"Drinks & Dinner In DC" - Washington Friday August 9th
 

On chat last night a few of us set up a small meet to share a beer and a steak and a whatever.

Markbach and MDTony are signed up so far.

Joh and I will be arriving IAD at 6pm August 9, en-route to Easter Island. Thanks to a tip from Markbach, we snagged a special $89 rate at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row, which will be very well timed for the 50,000 HH promo.

Tony has a suggested meeting place within walking distance. Others seem to know this place VERY well for some reason. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Anyway, if anyone is about please touch base. We will catch a few sights downtown Saturday before our flight to MIA at 5pm, so can probably also manage lunch if that suits anyone better.

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~ Glen ~

Count me in!!! Definately wanna chat about your Concorde trip. E-mail with the schedule, I'm open fri and sat.

Put me down as a strong maybe.

I'm a definite maybe. Please send the details!

I say we get together at 8:30 or so for drinks on Friday. I figure that if Oz gets in at 6:00 PM, that will give him time to clear customs, get his bags, and then get into the city and freshen up before going out.

If you all liked my little bar before, we could meet there for drinks again.

mdtony - sounds neat. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

We arrive from a United SWU "Not-A-Stopover" (23 hours) in DEN this time, so no customs hassles at IAD. So if it suits anyone, we'll be able to be wherever at more like 7.30pm or 8pm.

thezipper ... have you flown Concorde yet or are you about to? Might have a spare BA bag tag to bring if you do not have one. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

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~ Glen ~

Put me down for a tentative yes. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I am interested in joining you if I could. I am fairly new to FlyerTalk.

Ozstamps - I am going on a vacation with my husband down under for three weeks this month and would love to talk to you about what's fun to do in Sydney and Cairns.

MarriotGirl - great to see I will not be the only female there! Great to have you along, and we can keep these men in check. Looking for to it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Bring your husband along maybe? Get him hooked on flying like us!

Okay, tell you what. We had a great time last time at my little place, Staccato. It is within walking distance from where you are staying. Oz, if you're taking United, tell the flight crew that they can walk there from their hotel and that we'll give them 20 percent off their tab and that one of the guys who invested in the place is friends with a lot of their flying partners.

Joh, there you go, I'm trying to get some more women to come along!

Anyway, the place is located at 2006 18th Street. The cross streets are 18th and U Streets.

You can find more information on the place at http://www.staccatoonline.com/
See you there, folks! I am looking forward to it!

The linders say "maybe" right now.

Looks like I'm not going to be able to make it on friday, some alternate plans came up. I'll catch you guys the next weekend in SEA.

Oz - I will actually be in Washington attending the Amer Bar Assn meeting and might be able to stop by to say hi again (since I haven't seen you since dinner in Sydney). Would love to meet others. Please let me know where and when.

Hmmm. Well I know WHERE you are going and with WHOM. (And I do not blame you either!) Fifty bucks, and I keep Mum. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif Catch you in SEA the next weekend markbach.



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~ Glen ~

OK, so far we look like we have about 15 folks confirmed or pretty close to it:

mdtony
thezipper
JeffS
dhacker
avek00
MarriottGirl
whlinder (+ Lisa)
sbrower
Viajero Joven
MrOak
dguruswamy
pderby
Joh
ozstamps

Excellent suggestion from mdtony to meet at staccato bar/piano lounge which their website says is: "located between Dupont Circle and the heart of Adams Morgan at 2006 18th Street NW in Washington, DC".

Means zippo to me, but I am sure locals will know what that means. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I understand bar and light food and decent priced drinks are the go at staccato, so seems like a fine choice. Be nice to catch up with left coaster sbrower again.

Joh and I (United being vaguely on time) are fine for say 8.30pm Friday .... is that suitable to others? Please add a post Yes/No to time, and a confirm for attending if not already done, and mdtony I am sure can arrange us a table or two together for then when we have a firmer number and time. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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~ Glen ~



[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 08-07-2002).]

A 6 p.m. arrival (I'm assuming you have bags to pickup) and a 7:30 p.m./8:00 p.m. dinner seems like a bit of a stretch.. Lets say you get out of the terminal at 6:30 p.m... grab a cab or shuttle.. I can't see you in DC before 8 p.m. at the very earliest..

66 Eastbound is a parking lot from the IAD Toll Road/66 East interchange every night.. but a Friday is twice as bad. If you are checking in first.. then I would guess there is no way you make an 8 p.m. dinner.

Just my opinion.

Thanks Trojan Horse. Much appreciated getting the local inside info.

mdtony it seems was showing great wisdom and experience of the Friday traffic in suggesting 8.30pm in his first post above. Yes, we had planned to check in first at Hilton. Seems like that is the sensible timeframe to aim at. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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~ Glen ~

Hmmm, paying $50-$60 with tip for a cab is never a prospect that excites me - especially when I convert it to Pacific Pesos. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

If road traffic is likely snarled we might be better getting the Flyer Bus to West Falls Church Metro and then into town for $5 day pass? Is there any MetroRail station near the Embassy Row Hilton? I can see Dupont Circle on the route map, but not sure where the Hilton is at. Sorry to bother with transport questions! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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~ Glen ~

Glen,

Looks like you are in good shape to use the Metro from the Hilton:

Washington's Metro system provides a clean, safe, fast way to get around the Washington DC area, and because The Hilton Washington Embassy Row is located 1/2 block from the metro system's red line, our guests are just minutes away from all the sites and sounds of the capital city.

Yep!

