What would you do in Washington D.C. if you spent one afternoon in the city ?

AlexNguyen

Just got an approval to take a training class in Dulles, VA.
I will arrive in Sunday before noon. I'll have some spare time to visit Washington D.C.
in the afternoon.

I've already been in Washington D.C. in the 80s with my parents.
I've visited some museums and the Capitol. At that time, there were a lot of homeless
people and VN veterans asking for money in the street.

Now, is it safe to walk alone in downtown in the evening ?
Is there any public transportation that can take me from Dulles to Washington D.C. ?
I don't want to rent a car. Otherwise, I have to take a cab.
Besides the free museums, what are your suggestions that I should visit ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Washington,_D.C.
I intend to visit the Spy museum and the Space museum. Then I'll take some pictures
of the historic monuments.

shodown

I just moved away not to long ago and I still go into the city every 2 weekss

1. Yes its safe to be in the city in the evening. U-Street, H- Street, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle and so on.

2. You will have to catch a cab from Dulles to a metro station(orange line) or ride the cab all the way into the city. They also have a few shuttle services.

3. There will be people asking for money. If you feel thrifty give a few coins if not keep moving.

Don't rent a car parking in the city is expensive and can be hard to find in popular areas.


Places to visit

Museums are free expect the private ones.

White house, you can't get close and secret service stands in the street near the viewing area to make sure you don't act up

Food is not the best in DC compared to Baltimore, NYC, but there are some decent places

Hope this helps

NightShade03

Being in the Dulles area there is no metro that far out *yet*. You'll need to take a bus or cab to the Vienna metro (ten mins) and then metro into DC (30 mins). In DC I've walked around at night no problem, however depending on what part you are in, some areas completely shutdown after 6pm (especially on a Sunday). I would suggest the World War 2 monument (newer, very cool), and the MLK monument...not as cool but still new.

There are some great places to eat downtown as well. Anything in Georgetown or Gallery Place will surely do the trick

dave330i

AlexNguyen wrote: »

Now, is it safe to walk alone in downtown in the evening ?

It depends.

AlexNguyen wrote: »

Is there any public transportation that can take me from Dulles to Washington D.C. ?

I assume there's a metro bus route, but never looked into it. Metro silver line isn't in place, so no subway from Dulles to D.C.

AlexNguyen wrote: »

I intend to visit the Spy museum and the Space museum. Then I'll take some pictures
of the historic monuments.

Are you referring to Air & Space in D.C. or the 1 in Dulles? The 1 in Dulles is much bigger. The 3 major exhibits are space shuttle, SR-71 & Concorde.

galed

DC is safe around that area. There will be some homeless still, but usually just right outside the metro station trying to sell you something. Here is a link that you might find helpful about the public transit from Dulles to DC. Metro Connections If you only had one afternoon it will be hard to do both the Space museum and Spy museum. The Space museum really needs at least a day to get through. Once you get to the mall you can do all the monuments on an afternoon. From Lincoln to the Capital over to the Jefferson are all in walking distance.

demonfurbie

id hit up

Spy Museum

stlsmoore

This is what I did, on my business trip for one night

1. Check out a couple of bars in George Town and walk around the area (it's pretty neat)
2. Check out the local clubs
3. Around 2 AM, decide it's a good idea to check out all of the monuments
4. After hanging out around the White House, armed guards, and etc at 4 AM decide it's time to head back to the hotel and look for a taxi
5. About 2 miles after walking towards your hotel waiting for a taxi to pass by, hop in for the .03 mile distance drive back to said hotel.
6. Sleep for 2 hours and catch your flight home
7....
8. Profit

shodown

Also bring condoms

DC has some of the hottest women in the US and the ratio of women to men is like 7-8 to 1. Odds in your favor. I met my wife after only being here for 3 weeks.

mbarra

Arlington National Cemetary. Changing of the guards ten times more impressive in person then to see the movie. Drives home the point of Memorial Day.

NOC-Ninja

shodown wrote: »

Also bring condoms

DC has some of the hottest women in the US and the ratio of women to men is like 7-8 to 1. Odds in your favor. I met my wife after only being here for 3 weeks.

Wow is it that easy to get a girl at dc? Crazy

Anyway, not to hijack this thread but ill be at dc nextweek for 5 days. Well, technically ill be at baltimore but ill be goin to dc since its 20mins away according to metro. I think its from baltimore to lefrantz. I checked out some museum and it says they are open still after 5pm.

