Inside The Beltway 2018
Originally published August 29, 2018
Adventures in Washington D.C. & Baltimore, Maryland
So much to see, so little time.
My cousin, Nikki, and I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment quick trip to Washington D.C. this past May. Unfortunately, we were about a week too late and missed the cherry blossoms in bloom, which would have been pretty to see, but we had a great time regardless. It was a little bit crowded when we went, as both Georgetown, and George Washington University had graduation ceremonies that weekend. Since we were only staying 3 ½ days we decided to back pack it and avoid checking bags. We took an early flight out on Southwest (I must mention our flight attendant had a very entertaining safety speech) and flew into Baltimore Washington International Airport. In hindsight it probably would have been easier if we had flown into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport instead, but hey, life is all about trial and error!
Transportation in D.C.
We found the cheapest and easiest way to get from the airport to Washington D.C. was to take the MARC (Maryland Rail commuter) train. We took a quick 15 min free shuttle to the BWI Amtrak/MARC train station and from there it was a 35 minute train ride to Union station. Our initial plan was the Hop-on-hop-off bus tour, but some locals and the hotel receptionist told us to save our money and walk. We took their advice, skipped the bus tour and walked the 4.28 mile loop around the National Mall twice. Yup, you read that right, we walked the whole loop twice! You are probably wondering why, and the reason is, there were a few monuments that we really wanted to see at night all lit up. And of course they were on opposite ends of the National Mall! The walk was manageable, but in retrospect we both wished we had taken the bus tour. Not only would it have saved us time and allowed us to see more, but we also would have liked to hear the history behind each monument and museum. According to my Fitbit, by the end of the night we had walked 9.66 miles (22,451 steps), and done it in record temps in the high 90’s! Needless to say we didn’t smell too pretty.
Where to Stay in D.C.
We Stayed in the Club Quarter Hotel, which was very conveniently located. It was just steps away from the train station and only 2 blocks from the White House! They were also very accommodating. We arrived early and weren’t able to check in for a few hours, but they allowed us to leave our luggage locked up in a storage room area behind the front desk, so we could start exploring D.C. without having to carry our bags!
Some of our favorite monuments & memorials
The White House, Washington Monument (can be seen from almost anywhere in the National Mall because of its height), the Lincoln Memorial, if possible see it at night when it’s all lit up. The U.S. Capitol building, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the United States Navy Memorial are also very pretty at night. There were so many more monuments, memorials and museums that we would have loved to see but didn’t have the time. Again, if we had done the Hop-on hop-off tour we probably would have been able to see much more.