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/a...tyhocn=DCAERHF

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2002Aug2.html

Just kidding, I love the Metro, it is great.

You've probably got a 1/2 hour train ride from West Falls Church to Metro Center, then switching to the Red line to Dupont Circle. At www.wmata.com you can get exact train times.

Oz, it really depends on how much stuff you are carrying with you. If you are travelling light, Metro is definitely an option, because you'll be within walking distance of the Hilton there. However, if you have a lot of stuff to carry, then I would say that you'll have to suck it up and get a cab, because it would be very difficult to get on the Metro with all your bags during rush hour.

I would offer to pick you up, but the problem with that is my car is small and doesn't have a lot of room for luggage and the back seat isn't something that is good for adults.

If you do take a cab, though, you do get to benefit from something. You'll get to blow by the traffic standing still for a good deal of the ride, because you will be in the airport only portion of the toll road.

[This message has been edited by mdtony (edited 08-05-2002).]

But that still doesn't ease the traffic where the two roads (airport express part of the toll road and the local part of the toll road) merge about a mile before the 66 East interchange.. its at this point where the traffic comes to a grinding halt... and the ride becomes pure misery all the way into the district.

as posted by mdtony: If you do take a cab, though, you do get to benefit from something. You'll get to blow by the traffic standing still for a good deal of the ride, because you will be in the airport only portion of the toll road.

[This message has been edited by mdtony (edited 08-05-2002).][/B][/QUOTE]

I've never done that part of it, since I usually head right on up the Beltway home. However, here's a way to get around that. Have your cabbie go on the Beltway towards Maryland -- the on the inner loop usually don't extend over the American Legion Bridge. Then have him take the GW Parkway towards DC, get off at the Roosevelt Bridge, and then take the E Street exit to 18th Street and then he ought to be able to get you to the hotel from there.
Plus, since Oz isn't going to be driving, it's a lot easier on him =)

The bus to the metro stop has a shoulder lane to use if traffic is bad. In a cab even on a Friday, at 7:30 there is still congestion but it is not horrible. My guess is that it will slow for a couple of miles between the merge of the toll road and I66 to the Ballston exit.

Thanks for the great transport info folks. Looks like Lisa is now on the list, so MarriottGirl and I will not be the only females there. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Now THAT is an interesting article. Something to really look forward to Friday. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif



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~ Glen ~

Re. Dulles traffic and transport: Metrobus has the route 5A which goes directly from the airport into DC with only 2 en route stops: Reston/Herndon/someplace in Dullesland http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif and Rosslyn-- which is immediately across the river from Georgetown. The 5A ends at L'Enfant Plaza. The metro stops at both Rosslyn (Orande and Blue) and L'Enfant Plaza (all but Red). From Rosslyn you can ride the "Georgetown Shuttle" every 10 minutes into Dupont-- less backtracking that way. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I have the event firmly penciled into my calendar. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif I should be able to see you guys there.

Looking forward to what I am dubbing Ozfest. Only there will be no drunk, washed up, strung out, old rockers there!

hey if you are going to statacco to meet, I might join if i can, though I'm not exactly in your frequent flyer class. 'tis in my neighborhood.

by the way that is a very small bar and I'm not sure it serves food

In answer to someone else's question above, the hilton is a short block and a half from the dupont metro stop. be sure to exit the north end of the metro (the front)

Viajero Joven and MrOak. We would be delighted if you get time to join us on Friday around 8.30pm. Looks like a dozen or so flyer folks now if everyone gets to turn up. No matter how little, often, varied or what airline/s any of us fly, we will have something to talk about I feel sure. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

staccato is a place we will be treated VERY well at MrOak as mdtony has *enormous influence* with the owners I am reliably advised. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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~ Glen ~

[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 08-07-2002).]

The 5A stops are at Rossyln and the Herndon-Monroe Park N Ride. Travel time is estimated to be 55 minutes between IAD and L'enfant plaza

for more information on this see:

www.metroopensdoors.com or call 202 637 7000

It should be $2 to ride the bus.

I will try and make it.

Although, folks if you want to have dinner there are some really good places within walking distance of Stacatto! I would recommend Cafe Citron near Dupont Circle, but if you guys have your hearts set on the Stacatto then so be it.

http://www.cafe-citron.com/


[This message has been edited by dguruswamy (edited 08-07-2002).]

[This message has been edited by dguruswamy (edited 08-07-2002).]

I'll be there...taking the metro from Rosslyn.

BTW, I use the 5A bus from Rosslyn (I live 2 blocks from the Rosslyn metro stop) to Dulles. It is the best $2.00 deal I've found anywhere for city to airport transport. The 5A was $1.25 (or maybe a $1.10) until recently. Still a bargain.

Even if you take the 5A into town then hop a cab you will save a lot of $$$.

Note the 5A runs every hour from IAD, so if you miss it you are stuck there for a while. The 5A picks you up at curb 2E (bottom level where the rental car buses come by). It is scheduled to be there each weekday at 6:40pm.

The linders are planning on being there, and hopefully a friend of mine will be able to join us. He is a lurker and flies a ton, way more than me.

There's food on the menu, and I'll make sure that it's served just the way you like it =)

If you don't like it, you can just throw it at me and I'll go and beat up the chef =)

Unfortuantely I will not be able to join as I forgot a prior commitment (my wife reminded me). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Have fun everyone. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I will be present. Look forward to seeing everyone.

mdtony ... why is it, that EVERYWHERE I go, there ends up being a FOOD FIGHT?? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I hear mdtony is arranging for Fosters to be on hand at staccato? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif


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~ Glen ~