thinze3

DW & I will be at the Crystal Gateway Marriott for 7 nights.

Is there a room location I should request on the Concierge levels?

Any good dining close by for a reasonable price?

Is the subway travel to & from the Crystal Station safe to use or should we cab it everywhere?

Thanks

hm212

The metro in Crystal City is very safe especially in rush hour. Probably a little too quiet for my comfort after 8pm but before that you are totally fine.

davidash

I stay at the Crystal City Marriott which is across the street. LOTS of restaurants within walking distance and the Metro is VERY safe. You can walk outside to Metro, or better yet, take the underground tunnel/walk way to the Crystal City Metro Station -- very safe and very convienent.

Enjoy your stay

AATrout

You will have few hassles coming in or out of the CC Metro station at just about any hour, except for crowds at rush hour. On the escalators, the walk left-stand right protocol is the unstated rule. With a few exceptions, walking around in the evening: no safety iissues.

There are occasional sreet crime incidents on the 23rd St corridor W of Rte 1 where it intersects with S Eads and some of the bars there late in the evening, but very few on Crystal Drive itself (E of Rte 1) all the way down to 23rd which has plenty of dining options. Crystal Drive usually has plenty of people out at all hours. The CC Gateway is between 15th & 18th on S Eads.

I would not be on foot much after midnight on S Eads unless you are in a group, however. A few blocks W off 15th is the Pentagon City Mall, which attracts plenty of thugs, and sometimes they must get bored because now and then you get a few incidents along the Eads corridor. Not much, but enough to be careful.

thinze3

Thanks guys. We are here now and have discovered the underground route to the Metro station. Seems safe enough for sure. Tomorrow we'll jump on.

It appears that you are correct about all the great eating places on Crystal Dr down to 23rd according to my trusted Google map. Can't wait to start trying a few of them out.

Our Marriott shuttle driver suggested we try some seafood at the Wharf near Georgetown. That sounds good since DW wants to take the family down that strip and to some cupcake bakery she heard (or read) about.

AATrout

You talking the Wharf in Alexandria? Cool place in VA but a cab run if you have kids. Unaware of a Wharf in GT though.

If you are in for the 4th, and regardless of your hotel view want to get outside you could consider these 2 options:

(i) just go thru the CC underground and go straight, exiting on Crystal Dr. Go across the street and at the Waterpark, find the pedestrian underpass that takes you under the C&O tracks along the Potomac.

When you come out on the MT Vernon bike/walk trail adjacent to the airport there are plenty of places to set up for family viewing of the 4th fireworks - OBE of course if you go to the Mall.

(ii) exit the CC underground at the Waterpark but turn left and as Crystal Dr curves to the left at 12th St enter the Long Bridge Trail (county park), an elevated wide path that parallels the Potomac for almost a mile W of the the C&O tracks that has great views of the DC skyline. There are soccer fields in addition to the trail you can use to set up.

I am gonna link you to a great thread with good info from other locals:

here:http://michiganstate.247sports.com/B...474/1#a1247045

You might do a topic search for useful stuff if you can handle the sarcasm.

sbrower

The place for late night eating (room service closes at 11 or 12) is the Kabob Palace. It is about a 2 block walk (go in the direction of the Sheraton and keep going). Great food. I was there a few nights ago at 1am and there were lots of families and cab drivers.

davidash

Cupcakes! YES go to DC Cupcakes in Georgetown - they have been on the food channel a few times.

http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/

They have the BEST cupcakes -- be prepared to wait 20-25 minutes to get in!!

CJKatl

Was the driver talking about The Wharf restaurant in DC? It's hardly what one would consider near Georgetown, as it's in SE while Georgetown is in NE. Even by water you would go from Georgetown past the Watergate and Kennedy Center to get there....

It's very touristy. There are some boats nearby there that sell fresh seafood. When I was in college (mid-eighties) we used to go down to "The Fish Market" on our bikes at closing time and by seafood with change, go back to our house and make a huge dinner for a dozen or so people.

Despite The Wharf being touristy, we went there in the seventies with my cousins and I can still remember it like it was yesterday, so it might be worth a go.

If you do go to The Wharf, make sure you continue down Maine Street to The Awakening statue. It's awesome. You'll see the cherry blossoms on the side of the road as you go down to the peninsula where the statue emerges.

CJKatl

One more thing on restaurants... You haven't mentioned the ages of your kids, but if they're older tween/teen, you might want to go to either Adams Morgan or the U Street Corridor, walk around a bit and choose one of the funky restaurants, maybe even one with outdoor seating. Your kids will love it. Your wallet will love it. (Remember, it's still DC, where thanks to our government dollars generously providing outlandish salaries, everything is relatively expensive.)

I wouldn't go to either of those areas with younger children, but older kids will think it's cool. Not that there is a safety issue or anything wrong with younger kids at either location, it's just that the experience will be lost on them and you'll spend more time keeping track of the kids than enjoying it.

sammyindc

WAY overrated!! They are popular just because of the TV show. Lots of cupcake shops in DC are way better.

hm212

Georgetown cupcakes are the BEST!!!! - and yes they have a tv show but that just makes them cooler!!! - but tv show or not Georgetown is really the best for cupcakes (they are the only ones I would spend those calories on)

Marcell

The Crystal Gateway Marriott (a Category 6 hotel) is a great hotel located in the Arlington (Crystal City), Virignia area.

I have just completed a stay for the period Thursday, August 29th through Sunday, September 1st.

I had a online rate of $69.00 per night for this location.

Originally, I booked a rate for $89.00 which was good. Next day, I went back on the Marriott website and saw the rate of $69.00 per night and it was not an advanced purchase rate. This was for a regular room. However, as I have been fortunate many times in the past, I was able to upgrade to a Junior Suite for the same price. I had 2 other family members with me.

I enjoyed my trip as well as my family.

As you wouldn't expect to see a very low rate like this, has any one else had a very low rate on a Category 6?

MaineFlyer16

Most DC hotels have really low weekend rates...I think the category six is based on weekday numbers...

VA1379

Labor Day weekend is a slow time for DC area hotels. This hotel usually goes for $99-119 on weekends and can go over $150 on busy weekends.