partyof5 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Hi everyone, We are being hosted by a dear friend who lives near the blue Metro line in DC. We arrive late Friday night and stay til mid-day Tuesday. I have 3 girls, ages 11, 8, and 5.5. All are easy-going and up for lots of walking. Mostly they can't wait to see the Lincoln Memorial, so I'm thinking they will be easy to please. ;) Plans are to visit major monuments, 3 museums in particular, Capitol & WH, so I'm not sure what may be different on a holiday weekend except crowds. Areas I am seeking help: Traveling in on metro...is this pricey? Do you have to pay to change lines at a junction, like from blue to yellow? That's what I sense from the website but am finding it tricky to figure out. If metro is too much $$, is parking in a city garage better? If so, which one? Lunch--museums don't have bag check, right? Can we pack a lunch or snacks? What can I take into a Smithsonian really? Websites indicate water & purse and that bag check areas are mostly unavailable these days. So, do we have to plan to eat out lunch every day? Tour bus/ duck tour -- are these worth it to see the whole city? We can only really tour so many things in 3 days, so i wonder if the expense of these options is worth it? If I don't have pre-arranged tour passes for the Capitol or White House, can we still go and see SOME portions? I am grateful for any info you can share! I have spent hours online but I kept coming back to one thought when I had questions... "I should really just ask the hive..." Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 The cost of the metro depends on where you get on. You can do day passes which you might consider. We always take the metro in. Driving can be a nightmare and parking quite expensive. They do have bag checks everywhere you go. You can bring food and drinks into the museums and eat it in the cafeterias. Seeing 3 museums can be done but I would suggest 1 or 2 and have more time to enjoy them. Seeing the memorials alone will take 1 day. There is a new vistor center at the Capitol. You can get into there (closed on Sun) but there is no food or drinks allowed so make it your last stop. I don't know if you can take the tour. We haven't tried that since we have moved back here. Don't know anything about the tour buses. Our guests haven't ever done it and neither have we. DC is a great city to visit. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoplayer Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Okay, about Metro: 1. You won't pay to switch lines. You will pay a set fare for where you are going. Inside each Metro station will be charts that tell you precisely what it costs to go from that metro station to point x. 2. At some metro stations you will pay to park. (Just know ahead of time.) 3. Inside your Metro station, ask at the information about a daily pass, which gives you one price to ride Metro all day. Compare the cost of the day pass vs. individual trips--the day pass may be cheaper. 4. Unfortunately, you'll pay adult fare prices for all of your kids. (Only kids 4 and younger ride free.) 5. If it works for your schedule, try to travel on Metro after rush hour. Rush hour fares are more expensive than fares in the middle of the day. Personally, I would much rather park and ride Metro than drive downtown. (I HATE driving downtown!) I can't speak for every parking garage downtown, but many of them are very pricey. Besides, if your kids have never been here before, riding Metro will be part of the adventure! (Just be sure that they stay with you.) I don't know what the individual museums allow as far as food. I do know that they provide restaurant areas (McD's, pizza, subs, etc.), but know that you will pay premium prices for the food there. What we typically do on a nice day is check the surrounding area--typically by walking as little as 2-3 blocks in a single direction you can find a McD's or sandwich shop that will be cheaper. My understanding is that, post-9/11, you will have to have a pass to go inside the Capitol & White House. You can see it from the outside, but that's not the same, I know. Arlington National Cemetery provides a 1-day tourmobile service that takes you around the cemetery and around the common tourist cites downtown ($27/adult; $13 for kids 3-11). Might be worth comparing to the cost of a Metro day pass to see which form of transportation is cheaper. Hope this helps. Enjoy your visit to D.C.! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 May & Pianoplayer-- Thanks for your quick and helpful replies! I guess what I was seeing on the metro page makes more sense now that you are explaining it. It said $4.15 to get from our blue line stop into the area near the Capitol, so perhaps a day pass for $7.80 would make WAY more sense. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Food is always such a pain, isn't it? I'm hesitant to pack lunches and not be able to get in with them, but if bag check IS available, that would be awesome. I'm not opposed to some dining out (or walking to dine cheap)....just trying to minimize that. I will definitely look into the tour bus mentioned as well! THANK YOU for giving me some new things to think about! I really do appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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