city? You must not make this drive yourself from the Hanover area into DC daily because, it takes about 1 hr 15 min in typical rush hour, and be up to 2 hours in bad traffic, into DC, and approx an 1 hr or more in rush hour on the northbound return. And the MARC train/Metro option is even more time-consuming. This all assumes weekday driving during the spring/winter/fall traffic seasons, and of course, weekends and summer are better. So the only way I stay in Hanover as my base to visit DC would be if I arrive and plan to visit DC on a summer weekend. Otherwise, stay much closer to the destination.

 

We can both agree that staying in DC is the best option, but if I'm visiting DC for anything more than a day or two, I would recommend staying much much closer and switch hotels, than to stay in one hotel near Hanover for the entire period! Personally I don't like Greenbelt either but virtually anything is better than unnecessarily spending 2 to 3 hours per day trapped in a car driving to/from DC simply to avoid moving hotels once!

 

Of course, a visitor tourist can stay in Hanover and avoid rush hour traffic by leaving around 10 am and making sure to hit the roads home by 2:30 pm but what is the point of doing that so you'd have only 3-4 hours in the city???

Edited February 13, 2015 by Terpnut

[trixiegal]

I am trying to figure out the most convenient place to stay in Baltimore.

We are cruising on the Grandeur to Bermuda

We want to do the Park Sleep Cruise

However we were thinking of arriving a few days earlier and traveling into Washington by train.(returning back to Baltimore each time not overnighting in Washington )

Is there an area that would be convenient to do both? I want to park the car and not use it once I get there.

Thank you

knights

 

Okay, I'm going on what the original request was. They didn't want to spend the night in the DC area and they don't have to! I've already explained why and I'm not going over it again. Let it go. We aren't talking about driving to/from Delaware or Richmond. It will NOT take 2-3 hours to get to DC from this area unless there is a bad accident or extreme weather event. Which would affect the traffic anyway in ALL areas outside of the city limits. Traffic is a problem all around the DMV.

 

I get it. You think driving from the Hanover/Bmore suburbs to DC is crazy. So don't do it. But many, many, many other people do and aren't as frustrated as you seem to be. It's perfectly doable with the right amount of info and preparation, especially moreso on a weekend like you said or even during the week in the summer months when kids are out of school.

Edited February 13, 2015 by trixiegal

[Terpnut]

Okay, I'm going on what the original request was. They didn't want to spend the night in the DC area and they don't have to! I've already explained why and I'm not going over it again. Let it go. We aren't talking about driving to/from Delaware or Richmond. It will NOT take 2-3 hours to get to DC from this area unless there is a bad accident or extreme weather event. Which would affect the traffic anyway in ALL areas outside of the city limits. Traffic is a problem all around the DMV.

 

I get it. You think driving from the Hanover/Bmore suburbs to DC is crazy. So don't do it. But many, many, many other people do and aren't as frustrated as you seem to be. It's perfectly doable with the right amount of info and preparation, especially moreso on a weekend like you said or even during the week in the summer months when kids are out of school.

I don't understand how you can make claims that it will not take 2-3 hours round-trip during anything except mid-day for NORMAL DC area traffic when it is. I do it all the time and that IS the drive. If you don't believe me, use Google Maps and it will give you estimates of drive times by hour based on real, historical drive times. For this week (and it was a good week), the average drive during the morning from Hanover to DC was 1 hr 10-15 min. The average drive during the late afternoon/early evening from DC to Hanover was 1 hr 15 min. So any visitor coming to visit DC will spend AT LEAST 2 hr 30 minutes driving to/from DC from Hanover.

 

And while I understand that the original poster specifically asked about killing two proverbial birds with one hotel stay, I am saying that not wanting to change hotels is a small convenience that is greatly outweighed by the tremendous inconvenience and overall waste of time spent commuting each day. I live in the corridor area with a similar drive to DC hotspots, and even when my best friends come to visit DC, they NEVER stay with or near me simply because nobody wants to base their DC tour operation from the corridor area. Again, it's definitely doable for a day or perhaps even two, but the longer the DC visit, the closer one should stay to DC. And BTW, while I don't love the traffic, I'm not personally "frustrated" at all with any of it, but I do think that people visiting our area and are unfamiliar with the traffic should be accurately informed as to what to expect, and I do think you underestimate the commute times and hassles that they will face during the most likely times they will be heading into and out of DC.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Terpnut

[Laney219]

I have to say that the conflicting options/opinions/who is right commentary is not too helpful to non-MD/DC natives. I am not sure how the person who originally poised the question feels.

