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| The Renwick Gallery, The National Museum of Craft |
So this past week, I got spontaneous. Yep, you read that right...the princess of plan decided at the last minute to take a quick trip to Washington DC. Two of our favorite art museums, the National Gallery and the Renwick Gallery had some great exhibitions that are going to close in the beginning of January. We've been trying to make time to see them, but with our early winter here on Lake Erie, it's been hard to find a few good weather days. I saw that it was going to be 65 in DC this week, so I thought it was now or never.
Washington DC is a wonderful place to visit. Still when I talked to my friends, so many people haven't gone because they found the whole trip a little intimidating. It's not. No, really, it's a pretty easy place to plan an inexpensive, interesting trip. My version of ....
DC on a Dime...warning what follows is purely my opinion and anecdotal experience
- Choose a date. Since, I don't do hot, humid very well I shoot for fall or spring (not cherry blossom season which varies year to year). I will also do warm winter days because DC will get spells of 40-60 degrees in the winter which is actually pretty nice for walking. I also check when Congress is not in session, because with all of Congress AND their staff, the hotels are booked and more expensive.
- Drive. I personally love a nice road trip and we are only 5.5 hrs from DC which is very doable. Driving through Pennsylvania is a blessing and a curse though. The blessing is that the Turnpike takes you through the north end of the Appalachia region which is gorgeous any time year. The curse is that the PA Turnpike is literally the most expensive toll road in the world...yes ...THE WORLD. Anyways, if you're within 8 hrs of driving, I suggest take a ride.
Ballston Neighborhood, Arlington, VA - Stay in the Suburbs. After a bit of research, I decided on staying in Arlington. It's a quick Metro ride to the capital and it always feels clean and safe. We stay in the Ballston neighborhood which is walkable and there are a ton of places to eat. We stay at the Ballston Comfort Inn because they have free parking, clean, reasonable rates (this trip my hotel was $99/night - taxes included!), breakfast included, super friendly staff and a shuttle to the Metro station. It could use some updating, but for just a quiet place to sleep, it was fine. (I like how Comfort Inn website will give me the prices for the calendar year so I know not to book my stay on January 20th when it would be $600/night)
- Use the Metro. The Metro is DC's subway. Unlike what you might see on TV, this subway is clean, safe and easy to navigate. Traffic in the area is so horrendous, I'm not sure why anybody would drive to work. It has a great website, which makes it easy to plan out your day. You put in where you are and where you want to go and it tells you how to get there. Rides are usually
somewhere between $2.50-$5 each way. You can pay with your phone, but we just bought cards that can be reloaded at the stations or online. They have stations everywhere and it's always fun to see where you are going to pop up. Also, a lot of stations in the suburbs have parking lots so you can drive to an outer station, park and ride into city. (This is handy on days you're driving home). If you've never used the Metro, I suggest you read the New Rider Guide. - Pick 1 - 3 Places. There is a TON to do in DC, a lot of which is iconic and free. So, it's easy to get carried away and want to see it all. I highly suggest you just do 1-3 places a trip because it can be overwhelming and exhausting. We keep an eye on the websites of our favorite museums and venues and see what exhibitions are being offered. We also try to visit mid
Courtyard,
National Portrait Gallery
week because it's all quieter then. I keep wanting to take a Monuments by Moonlight tour, but I'm always so exhausted when the museums close, I haven't made it yet. - Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. I keep saying this trip is low maintenance and inexpensive but it's a lot of walking. I usually do about 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day there and for this office girl who normally does about 4,000 that's a lot. Still, most of it is very flat, there are elevators at all the museums and there are plenty of places to sit and people watch. I definitely suggest you do that. There is no better place to sit and take in your surroundings than on the National Mall.
- Use TripAdvisor/Smart Phone. Between TripAdvisor and your smart phone you can easily find food you want to eat, places you want to go and facts you want to look up. We always find meals for $10-$20/each. We have a habit of one big meal a day and one smaller one. I used Google Maps to get me easily from place to place, but really it's all in one central area so it's hard to get lost.
What did a day in DC in December cost for 2 of us? For a 2 night/3 day stay...$200 for our hotel, $150/food (breakfast is free, we brought snacks and we ate one big meal out a day), $30 in metro fees, $0 for the museums and $30 for a new t-shirt. Plus our gas & Tolls where $120.....$530. For you math people that's about $88.33 per day per person. I'm thinking for a vacation in big city, that's not bad at all.
I felt comfortable and safe the whole time. The only thing that made me sad, was that everywhere we went outside, we would go in and out of the smell of marijuana. Since, it's legal there, it has a tendency to be smelling the city up. I guess it's a sign of the times. sigh
I promise to do posts of the exhibitions over the holidays..
Does Anybody Have Any Washington DC Trip Tips?
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