How to Plan Your Trip to Washington DC

Your first instinct will be to get a hotel downtown because it looks like it's close to everything. And most likely, this hotel will be pricey for that reason. But Washington DC has a fabulous subway system (The Metro). So more important than being close to a landmark (ie within 1 mile), it's more important to be close to the subway.

You'll find the best hotel deals outside of the District, since most tourists don't think to look there. I suggest hotels in Arlington, which are a very short subway ride to all the tourists attractions. You should be able to find hotels literally right next to the subway for less than $100 per night. Arlington is very nice and very safe.

To see how close the hotel is to the subway, visit the subway web site (http://wmata.com). On the right side of the web site, you'll see something called the Metro Trip Planner.

-Put your hotel's address in the "Travel From" section, and the your destination address in the "Travel To" section. Can't think of a destination? Try the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

-In the "Using" section, pull the menu down and choose "Rail only". This will return results only by subway, not by bus.

-If you're willing to walk it, pull down the "Walking" menu and change it to up to 1 mile.

Finally, press submit. Then you'll be given a subway route from your hotel to the destination. First, you'll see something saying "Walk ? miles to ___ Metro Station." That tells you how far your hotel is from the subway. You should be able to find plenty of hotels within .3 miles of the subway. Then the web site tells you which subway lines to take. Finally, there is a section that says "Walk ? miles to" your destination. This tells you how far you will have to walk from the subway to your destination.

Washington DC Restaurants

You can also use this tool to determine how accessible restaurants are. Try using restaurant.com which sells discounted gift certificates to lots of restaurants in the Washington DC area. Remember, what matters most is how far the restaurant is from the subway.

Washington DC Area Reputation

Some Washington DC areas have questionable reputations. Washington DC is divided into quadrants from the Capitol Building. Every Washington DC address will have a NW, SW, SE, or NE in the address telling you which direction it is from the Capitol. Anything too far east of the Capitol has the reputation of being less safe and not as nice. Generally, anything west of the capitol is considered safe, with NW having the best reputation.

When You Arrive in Washington DC

Whether flying or arriving by train, you should be able to get to your hotel by subway, which will save you some taxi cab fair. When you arrive, you can purchase an unlimited one day subway pass for $6.50. If you're going to be staying for 4 days or more, purchase the unlimited 7 day pass for $22.

Study the subway map before your trip, and you shouldn't have much trouble getting around. Washington DC's subway system is simpler than in most other big cities.

And remember, when you're on the subway escalators, stand on the right side of the escalator. People use the left side to walk fast, so if you stand on the left, you'll block people. And they won't be pleased.