 

I was interested in the answer myself as I like their idea of doing some sightseeing in the city prior to leaving on the cruise. I would NEVER drive into DC, but that seems to be a sticking point in the "quien es mas macho" back and forth.

 

So let's try again: Going to cruise from Baltimore. Interested in going to DC to sight-see. Safe area to get a hotel w/ easy access to a TRAIN to get to the city???

[trixiegal]

I have to say that the conflicting options/opinions/who is right commentary is not too helpful to non-MD/DC natives. I am not sure how the person who originally poised the question feels.

 

I was interested in the answer myself as I like their idea of doing some sightseeing in the city prior to leaving on the cruise. I would NEVER drive into DC, but that seems to be a sticking point in the "quien es mas macho" back and forth.

 

So let's try again: Going to cruise from Baltimore. Interested in going to DC to sight-see. Safe area to get a hotel w/ easy access to a TRAIN to get to the city???

 

ITA. I said to let it go but there are people on these boards who feel that their way is the only way. That ALL people need to do things the way they and their "friends" do them. That what is inconvenient to them is also inconvenient to others. Which is highly ironic given this is a FORUM for all kinds of cruise/travel info from different perspectives and alternate opinions. I have a differing opinion based on fact and firsthand knowledge and don't ever let keyboard bullies sway me. No power plays, just standing up for my right to give my informed opinion on CC despite bulldozing.*shrugs*

 

Anyway, you could stay in Elkridge at the Best Western Plus BWI Airport Hotel / Arundel Mills and take the MARC train from the BWI station about 7 minutes away into Union Station in DC as a starting point. Lots of people on this board have stayed there and use Trinity Reservations for lowest rate.

[Laney219]

 

Anyway, you could stay in Elkridge at the Best Western Plus BWI Airport Hotel / Arundel Mills and take the MARC train from the BWI station about 7 minutes away into Union Station in DC as a starting point. Lots of people on this board have stayed there and use Trinity Reservations for lowest rate.

 

Approximately how far is this from the port?

[trixiegal]

The Best Western BWI is about 15 min from the cruiseport.

[Terpnut]

ITA. I said to let it go but there are people on these boards who feel that their way is the only way. That ALL people need to do things the way they and their "friends" do them. That what is inconvenient to them is also inconvenient to others. Which is highly ironic given this is a FORUM for all kinds of cruise/travel info from different perspectives and alternate opinions. I have a differing opinion based on fact and firsthand knowledge and don't ever let keyboard bullies sway me. No power plays, just standing up for my right to give my informed opinion on CC despite bulldozing.*shrugs*

It's really funny because I was just about to express the same sentiments about you. I have no agenda here except to give advice too--advice that is not worth less than yours. And as it seems I do drive through the traffic patterns from Hanover to DC more than you, you react by feeling insulted, getting personal and putting me down--rather than acknowledging facts and having any real dialogue.

 

For those outside the DC area, please don't take my word or Trixiegal's word for anything. If you are even thinking about driving daily from Hanover and you think I'm just trolling, please visit maps.google.com for independent, historical data-based drive times. Use the address for any Hanover hotel and enter the address of a DC destination or any Metro station of your choice. Use the traffic feature and there is a button for you to set the planned departure time. Then reverse the origin and destination, set your planned return drive time to see the estimated return drive time.

 

Personally, I don't have any problem with someone staying in Hanover for their visit DC--it's not my vacation nor my time that is spent in the car. My only purpose is to ensure that visitors get the information they need. So here's a summary of what I see as your options:

 

1. Drive daily from Hanover to MARC station, park, take MARC, and take Metro into DC option

 

Depending on which hotel you select, it'll take you 5-10 minutes to drive to and park at the BWI MARC station. Then it's a 40 minute train ride to Union Station (http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train). Then it's either walk Capitol, National Gallery, Newseum, etc. (all 10 min?) or transfer to Metro (another 10-15 min) to other parts of DC, perhaps National Air & Space Museum, monuments, Georgetown etc. Here's the link to Metro: http://www.wmata.com/rail. So between driving, parking, waiting for trains and riding trains, I'd plan on 50-65 min each direction.

 

2. Drive daily from Hanover directly to a Metro station and then take Metro into DC option

 

Depending on traffic, it's probably ~25 minutes to Greenbelt Metro. Depending on your final destination and possible transfers on Metro, you still will have 25-45 minutes on the Metro/subway to your final destination.

