I am in Kansas. My free plane tickets are with Airtran, which limits me to places the fly. DC is a good choice, but a beach area would be nice. I was looking for a motel that picked up at the airport, or was inexpensive to get to. I am not wanting to spend $50 a cab ride. I will rent a car, but I am not wanting to do that if I can get away with it. We are going to France next spring with my son's senior class and I (well mostly my wife) want to save money. My main goal is not to let these 2 plane tickets expire. So I am looking for a place that meets those requirements and either has a nice beach/pool to lay around by, shopping for my wife, or things to do and see. I am leaning towards DC, but I am looking for options and advice from the experts,

Thanks!