I've booked my air, hotel and sent my paypal payment, See you in DC
Cheers
mpc1

Registration is open for a week longer, due to the short time until the registration window closes, ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE VIA PAYPAL for any registrants from now on. (we're not updating the registration forms, but it'll be caught during the confirmation process). There is still room on the Smithsonian tours, Hillwood Museum (open to locals and visitors), Friday Happy Hour and Saturday Dinner -- come join us!!

If you haven't already paid, please do so ASAP.

If you think you registered, but did not receive a confirmation form, please send an email to [email protected] asap

The IAD TOUR is FULL -- if you have not received a confirmation notice, then you are not on the list. If you believe you should have received a confirmation, please send an email ASAP to the [email protected] email. If you did receive a confirmation, but cannot attend, please send an email to release your spot and let someone else go in your place.

PAYMENT REMINDER Emails went out ... please submit payment so your spots can be confirmed.

Due to changing commitments, there is now availability for Sunday Brunch (2 spots), all are welcome at Saturday afternoon Hillwood (4 spots left) and all other events as those do not have space limitations.

See you in May!!

I was on the Marriott website & I can get the Keybridge Marriott for $119 & it's eligible for the EEO, which brings the room rate down to $59.50/night. It says on the website that "This Georgetown hotel is conveniently located near the Rosslyn Metro station and Washington, DC's Metro rail system". Is that on whatever color line will get me to the various weekend activities? If so, I'll switch from Crystal City Gateway, but don't want to make the change until I've confirmed w/ DC savvy folk. Any info appreciated.

Cheers.

The Key Bridge Marriott is close to the Rosslyn Metro stop (though not as close as the CC Gateway is to the CC Metro stop), on the Blue & Orange lines. Proximity to the Orange line gives you excellent access to Sunday brunch. The Blue and Orange lines give you good access to Friday dinner as well. For Hillwood, you'll most likely be meeting at some fixed location, but getting to that location from the Blue/Orange line should be easy. You'll need to change to a Red Line train at Metro Center to get to Saturday dinner, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Hope this helps.

The Keybridge Marriott is right at the VA side of the bridge - across the bridge from G'town (nothing over in G'town for the event).

Only issue is that you need to cross a couple of busy streets to get to Rosslyn metro - but it is doable. The hotel might seem a little isolated - particularly at night.

It's about 2 blocks from Key Bridge to Metro (my office is in Rosslyn). Easy trip. As noted, it's on the Blue and Orange lines - they share tracks through town, but split at Rosslyn (Orange line goes west to Vienna w/bus connection to IAD, Blue down to DCA and on to Franconia/Springfield).

My take is that it's pretty even if I had to choose between the properties. Having said that, Key Bridge has a far better view if you get a room on the DC/east or north side of the hotel.

Thanks for the info. I think I'll switch to the Keybridge (again, money saved will be used towards booze, er, good cheer ;)) during the weekend :D

I just checked the breast cancer site, & it says the stop for the walk is the Smithsonian stop, which from what they indicate is on the orange line. So presumably I can catch that, do the walk, scramble back to change at hotel before catching the orange to the lunch. Any idea on how long it will take from Smithsonian stop to the Rosslyn stop and also from the hotel to the restaurant? Walk starts at 9am or a bit after, figure an hour to walk. That leaves me w/ 90 minutes to get back to hotel, change/freshen up, and get to restaurant.

At first I was trying to figure out what to do w/ my luggage & thought I'd be schleping it around since I'll also be going to the museum out near IAD on Sun aft, but from what Global_Hi_Flyer has posted re: the blue/orange lines intersecting, I could check my luggage w/ the bellman at Keybridge before going to brunch, then go back to the Keybridge (either catching a ride w/ someone or doing the bus/subway combo) after the museum, get my luggage & then take the blue line to DCA in time for my flight.

BTW - "Team FT" is doing a pretty good job so far of raising funds as part of "United Team Dulles". So if any of you are interested in donating & haven't yet, there are links on the main Do website to donate to any of the 3 of us FTers walking. For those who have already, thanks from us. As some of you know, I lost my sister to breast cancer last year so doing the walk means a lot to me & I'm proud of UA for doing this & the other FTers who I'll be walking w/ (I think I speak for all 3 of us when I say we're glad it's not a marathon :p). And since FTers were so supportive of me when Cheryl was ill & following her death, it's just going to be so great to be around you all that weekend too. She met a lot of FTers. I remember the first time she met some & one of them said, 'how do you feel about your sister being involved w/ FT?" Her: "I don't know. Is it a cult?". Yup, the best kind! :)

I'm used to getting around the London tube. Is the DC metro as well marked signwise & maps?

Cheers.

My very first business trip to the area lo these many years ago found me at the Key Bridge Marriott with an upgrade to some sort of a penthouse junior suite with a most spectacular two-sided view.

I have only stayed there three or four times since and never was again able to get that top floor. Perhaps SkiAdcock can use her charm (and her status) to get up there this time. That is if they still have the configuration since I am sure that they have gone thru at least three or four major renovations since those early 80s.

IMO the KB Marriott has much more charm and character than either of the Crystal City places albeit it is a bit less convenient without a car.

I just live 1 mile from the KeyBridge Marriott - attending the Sunday brunch (a few blocks from me) and driving to the IAD Air/Space musuem.

Should not be a problem getting people back to the area or airport.

I'd say that the large number of homeless people around Rosslyn is more of a concern than the traffic. When I worked over that way, I hated walking to the metro after dark, since there are a lot of aggressive panhandlers around.

I think the DC metro is easy (and thought that before I lived here), but I see lost tourists all the time. It helps if you have some common sense, like listening to people who tell you when you're on the wrong train.

The signage is reasonably good, but there aren't metro maps on the platforms, so it is best to figure out where you want to go in advance. (You can get a map when you arrive.) There are maps in the train cars but some of them are a bit small to read. The Stationmasters book, which also has maps linked to from the wmata.com website, is useful for figuring out which exit you need at stations that have multiple exits. In that respect, it can be easier than the London tube, since it can be hard to find a London map that has both streets and tube stations on the same map.

In your case, make sure you take the blue line, not the yellow line, from DCA to Rosslyn to go to your hotel. For the Friday night event , you can use either blue or orange from Rosslyn to Metro center.

I would be remiss in my local duties were I not to mention the first law of the DC metro. Namely, walk left, stand right. That is, never stand on the left side of an escalator.

Or in FT speak, don't be "escalator lice" :D And yes, you will earn the wrath of many Washingtonian metro passengers for failing to follow that rule... ;)

Isn't that the case w/ all metros? :confused: I know London is like that.

Cheers.

You'll be fine Ski ... the metro is easy to get around, just know the last stop in the direction you're heading :)

Oh - and just a heads up that we're including a metro map in the welcome packets for those that may need one.