 

3. Drive daily from Hanover directly into DC option

 

To drive to DC, as per my last post, you are looking at 60-75 minutes in rush hour. Rush hour would be 7:00 am to 9:30 am (maybe later) or 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm or later. If you're lucky, you can do the rush hour drive in 45-50 min each way. Of course you could avoid rush hour, but then you'd have only 3-4 hours in DC. And plan to pay $15-$24 per day to park on workdays. Drive times are much shorter and parking is cheap or even free on weekends so which days you visit matter.

 

4. Drive to DC and stay in DC option

 

The most convenient, albeit expensive option is to stay in the city. If you're on a budget, you could consider parking for free and staying at some of the hotels along New York Avenue. It's not the most scenic area of the city but it's much safer/nicer than it was 10-20 years ago and there is a new New York Avenue Metro station that opened recently nearby. Depending on the hotel however, it may not be walkable so ask about shuttles.

 

5. Stay in Hanover, pack some overnight bags, park, take MARC/Metro to DC hotel, and stay in DC the entire visit option

 

You could pack a smaller bag just for your few days in DC, leave the rest of your stuff in the car, drive to and park at the BWI MARC station, take the MARC train and Metro to a DC hotel and stay downtown. This way, you've minimized your parking costs, don't have to drive at all during your DC visit and will be able to Metro or walk everywhere.

 

If you want more advice, please be more specific on your actual length of stay, which days of the week you plan to be here, and which tourist sites you may want to visit, and I may be able to offer more specific, detailed planning advice. Good luck! :)

Edited February 14, 2015 by Terpnut

[Terpnut]

I have to say that the conflicting options/opinions/who is right commentary is not too helpful to non-MD/DC natives. I am not sure how the person who originally poised the question feels.

 

I was interested in the answer myself as I like their idea of doing some sightseeing in the city prior to leaving on the cruise. I would NEVER drive into DC, but that seems to be a sticking point in the "quien es mas macho" back and forth.

 

So let's try again: Going to cruise from Baltimore. Interested in going to DC to sight-see. Safe area to get a hotel w/ easy access to a TRAIN to get to the city???

I think the answer to your question lies in what exactly is your own budget and travel style. The reasoning behind most of my previous answers and perhaps why I disagree with Trixiegal is because when I travel, my time is worth more than my money. Or perhaps I am just not on a budget. :)

 

For example, when you visit New York, would you tell someone to stay in Jersey City and take PATH into the city? Or is Queens more affordable? Personally, I stay in mid-town (even when I drive!). When you visit Rome, do you stay in Fiumicino and take the train into Rome, or stay in Rome? My personal perspective has always been that it's worth spending $$$ to avoid X more hours in a train or car when on vacation because my time is valuable. But that's me and of course, it's not for me to decide how to spend YOUR time or money.

 

So I really can't provide guidance without knowing what your limits are as far as budget and time spent in car and train. So if you are not inclined to spend more to save time, then staying in Hanover (or Elkridge, Laurel or Greenbelt), taking the MARC and/or Metro may indeed be the best option for you. If that is correct, then Trixiegal's earlier post about areas in the corridor is pretty spot-on as far as budget hotel areas that are convenient to MARC. :)

 

And again, if you could be more specific as to your budget, planned length of visit, which days of the week you will be visiting, and what sites you want to see, that would allow us to provide more specific guidance.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Terpnut

[Laney219]

 

 

 

And again, if you could be more specific as to your budget, planned length of visit, which days of the week you will be visiting, and what sites you want to see, that would allow us to provide more specific guidance.

 

Beginning stages of planning. Was thinking of doing a cruise and stay package at a hotel. I have enjoyed DC in the past. Figured a day trip in would be cool. Maybe the zoo or a museum or two. I would be traveling alone in April.

Budget.. I don't want to be spending $500 a night, but I also want to not be at no tell motel.

[mapleleafvoyage]

ITA. I said to let it go but there are people on these boards who feel that their way is the only way. That ALL people need to do things the way they and their "friends" do them. That what is inconvenient to them is also inconvenient to others. Which is highly ironic given this is a FORUM for all kinds of cruise/travel info from different perspectives and alternate opinions. I have a differing opinion based on fact and firsthand knowledge and don't ever let keyboard bullies sway me. No power plays, just standing up for my right to give my informed opinion on CC despite bulldozing.*shrugs*

 

Anyway, you could stay in Elkridge at the Best Western Plus BWI Airport Hotel / Arundel Mills and take the MARC train from the BWI station about 7 minutes away into Union Station in DC as a starting point. Lots of people on this board have stayed there and use Trinity Reservations for lowest rate.

 

We stayed at the Best Western Elkridge, booked through Trinity Reservations. We did a New Years Eve cruise out of Baltimore.

