RNE

Anyone able to opine if the RC Pentagon City is good for viewing DC's July 4th fireworks? Is there a rooftop lounge perhaps? Would club level rooms facing DC offer good views? Thanks!

cova

No view from the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City - view blocked by office buildings. The RC does not have any terraces.

Your best bet would be the Residence Inn Pentagon City - with a North view - facing I-395 and the Pentagon. But you must have a north view.

libuser

dude
just get to VA, there are many spots on the river where you can do that for free, and get much better views. Also Gtown is also another possibility.

AmericanBadAzz

cova is absolutely right. The Residence Inn is your best bet. There's also the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn, which is on the other side of the Pentagon from Pentagon City.

Just Passing Thru

That is the first property I thought of when I saw this thread. An upper-floor room, overlooking the river, just might do it. And no standing-room-only Metro hassles, either.

pinniped

I don't think any of the Marriotts would present the perfect in-room or in-lounge viewing, but if you book any of the Rosslyn ones you'll be maybe a mile's walk from a perfect vantage point.

Could also be doable from those Crystal City / Pentagon City area hotels, but then I think you'd want to grab a short cab ride unless there's an easy way over to the river to walk up that trail a mile or two.

I used to live in Rosslyn - we had easy access to the trail along the river. My normal run was down to DCA and back. I'm not sure where exactly people hop on that trail from down in that area.

RNE

Thanks for the heads up. The metro stop at the Ritz's front door is very convenient, since we plan to take the metro into DC to sightsee every day. Also, the attached mall is a plus. Keep in mind, we won't have wheels. It appears the Key Bridge Marriott has a rooftop lounge ("ballroom") and is close to a metro stop but there seems to be a highway in between. Anyone familiar with this property and walking to the Metro stop?

cova

The Pentagon City Residence Inn is only two blocks from the metro - an easy walk. At the Key Bridge Marriott you would have to have a south facing room. I would say the view would be closer from Pentagon City Residence Inn.

There might me one room tier - the corner NorthEast room only that may have a view from the Ritz - but it may be partially cut off.

Just Passing Thru

It's perhaps a five-minute walk to the Rosslyn station from the Key Bridge Marriott, and pedestrian-friendly. But it would be wise to stick to the crosswalks and keep your eye on the traffic.

cova

The Key Bridge Marriott no longer has a public space on the top floor. It is meeting rooms and ballroom as pointed out. I suppose you could go up there if it were vacant - but it is likely someone has rented it for a private party.

The CL at the Key Bridge is on the first floor.

You can walk from Metro to Key Bridge Marriott via overhead bridge walkways which go through the park area. The hotel itself is surrounded by major roads. But there is a crosswalk which is just as quick or quicker than the overhead walkways.

The Residence Inn Pentagon City would have better views since it is closer to the site.

You could walk over to the Iwo Jima area from the Key Bridge and view from there, but it is very crowded and I find it is still too far away.

RNE

Would I need a south-facing room at the Residence Inn? I see the Courtyard Arlington Crystal City is nearby; would it be a better option?

cova

The Residence Inn is best - but you must have a NORTH facing room. It is just acrosss I-395 from the Pentagon. The Courtyard would have no view at all. The Residence Inn is south of the Pentagon.

Key Bridge Marriott is on the North side - but a ways up - by Key Bridge - do google maps - the Fireworks is at West Potomac Park south of the Lincoln Memorial and below the Wash Monument.

RNE

OK. Thank you.

cova

Also - you would want a room farther down the hallway facing north. The Residence Inn is L shaped so you do not want the L part to hide the view.

The best view is likely from the end of the hall window which looks directly north towards the Pentagon.

You certainly need to call the hotel and request a particular room view.

Glensea

Just find a Marriott near the Metro because the way to get the best experience is to be on the Mall for the fireworks: Find a place on the Mall's west end and face the Washington Monument, bring radio/earphones to listen to the concert on 90.9 WETA and keep listening as the 1812 Overture is played during the fireworks. Subway will be crowded going/coming -- we usually kill an hour after fireworks end by finding a bar while the crowds diminish. Concert starts about 8 PM, fireworks about 9:15 PM for about 20 minutes. Granted: This takes effort beyond merely watching but being in the crowd is a very memorable part of the July 4th experience. We live here and have been on the Mall whenever we've been in town for the holiday.