As I mentioned in a previous post, we were staying with friends just outside of Baltimore. These wonderful friends dropped us off at the
end of the Green Line each morning (about a 40 minute drive?), and we rode the Metro to D.C (about 30 minutes?). The Green
Line starts above ground and the closer you get to D.C., the more time you
spend underground. I get nervous trying new things. I didn't know if I could
figure out the Metro, but Salt Lake City’s Trax system prepared us for the
Metro; and, in turn, the Metro prepared us for NYC Subways. Just get a map and
follow the signs.
DC Metro & Useful Maps
This is a DC Metro map from DC Transit Guide. I used the
Evernote web clipper to save this map onto my Evernote account and accessed it
with the Evernote App. Best decision ever. We used it at least a dozen times
each day. At the very least, take a picture of the map with your phone and pull
it up that way.
Each train specifies the color/track it will follow, and
you can tell which direction it’s headed because it will list the name of the
last station on its line. If I’m on the Green Line and I want to head north,
for example, I will look for a GR Greenbelt train. To head south, I will look
for a GR Branch Avenue train.
Let’s pretend you’re at the L'Enfant Plaza station (which
is a major transfer point) and you want to go to the Smithsonian station. You
can see that the Smithsonian station is on both the Orange and Blue lines and is
west of L'Enfant Plaza station. This means that you will look for a BL Franconia-Springfield
train or an OR Vienna train. Make sense? Also note that L'Enfant Plaza has
multiple levels. If you can’t find your particular color or direction of train,
just keep wandering. ;)
Another map we looked at frequently was this tourist map
from DC Trolley Tours. We just used their map, and not their services, but I’d
recommend using the trolleys or something like it. I've had two friends that
have done a Segway tour and recommended it. Metro stops are few and far
between. I thought I was prepared for the amount of walking we would be doing.
I wasn't. Pack lots and lots of water.
Other Thoughts/Tips:
- If you’re going to any art museums and you have a backpack, you’ll be required to check it in at the front. Other museums like the Air & Space Museum and the National Museum of American History let you keep your bag with you. Each place is good at specifying what they want you to do.
- Pack a lunch. It will be cheaper, and you won’t have to walk a mile to find a place to eat.
- If you’re staying in D.C. or really close by, add up the price of single-trip fares. There’s a good possibility that you won’t be using the Metro much so it could be cheaper to do it that way instead of purchasing a day pass or SmartTrip card. Since we were so far out on the Green Line, it was most cost effective for us to buy an unlimited day pass each morning. If I remember correctly, these were about $10+/pp/day. Research your options and purchase online or at the Kiosks located at each of the stations. Note that the fares change at certain points of the day (around rush hour).
- Don’t laugh, but some of the metro stations were hard to find. It took us a while to find the one by the National Archives, I think. If you’re confused, just start watching people. There’s usually a crowd headed underground and a crowd popping up on the street.
- All tourist attractions are free! The only things we paid money for was Metro cards, an Arlington Cemetery trolley ride ($8/pp, I think?), Holocaust Museum tickets ($1/pp because I bought them online), and souvenirs.
- There are drinking fountains at almost every museum so you can fill up your water bottles. There are also plenty of benches along the National Mall. Take lots of breaks, and drink lots of water.
- If you want to tour the White House you have to contact your congressman at least 21 days in advance. Not even joking. You can read about it here. We had no interest in the first place, but I might have changed my mind anyway. That’s too much work just to see a house.
- Turns out that the trek from the Lincoln Memorial to the Arlington Cemetery Metro is more than just a casual stroll. The Potomac is beautiful, though, and the walk was still nice.
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