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Places to stay in DC
Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 3:17 pm
by Mclintoc
Taking a ride to DC soon. Was hoping someone might be able to recommend a place to stay that is affordable, safe (for the bike), and near the mall. Much obliged.
Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 4:12 pm
by yjleesvrr
Safe and affordable near The Mall? Don't know of any. You may want to consider somewhere in Arlington - which is just across the Potomac. In many cases, lodging in Northern VA will allow you better access to this part of D.C. than staying in another part of D.C. itself. Try the Marriott hotel near Rosslyn.
Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 8:59 pm
by R4R&R
Define affordable? What is your limit per night? Are you looking for a basic place to stay, or a full service hotel? If you do a hotel, do you want garage parking (I wouldn't recommend ANYWHERE on the street overnight)?
Yong is correct, VA may offer cheaper alternatives - look for something close to a Metro stop to ease the journey downtown. Anywhere along I-66 (North Arlington/Rosslyn) out to Falls Church or I-395 (south Arlington).
Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 10:40 am
by Mclintoc
By affordable I mean hundred buckish a night. Thanks for the Alrington suggestion. I might end up doing that. My ideal was to find a place where I could park the bike safely and then just walk to all the sights, but I'm having a hard time finding anthing.
Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 12:11 pm
by yjleesvrr
Yeah, you definitely will not be able to find a place in the city for a hundred bucks a night that is safe for your bike. D.C. (like any large tourist/conference destination), is very expensive - about on par with New York City in most cases.
Definitely search out Arlington, and even then be prepared to spend a bit more than $100 a night. Decent hotel prices don't drop below 100 until you get out beyond Fairfax County and into Prince William in Northern VA. The same applies to Maryland out past the Beltway, either beyond Bethesda or Rockville. Avoid Prince George County in Maryland no matter what despite the lower cost of lodging there (unless your riding jacket is lined with Kevlar).
Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 12:22 pm
by rdsmith3
The Crystal City part of Arlington has a lot of business type hotels (Hyatt, Marriott, Doubletree, etc.). These places might have lower rates on weekends, when business travelers are not around. It is minutes from where you want to go.
Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 6:50 pm
by pinecone
We had a good experience at the Jurys Normandy Inn last August, an easy walk from the Dupont Circle metro station. They have a small parking garage and rates were around $100/night. Great value for the location. Quiet neighborhood, saw lots of scooters parked in the area.
http://www.jurys-washingtondc-hotels.co ... shingtondc
try travelocity or one of the other travel websites
Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 7:50 am
by ekiM
You can try Prince George's County, too, because 90% of it is perfectly safe and decent (Prince George County is in Virginia, btw). Just stay in areas that are outside of the beltway. Save your kevlar for D.C. (using a previous poster's "logic").
Have a nice time!
Mike in Anne Arundel (adjacent to Prince George's) County
Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 8:07 am
by TonyT607
I second the vote for the Marriott. That's where I stay when in DC on business. The Crystal City complex does offer easy access to DC, and the hotels there have underground parking.
Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 12:31 pm
by yjleesvrr
Mike - I lived in PG county for a few years while I was growing up. I dated a girl in college from there as well. I know first hand what that county is like. While it might be unfair to characterize the entire county as being dangerous, it is definitely less safe than, say, Montgomery or Fairfax. Housing values indicate this, as do crime statistics.
To further add to my point, I met another girl from Prince George's County (sorry for the missing 's earlier) last weekend who said "I'm trying to get my family out of there. It's an armpit."
Not to hijack the thread for it's original intent - I stand by my earlier assertion. The Mall area of D.C. is far safer than PG county. The Mall and southwest D.C. in general is populated by federal buildings, political consultants (L and K streets), and the Smithsonian. Just avoid Southeast and east D.C., which borders PG County. There is a symbiotic relationship between criminals in east/southeast D.C. and PG County.
Good Point, Yong.
Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 6:46 pm
by ekiM
yjleesvrr wrote: There is a symbiotic relationship between criminals in east/southeast D.C. and PG County.
Agreed, but it is overwhelmingly the western (inside the beltway) side of PG (I checked this before I first posted, just to make sure). But your point is well taken.
As Yong said, please forgive the highjack.
Mike