Do you guys have any suggestion what places to go after 6pm at dc? All i know were the space, national, and veterans museum. Im thinking of going out at 6pm then going back to my hotel at 11pm. Also, is the metro that confusing? This is the first time that ill be riding a metro train. I feel loke im gonna get lost or get in the wrong train

shodown

The only train from DC to Baltimore is the marc, and thats around a hour depending on the time of day. The last marc train leaves DC somewhere around 9pm. I've had to get my wife a few times after she has gotten drunk with her friends in DC and missed the last train back to Baltimore. At night the ride is only like 40-45 from baltimore to DC. So if you do make that trip keep that in mind.

zenhound

The metro is (or was, I moved away around 10 years ago) one of the less confusing mass transit systems. Everything is clearly labeled. Just make sure you're looking at the stations to see where you are, because something about the PA system in the cars makes the drivers completely impossible to understand. Sounds like their mouths are full of marbles.

Cisc0kidd

I especially enjoyed the Folger Shakespeare Library and Ford's Theatre'

NOC-Ninja

shodown wrote: »

The only train from DC to Baltimore is the marc, and thats around a hour depending on the time of day. The last marc train leaves DC somewhere around 9pm. I've had to get my wife a few times after she has gotten drunk with her friends in DC and missed the last train back to Baltimore. At night the ride is only like 40-45 from baltimore to DC. So if you do make that trip keep that in mind.

Thanks for the info

Hotel to the Greenbelt Metro Station:


Here's my baltimore to lenfant map:


According to metro website they have a metro train from Greenbelt to L'enfat Plaza and it takes around 24mins


According to they website again that theres a train from Lenfant Plaza metro station at 11:24pm and then Ill arrive at greenbelt metro station at 11:52pm


I got the info from Metro - Home page Is the website incorrect? Please help I dont want to get loss. lol

Here's a list of what I am going to visit:

Monday:
Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

Tuesday:
National Air and Space Museum

Wednesday:
national Museum of natural history

Thursday:
National Gallery of Art

Friday
Korean war veteran memorial
Albert Einstein Memorial

What do you guys think? Is that time efficient?

I saw the weather is scattered storm nextweek but its humid and 80-90s. What's the right clothes to wear?
Do people wear shorts instead of jeans? Will they let me in the museum with shorts on?

Thanks guys.

shodown

You are inside the beltway so you are fine. That is the correct site. Also download the meto map on your phone if you have a smart device. So you can keep track of which site you are on. You will be riding through my old neighborhood in DC and its in a kinda rough spot at night.(my wife still owns a condo in that area) so dont get off . Just make sure you have a way to get from greenbelt back to your hotel.

NOC-Ninja

shodown wrote: »

You are inside the beltway so you are fine. That is the correct site. Also download the meto map on your phone if you have a smart device. So you can keep track of which site you are on. You will be riding through my old neighborhood in DC and its in a kinda rough spot at night.(my wife still owns a condo in that area) so dont get off . Just make sure you have a way to get from greenbelt back to your hotel.

I downloaded both DC Metro Map - Taapuna.com and iTrans DC Metro. Which one do you prefer?

Which spot of DC do I not get off? lol
Can you elaborate "kinda rough spot at night"?
Would i get mugged?

Per Greenbelt back to my hotel, I have a car rental. I'm guessing there's a parking lot at the Greenbelt Metro Station.

skinsFan202

Did you mean you'll be working in Baltimore? Because your hotel isn't Baltimore at all. Greenbelt is more of a DC suburb. So if you're leaving from Greenbelt you wouldn't need the MARC, you'd just take the Metrorail. There is a parking lot at that station. Last Metrorail trains don't leave until midnight during the week so you'll be fine. also, relax you'll be fine. You won't have to worry about any rough spots. The train conductor will be announcing the name of each station as you stop so along with you looking at the station sign outside the train window there's almost no way you'll get lost.

With the area you want to go to(L'Enfant), the most you'll have to worry about is maybe homeless asking for spare change. Just use the same basic common sense street smarts you would use in any other major city. As for things to do, L'Enfant is your spot if you're into museums. It's tourist season, so tons of people wearing shorts. You won't look out of place. If you want to grab some drinks, get off at Gallery Place Chinatown instead a few stops up. If you're a big beer enthusiast check out RFD. Some good bites to eat in that area too.

shodown

Don't get off on Colombia heights late at night. Its actually a area that I go to quite frequently, but there has been gunfire in that area from the Latin Gangs. So me and my friends usually stay away from that area when it gets late (after 1am) other than that its usually fine in that part of town. I actually doubt you will get mugged unless your not on your P's and Q's. Have fun just be aware. I love DC!!!!!

Priston

The first time I drove through K street at night I past by like 3 hookers. Was kinda funny.

thehourman

@AlexNguyen and Noc-Ninja,
If you guys know where the closes metro station to your hotel, you guys should not get lost.
Every time I come to DC, the first thing I would do is check the metro's map Metro - Rail - Maps - Rail/Google Map this can be downloaded to your phone in PDF format.
I really don't like to drive around in DC because of the traffic, and it is kind of hard to spot the signs that states "no parking after ..." signs. If you park you will get a $100 ticket for violation and $100 penalty. I guess the parking ticket fee is still different on where you park.

