Washington by foot

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A number of my family are in Washington for the John Stewart rally, and staying in two hotels - the Washington Court on New Jersey and E St NW and at the Red Roof on H St NW and 5th St NW.

I figure the walk to the East Mall at Seaton park will take about half an hour. Is this reasonable, and is the walk at night safe (I know that's a relative term, but hey, I'm a first timer to DC and perhaps a bit prejudiced by its rep.)

Also. outside the Washington Court towards Union Station at night. Any suggestions, tips, warnings?
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Both of those hotels are under a mile from the eastern part of the mall, so should certainly take less than a half hour, assuming one does not get lost.

I don't know what security set-up they will be using for the rallies, but that is where I would expect things to take some time.

As for safety, the rallies are daytime events, but I would not have any issues walking around alone in that area at night and, in fact, have done so.
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Quote: A number of my family are in Washington for the John Stewart rally, and staying in two hotels - the Washington Court on New Jersey and E St NW and at the Red Roof on H St NW and 5th St NW.

I figure the walk to the East Mall at Seaton park will take about half an hour. Is this reasonable, and is the walk at night safe (I know that's a relative term, but hey, I'm a first timer to DC and perhaps a bit prejudiced by its rep.)
Think of how staying here will enhance your thug credibility!

Seriously... as mhnadel said, you've got nothing to worry about. It's an easy walk to the east end of the Mall either way. From the Red Roof, you'd head south on 5th Street, make a left onto Indiana Ave., then a right into the plaza that leads to 4th and then Pennsylvania. From the Washington Court, go right on E and then left on First. Or, y'know, just follow the crowds.

(BTW, I've lived around here since 1989 and had never known that the first two blocks of the Mall are called Seaton Park. Nice to see I'm not done discovering things about the city...)

Quote:
Also. outside the Washington Court towards Union Station at night. Any suggestions, tips, warnings?
You're in a pretty good spot for eating. As far as cheap dining goes, there's a Billy Goat Tavern right across the street in the National Association of Realtors building. I have no idea if it's any good, but I imagine it's no worse than the one in ORD, which I thought was fine. For drinking and bar-food eats, you've got the Dubliner and the Irish Times on F and N. Capitol. And a few blocks away at 2nd and C--the last looking somewhat sketchy, as it appears to dead-end at the Department of Labor's concrete colossus--you'll find a dive bar called My Brother's Place.

And for non-cheap, but excellent dining, Art & Soul (one block south on New Jersey Ave.), Bistro Bis (next door on E in the Hotel George) and Johnny's Half Shell (N. Cap, just north of Louisiana) have all gotten great reviews; I had a terrific meal at Bis myself a few years ago.

Good luck, and thank you for doing your part to prop up the hospitality industry here.
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My Brother's Place is hardly what I'd call a dive bar. It's just an uninspired lunch restaurant patronized mostly by DOL employees, and in the evenings it's more of a sports hangout for after-game softball, soccer, rugby and touch football teams. Next door is Hamilton's (a My Brother's Place wannabe), and next to that is the sushi place Momoyama. That section of 2nd Street, NW, is basically a small side street and a bit off the beaten path. If one is the in neighborhood (the National Gallery of Art's East Wing is VERY close), I'd go with Momoyama - the sushi is more than adequate and decently priced.
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