Have 11 hours in IAD
 

I have 11 hours in IAD next week Saturday. What should I do during the 11 hours? I will be there to make a MR on United Airlines but I do want to make a good use of the 11 hours I will have at IAD. I will be there from 10-AM-9PM. I don't want to stay at the airport for 11 hours so is there anything to do in that area in a short period of time? Any buses or tours to the city that is affordable? Any suggestions?

By all means, check out the new Air & Space Museum at Dulles. I don't know if there's any special transportation from the terminal to the museum, but you can look it up. You can then take the bus from the Dulles A&S Museum to the A&S on the Mall (it costs a few bucks), stroll around for a while, and take the bus back, but make sure about when the last one goes back out to IAD.

Here's the edit (I couldn't leave well-enough alone): I checked out their website. Here's the flooplan. That should get you drooling.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/visit/uhcmap.cfm

[This message has been edited by EricH (edited Mar 19, 2004).]

If you want to go into DC, there are city buses that run to/from Dulles to either the Rossyln subway stop or a subway stop in DC close to the mall (L'Enfant). The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin may be starting to bloom when you would be here.

This should help you out:
http://www.wmata.com/riding/visitors...rts.cfm#dulles

Or as the other poster has mentioned, the new Air and Space Museum is cool with a Concorde, Space Shuttle, etc. I've been there a couple of times. You could take a taxi there.

Actually depending on how much of your time is real (be sure to allow time for international flights), you have plenty of time to do things in d.c.

You could walk around, go to the phillips collection (which has a wonderful renoir), take a tour of the capitol, go to the main smithsonian air and space museum etc.

depending on time of day it's from 45 minutes to an hour to dc from dulles. It's more during the rush hour

At this time, a taxi or other private car is the only option. I called the Udvar-Hazy center last week and they told me that, while a shuttle from IAD may be added in the future, there isn't one at the present. They noted that several visitors do come from IAD daily via cab.

One good thing: The U-H Center itself is free (our tax dollars at work) http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited Mar 21, 2004).]

Along with the generousity of many people as roughly one-third of the Smithsonian's money comes from contributions.

I feel dumb here. Cherry blossoms bloom in Washington for about two weeks and on Saturday is the start of it. I neglected to mention to get your a... i mean yourself in to the city to see it. you do have the time.

forget the smithsonian museum near the airport. go see the cherry blossoms, the air and space museum on the mall and walk past the white house. you have plenty of time to do it.

as mentioned above, the cheapest way to do it is to take the regular bus from the airport.

coming back you may want to take the metro however to the west falls church station and get the direct bus to dulles. http://www.washfly.com/

My husband and I will be in D.C. from tomorrow through Saturday late afternoon. We would like to visit the Udvar-Hazy center on Saturday before our flight back, but we will have carry-on luggage. In the aftermath of Sept. 11th, is there anywhere either at the U-H center or at IAD for storing luggage for a couple hours?

I don't believe there are storage facilities at dulles. The airport web site says there aren't, but I've never had to check myself
http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/

Is there some reason you can't just check in the luggage and then go to the museum?