We plugged in the address and drove there, then we put in the GPS address for the White House, and we drove there, right down town! We parked on the streets around the corner from the White House, and walked around. It was easy! We were there on December 26th prior to our cruise.

 

The hotel was off the beaten path, it was a-ok. We also had local crab cakes in a great restaurant. Then we took the free shuttle to the ship and had a great cruise.

 

We found driving around this area was ok. Not too bad at all. It was a wonderful pre-cruise quick tour of the area...and we are going to do similar for our next cruise in April....

 

Good luck and have fun planning!!!!! Have a great cruise... which cruise are you on?

We are staying at the same hotel this April...

[Terpnut]

Beginning stages of planning. Was thinking of doing a cruise and stay package at a hotel. I have enjoyed DC in the past. Figured a day trip in would be cool. Maybe the zoo or a museum or two. I would be traveling alone in April.

Budget.. I don't want to be spending $500 a night, but I also want to not be at no tell motel.

If all you are doing is a one day visit to DC, then by all means stay near the airport in any of the reasonably-priced hotels near Hanover or Linthicum and consider any of the driving options previously posted. Note that if you want to visit the National Zoo, I suggest you just drive straight and park there since it is located in upper NW DC in Cleveland Park--an area where you won't benefit at all from using MARC/Metro. MARC/Metro works better for visiting the downtown or Mall areas (where most of the Smithsonian museums are). And if you were not already aware, the Zoo is also part of the Smithsonian and so it's all free! :)

[Terpnut]

We stayed at the Best Western Elkridge, booked through Trinity Reservations. We did a New Years Eve cruise out of Baltimore.

We plugged in the address and drove there, then we put in the GPS address for the White House, and we drove there, right down town! We parked on the streets around the corner from the White House, and walked around. It was easy! We were there on December 26th prior to our cruise.

 

The hotel was off the beaten path, it was a-ok. We also had local crab cakes in a great restaurant. Then we took the free shuttle to the ship and had a great cruise.

 

We found driving around this area was ok. Not too bad at all. It was a wonderful pre-cruise quick tour of the area...and we are going to do similar for our next cruise in April....

 

Good luck and have fun planning!!!!! Have a great cruise... which cruise are you on?

We are staying at the same hotel this April...

You were very lucky to drive and visit DC on a federal holiday, so the government was closed, and parking is plentiful and free. As I mentioned before, if you know you will be arriving on a holiday or weekend, then driving straight into and around town is usually a good bet! If however you are visiting during a work day, and especially between Labor Day and Memorial Day, then traffic and parking can be a nightmare. Everything depends on the specific day(s) of the week you plan to visit.

[mitsugirly]

You were very lucky to drive and visit DC on a federal holiday, so the government was closed, and parking is plentiful and free. As I mentioned before, if you know you will be arriving on a holiday or weekend, then driving straight into and around town is usually a good bet! If however you are visiting during a work day, and especially between Labor Day and Memorial Day, then traffic and parking can be a nightmare. Everything depends on the specific day(s) of the week you plan to visit.

 

What about Easter weekend? Would we run into the same thing? (Plenty of parking, not a lot of traffic)

[bowbiter]

What about Easter weekend? Would we run into the same thing? (Plenty of parking, not a lot of traffic)

 

Traffic might be lighter but not by lots. Some schools may be out but normal workday for most. Traffic is fine Saturday and Sunday unless there is an accident.

 

Just beware there is typically a lot of traffic around here in general. What seems light to us might not be for others. And traffic around here sucks if there is even a tiny bit of precipitation.

[mitsugirly]

Traffic might be lighter but not by lots. Some schools may be out but normal workday for most. Traffic is fine Saturday and Sunday unless there is an accident.

 

Just beware there is typically a lot of traffic around here in general. What seems light to us might not be for others. And traffic around here sucks if there is even a tiny bit of precipitation.

 

 

When I say "Easter weekend" I mean on Saturday. So I assume that's not a normal workday for most correct?

 

Where exactly do you park around there? On the street? In a garage? Cost?

 

I would just like a place to park and be able to walk around and look at the White House and get some pictures of the grounds. Then maybe head over to the zoo (which I did see that parking there is $22)

[bowbiter]

When I say "Easter weekend" I mean on Saturday. So I assume that's not a normal workday for most correct?

 

Where exactly do you park around there? On the street? In a garage? Cost?

 

I would just like a place to park and be able to walk around and look at the White House and get some pictures of the grounds. Then maybe head over to the zoo (which I did see that parking there is $22)

 

Saturday you should be fine. I have no idea how much parking is since I always take the metro in.

 

The zoo is in a completely different area than the white house though. Just keep that in mind while planning