Ballston is great if you like concrete canyons and don't want to get dirty from things like trees and grass.

I guess when you're totally unable to rebut a reasonable argument, you go with the baseless generalities - taken from the viewpoint of someone who clearly has not really spent any time there.

Thanks for your consideration.

I lived in Fallas Church for 4 years....Ballston is that way as the other person said....a bunch of large concrete buildings.

That asside....to the OP.....

You really need to stay at a DCA hotel with shuttle service. Im not up to date on when metro starts operations now but its around 5:30am....you could do metro to the airport. DCA hotels are more expensive.

From Dulles you could take a bus/taxi to metro...then take metro to a hotel.

You can stay in DC proper and tke metro.


Stay at Dulles then trying to get to DCA in the morning is the absolute worst option out there.

Actually...Ballston does have green spaces and trees along with the buildings. I'd still recommend DC, but if the OP finds a decent rate at the Westin then there are plenty of decent restaurants and it's a very quick and reasonable cab ride to DCA. Plus, it's quick shot from IAD.

Also - if you're up for a nice bike ride, Ballston connects to an incredible number of bike paths, along with bike rentals. There's the 45 mile WO&D, or into DC/Georgetown, or down to Mount Vernon. Exactly what you want to do after a TATL, right

Actually we begin the day in PRG, 9:25 departure, connecting MUC to IAD. After at least eight hours of inflight beer and wine I'm pretty sure these two geezers will skip the bike activity!

As the OP retiredslug has stated they'd see DC on the return trip, I would recommend staying at the Hilton (see below) in Old Town Alexandria. It's right at the King Street Metro and two stops from DCA. There are plenty of restaurants at all price-points within walking distance of the hotel. In the morning it will take you no more than 20 minutes from hotel check-out to the security checkpoint inside DCA.

(In addition to the Hilton, there is an Embassy Suites, a Hampton Inn and the Lorien Hotel right near the King Street Metro. The Hilton is the closest with the Embassy Suites a close second.)

But why

Seriously, as Geo1005 the King Street Metro is probably your best bet, that's a nice area. But, in general if you're just looking for an overnight then any of the Arlington areas (Rosslyn, Courthouse, Ballston, Crystal City) or downtown DC would be fine and it's just price/chain decision. On my first trip to DC, I was surprised how close DC was to the city hotels.

That early in the morning the Metro is fine, even with with luggage. Just be aware that now if you use a paper card it's an additional $1/one way, or you can buy a rechargeable Smartcard (with $10 min fare IIRC) since you'll be returning. For anybody else reading...Metro (at least the Orange Line) during rush hour is crowded. Very crowded. And cabs are relatively cheap. I could grab a cab for $15, or pay around $3 to stand stuffed into Metro, often without air conditioning.........let me tell you for which I opted Well, okay, I actually got Mr. Mile-a-holic to drop me off/pick me up 98% of the time.

agree. cabs from downtown DC (heck, even far NW DC where I live) are fast and cheap to DCA. Especially from downtown, DuPont Circle or Georgetown, it's a remarkably quick trip too.

Stays near the airport have the advantage of free airport shuttles, but my own experience with airport shuttles is that unless you have time to waste, they're not worth it. All too often, I've had unpleasantly long waits and ended up in a cab anyway.

what do you consider far nw dc? i thought the drive from chevvy chase, friendship heights, and down 16th st to be a nightmare, almost any time of day or night. alexandria is nice. some decent food.

For clarification, we will be visiting DC for a week before heading to Europe.

We are currently looking at staying at the Crowne Plaza National Airport after returning from Europe for one night. We're not big eaters but they apparently have a bar and grill downstairs and are very close to DCA. Gets decent reviews on Tripadvisor and price is right but we are more interested in what you local folks think.

I don't know the hotel, but it does look good. I'm not partial to Crystal City myself - good restaurants, shopping, safe, but not the personality of other neighborhoods IMHO.

If you're selecting on proximity, I was a road warrior for about five years from DCA and live near Ballston. Travelled peak times, never had a problem - 15 min max. Could leave my house and be at the gate with a cup of coffee in hand 20 later. King Street or rosslyn will offer more charm if you can get a similar deal (Georgetown is just across the river).

Otherwise, this looks nice and if I can I will swing by this week.

Good choice! That should suit your one-night needs perfectly. Free shuttle to DCA for your morning flight and the rooms were recently renovated.

slawecki,

Live off CT ave near military.

Would never take 16th downtown unless I needed to be right in mid-downtown.

For runs to DCA, depends on time of day. Morning by car or cab might be rock creek or more likely Reno to Wisc to Rock creek. Latter is rarely too backed up.

For my travel I usually have the luxury of timing flights so traffic is not too much of a problem. Or I leave early enough if I suspect it will be. You'd be surprised though at the nice reverse commutes. For example, BWI is a breeze in the AM (but getting to DC in the PM is not for some reason. IAD is rarely too bad because we take River Rd to the beltway and don't have that far until the Dulles connector (although again, a PM return can be more brutal because the exit from the connector to beltway north can really crawl.)

The thing to remember about DC is that there are many ways to get to most places, and North/South is much easier than E/W, because there are lots of NS routes, but very few EW. So folks bound to IAD or DCA will have a fairly easy time if they're staying in Gtwn. compared to being in the Capital Hill area. Latter could take 30 minutes longer easily.

If all you want is sleep and a simple meal you'll be fine.

But if you have any energy that evening you might think about somewhere downtown (i.e., Pennsylvania Ave. to K Street, between 3 and 15th NW). You can catch a cab in the morning and really not have any worries about traffic at 7am. It will take 15 minutes to the airport. This would give you a few more options for eating and a chance to see more of DC.

Agreed, this is a good plan. On the other hand if they really want to stay near DCA, there is a Jaleo in Crystal City that is solid if OP wants to get something a cut above the hotel restaurant.