There is a restaurant in DC that I really like. I believe it is called Fogo De Chao Dining Experience | Fogo de Chao

NOC-Ninja

Thanks guys! im at the hotel. i didnt get a chance to go to DC tonight since I was super tired. I did some grocery for the week and drove around here. I checked out the train station. I saw that you have to pay $4.50 for whole day parking. I will definitely jump in the train tomorrow.

I dont know anybody so its really boring.

NOC-Ninja

Is there any place in greenbelt or close to greenbelt where high 20s hang out? Is the party at DC? I was thinking of having a few beers. Preferably safe place since Im alone.

AlexNguyen

Thanks for all the informations. I decided to spent an additional day to visit Washington D.C. on my own (my employer refuses to pay). I'll arrive at Saturday instead of Sunday, in a few weeks.
I've got the info for the hotel. It's the Hampton Inn Dulles/Cascades Hotel. There's no Google Street View at this place.
I would like to visit the Pentagon but the guided tours are not available on weekends. I would like also to visit the CIA HQ at Langley but there's no public tours.

skinsFan202

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Is there any place in greenbelt or close to greenbelt where high 20s hang out? Is the party at DC? I was thinking of having a few beers. Preferably safe place since Im alone.

Greenbelt is more of a family suburb. Very little nightlife. Your best bet will be to just go to Gallery Place Chinatown on the green line to keep things simple.

glenn_33

I use to roam the mall...the zoo is free...getting lost in china town and on the subway is always a good time too!

Frostbite

I went out to Baltimore for work about 15 years ago and my co-worker and I decided to drive down to DC for the day on an off day. We spent about 8 hours there an we managed to get into the National Air and Space Museum and Arlington National Cemetery to see some of the highlights, including the changing of the guard. Aside from that, we basically just had time to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe and head home.

dmoore44

Personally, I'd check out the NSAM - Udvar Hazy Center (it's at Dulles) - the SR-71 and space shuttle are awesome. Also, the Enola G.A.Y. is there, and that's a huge piece of history.

After that, if you want to make a trip (about an hours drive), go to the National Cryptologic Museum at Ft. Meade - that's a pretty cool place and I don't think it gets mentioned much.

If you're up for it, visiting the monuments and what not at night is awesome.

NOC-Ninja

I went to lincoln, jefferson, veterans, space museum, outside white house, zoo and smithsonian. I think dc is a great place And the metro is efficient on commuting but this humidity is too crazy for mei dont know how everyone here wear business attire and walk outside. Also, baltimore is a dead place. No place that is poppin. I hate to say this but i miss california. I cant wait to go back. Lol

NOC-Ninja

Yesterday, i went to la fitness here in baltimore. Ive been to the worst gym in cali. However, the la fitness here is in a different level. It was nasty. The whole gym smells, weights were really old and most have a tags of ballys gym. Lol i was going to go to golds gym but the guy at gnc said its too small. I think the best thing in baltimore is sales tax.

Anyhow, i met a guy at the plane who works at baltimore. He is a cissp and project manager. He mentioned his making 95k. Pretty cool guy.

AlexNguyen

I was supposed to be in Washington D.C. at the end of August but the course was cancelled and rescheduled this week. I've been in town since Saturday. I thought that the weather was warmer here so I brough a bermuda and sandals in my suitcase. But the weather is a little 'cold' and windy, so I have to wear pants and shoes. I've spent the Saturday afternoon at the Air and Space Museum at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The next day, I took the 5A bus from Dulles Airport to downtown, L'Enfant Plaza Center. It's about a 50 minutes ride. Then I walked to the International Spy Museum and spent the morning there. After lunch, I bought a hop on-hop off bus tour of the city. It's a two-story bus with open roof. When you sat on the 2nd level of the bus, you have to pay attention to the branches of the trees that can hit you, specially in Georgetown. Then I visited the Museum of Natural History. The interior is not exactly as big as it appears in the movie 'Night at the Museum'. I went to the front of the White House. Again, it's not as 'big' as it appears in the movies, like 'Independence Day'. The street in front of the White House is closed for car circulation. There are many Secret Service vehicules parked in front of it. The downtown is clean and safe. I only saw a few homeless people and I did not see any graffitis. The hotel where I'm staying in Chantilly, VA is old and not convenient. It's located in an industrial neighborhood, along a highway. There's no safety box in the room. There's no restaurant in the hotel, neither mini-bar. The restaurants around here are closed at 8 p.m. on Sunday and 9 p.m. on weekdays. There's no wired internet connection. The advertized 'high speed' wireless internet is in fact 'slow'. I can't watch streaming video of my online course.

demonfurbie

sounds like fun

how was the spy museum? thats one i never hear about and want to go to