West Bend to DC

[SheRidesABeemer]

I have a week to get back to New Hampshire from West Bend. I am giving thought to going to DC to see the sights for a couple of days.
I'm interested in people’s experiences traveling in the DC area with a bike. I'd like to find a hotel with restricted access parking and basically park the bike for the couple days we stay. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that it's going to be safe to do this with my 12 year old!

[kioolt]

You might get a few more responses if you post this on the BMWBMW website. That stands for BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington. I live in Baltimore which is close to DC but I don't go down there often.

www.bmwbmw.org

[bricciphoto]

You might get a few more responses if you post this on the BMWBMW website. That stands for BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington. I live in Baltimore which is close to DC but I don't go down there often.

www.bmwbmw.org


+1. This is a very active website and a very active group of riders in the DC area.

[IAMBOB]

I have a week to get back to New Hampshire from West Bend. I am giving thought to going to DC to see the sights for a couple of days.
I'm interested in people’s experiences traveling in the DC area with a bike. I'd like to find a hotel with restricted access parking and basically park the bike for the couple days we stay. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that it's going to be safe to do this with my 12 year old!

You'd be better off (you and your bike would be safer) if you went a little South, and stayed outside of the beltway, and I say South because it is the least built up.

You can probably be within 20 miles of downtown DC and be in a nice small community that would be safe to leave your bike out at night, and save a bundle of $$$$. From there you can chose to do the tourist thing and ride your bike back up to DC every day, OR catch the metro and use it to get around day to day.


That and if you are going to be in the area.. don't skip Annapolis, and/or coming south to the southern most point in MD.. Beautiful areas, and the sailboats should be in full bloom that time of year!


If you want I can research some places and prices for you, or you and your daughter can come camp out in my yard...

[IAMBOB]

You might get a few more responses if you post this on the BMWBMW website. That stands for BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington. I live in Baltimore which is close to DC but I don't go down there often.

www.bmwbmw.org

And several of us have already met her.. we might be hospitable even..

[Beemer01]

I did this a few years back.

DC is essentially a tropical destination. Getting off at the 'wrong' exit - which I did - and sitting in stalled traffic in a bad neighborhood in 98 degree / 98% weather is a bad idea.:bolt

What we wound up doing was staying across the river from DC proper, locking up our bikes and cabbing over to this very walkable city.

Enjoy!

[mvscorpio]

Repeating previous advice, you may wish to stay outside of DC on a Metro (subway) or MARC (commuter train) route. Both are pretty reliable and better than dealing with the traffic in the heat of DC summers. That being said, there are many DC hotels that would likely have safe parking availble for you. But they ain't cheap.

And Bob's advice about Annapolis is dead on. Great town with plenty of shopping, restaurants, sightseeing, etc. Home of the US Naval Academy.

Let us bmwbmw folks know if we can offer any other help.

[102926]

When I did the DC area several years ago I stayed at the Homewood Suites in Falls Church, VA near I-495 and I-66. Not cheap but cheaper than downtown, and handy to Metro (Dunn-Loring). Security was adequate and the metro was convenient for visiting downtown without fussing with bike gear, parking, etc.

[SheRidesABeemer]

Thank you for the specifics. I've tried registering on bmwbmw to ask there, but no one seems to be home to approve my request...or they think I'm a spamer (hard to say with my username)

Anyway, I could still use more info, I've decided we are going to DC, so now I need to know if I should forgo staying in the city in lieu of commuting on the rail. How much time/money is the rail? I could really use specific hotel recomendations.

thank you!

[Floppp]

A few words of caution, Gail.

Keep an eye on the Canadian news in the days just before you leave. There are rumblings that some rail and roads will be blocked by native protesters.

I am not sure of your exact route but from Ottawa to Sudbury you should have no problem. There are few if any rail crossings and Highway 17 is not only beautiful along the river but is not a major transport route.

However, Montreal to Ottawa is a major road and will be a target for the blocking, as will be the 401 from Montreal to Toronto. If you have time, go up through NY to Watertown and across the Ivy Lea Bridge then west to Kingston (my old home town), a wonderful town. Head north to Ottawa from Kingston up Highway 15. There are few reserves in the area, and it is not a major highway so again blockage potential is low.

The Montreal area has a high potential for slowdowns due to the reserves in the area, as is the Cornwall bridge. If you find the Ivy Lea is being blocked head further west to Cape Vincent. There is a tiny ferry to cross to Wolfe Island and then another ferry over to Kingston and then you can head north to Ottawa. The ferrys are an adventure in themselves.

From Sudbury to SSM there will be slow downs but not from blockades. I have been through that area at least 20 times over the years and never have I been through without stops for construction.

It's a shame that you will not be doing the route over Lake Superior. It is a wonderful drive with innumerable rock cuts, hills, fantastic views over the lake and lots of rocks and trees and lakes. Well worth the trip. Make a note to do it another time.

Your route looks really interesting and I hope to do a similar ride one day.

[SheRidesABeemer]

Thanks for the local news, very helpful!

[mvscorpio]

Sent a note to our webmaster to check on ya. I'll pm some links to you as well on hotels and metro info.

[JWILLIS125911]

Gail,

What days are you contemplating being in DC?

Metrorail is very convenient, relatively safe, and tourist friendly. You should not have any trouble using it. The metrorail here is a fee by distance per trip system. You can get day passes I believe (I have never used it so I am not sure). The prices range from $1.35 to $3.90 during "regular" (really rush) hours and $1.35 to $2.35 for "reduced" hours. In VA parking for M/Cs is free at the stops I use. For cars, it is $3.75.

If you want to see the interior of the Washington Monument, the Capitol, or the White House, then I strongly recommend getting access lined up as soon as possible. The US Park Service might have available tickets for the Washington Mounment. Your congressional delegation is probably the best bet for getting a tour of the Capitol. Unless you know someone working inside the White House, there is virtually no effective (predictable) way of getting a tour. The Supreme Court website will give the current policy for tours. You can get to the other monuments, etc., without too much issue.

Hotels are expensive and getting a room can be iffy during this time of year. The DC area has some of the worst traffic in the country (I think we are 4th in the nation) so driving around can be problematic. Driving in the district itself is a royal pain - heavily congested, one-way streets, bad pavement, diagonal streets, poor road markings, tourists, etc.

I may be able to help with lodging - but I am about 25 miles from a metro station. Let me know if you want to stay in a house. I will talk to my family if you are interested. We have plenty of spare bedrooms.

Steve



Thank you for the specifics. I've tried registering on bmwbmw to ask there, but no one seems to be home to approve my request...or they think I'm a spamer (hard to say with my username)

Anyway, I could still use more info, I've decided we are going to DC, so now I need to know if I should forgo staying in the city in lieu of commuting on the rail. How much time/money is the rail? I could really use specific hotel recomendations.

thank you!

[SheRidesABeemer]

Thanks for the advice Steve. We'll be in DC after the Nationals - July 16 - 19.
Things are shaping up well for DC now. I'm staying at Casa De RedHot. :clap I didn't think the Capital was open for tours. I'm interested in the Smithsonian and Library of Congress, add in the general National Mall thing and we're done for our little 3 day stay. I found the Metrorail site and I hope to figure out what train to take where!

[jacco]

Things are shaping up well for DC now. I'm staying at Casa De RedHot. :clapwhere!

Sorry, I wasn't very active on forums over the past week so didn't see this earlier... If the "Casa De RedHot" thing ends up not working out for some reason, or you need parking for the bike, then PM me!