Next week I'm going to be in DC on a business trip that ends Friday. My family will be driving down to pick me up so we can start our vacation on the Outer Banks on Saturday. My hotel is just of the Dupont Circle and, understandably, my wife doesn't fancy the idea of fighting her way into the city to pick me up. One possible alternative is that I take the Metro orange line out to Vienna and wait for them there. I have no problem with this, I think, but I'd like to know: How good/bad is the area around this metro stop if I end up having to wait a while for them to get there? Is there shade? A place to sit and have a drink? Shelter from rain? etc. Thanks, folks!
There's no place to sit and get a drink - the Vienna metro stop is in the middle of a suburban wasteland. As for shade, I'm pretty sure there is. On the other hand, you could get off at the Ballston station. Right there is a Ruby Tuesday's (not great but it offers food, drink, shelter & drink.) There's a canopy that provides shade outside and numerous bus shelters (I think every bus route in NoVA goes through Ballston.) It's easy to get to. If you're going east on I66, get off at the Fairfax Dr/Glebe exit. Go straight down Fairfax (the default way) and about 1/2 mile down on the right is the Ballston station. It's impossible to miss because of all the buses. It's the intersection of Fairfax & Stuart. If you pass the IHOP, you went too far. Also, getting off at Ballston will save you about 20 minutes of train time.
Thanks, sounds like this ought to work fine. Is Ballston Sta. on the Orange Line (it seems to be but you don't say so explicitly, so...).
Is your wife coming in through 66? The Ballston idea is good, but, if I were you, I'd push to have her pick me up at Courthouse or Clarendon. I don't know if that solves the urban issue, though. Those are all Orange Line stations. Knowing her route and time of arrival would help in my advice giving, though. Is she coming in off I-70/270? If so, one of the suburban Maryland stops may make more sense. That way, when you hit the beltway, you keeing heading towards 95 South instead of cutting in eastbound. Also, one of the Blue line points - King Street, National, Lincolnia? - might make sense from an efficient travelling perspective.
I understand that Bungadiri raised the Orange Line question himself, but if he's being picked up and heading to the Outer Banks -- and I assume that you're not making any other stops in the DC area on the way -- shouldn't but I agree with the asssessment that the Blue line or the Yellow Line are the best ones, since they south closest to I-395 and I-95 South. He could get picked up at Franconia Springfield, which is just of I-95 (and not TOO far from the Springfield mall to fulfill his request for food/drink/shade) or even someplace further up but slightly away from I-95 like King St in Old Town Alexandria and just continue south.
I get the impression that his wife isn't into the whole navigation thing so Old Town is probably not a good choice.
You folks are great (continuing the good impression I got of DC fans on our last visit). Here are some specifics: nancyb is correct in assuming my wife will be bringing the family van in on I-270/70. The time will be around 5 pm on Friday afternoon, so the advantage we're hoping to gain is avoiding as much rush hour traffic on the beltway as possible. We can't get into the cottage on the Outer Banks until Saturday at 4, so making lots mileage after I'm picked up is only a secondary priority, behind avoiding traffic in DC. I have no problem with the Metro, so I'm not necessarily fixated on using the orange line. That's just the spot my wife picked out as being least likely to involve beltway contact. I suppose my physical comfort (e.g. the shade, drink issue) is secondary to that, too. I guess that means goodbye, Ruby Tuesday's. I crack myself up.
Ok - the 5pm Friday thing negates the avoid rush hour on the beltway objective. My advice is to go Courthouse, go see a movie, eat dinner and hit the road again around 10pm.
Seconded. The last thing you want to do is drive on I-95 southbound at 5:00 PM on a Friday in summer. Another option would be to get on US route 301 and take that all the way down to Richmond, VA. Then get on I-295 for about 15 miles and catch I-64 east towards Virginia Beach. Once you get around Norfolk, you'll want to catch US route 168, which then becomes US route 158, to take you out to the Outer Banks.
You also don't want to be heading south around 9am on a Saturday in the summertime. The traffic can suck then as all the vacationers are on the road.
Yep, I figured as much. We were actually planning on doing pretty much what Mike Lastort suggested to avoid I 95 as much as possible (I lived in NC for nearly 20 years and hate that road, plus we've visited relatives in VA Beach many times). Unfortunately, to a certain extent we are just stuck with the situation. My meetings don't end until Friday afternoon, and the hotel I'm being put up in by your tax dollars is $200/night. If we stay there Friday it's my money paying for it and God knows we can't have that. We'll just choose the Metro stop that seems least miserable in terms of traffic and then try to fight our way as far south as Richmond's outskirts, I suppose.
In that case, you probably want to go with Shady Grove. There won't be much for you to do while waiting for your spouse, but it's off of 270 and it's direct from Dupont Circle on the Red Line.
Sorry, coming into this thread a little late. You could always have your wife pick you up at Grevey's which is down the road from the Dunn Loring Metro on the Orange line and I can buy you that beer I promised you. Then I can help guide you to the Outer Banks. I go every year saturday to saturday and make a point of being on the road no later than 6:00 am. I usually can't check in until 3 or so, so we head to Quagmire's in Kill Devil Hills and hangout.
Okay a decision has been made. Taking into account all the warnings about the beltway at 5 pm on Friday in the Summer, my wife decided she wants to come via 66. This allows her to come down 81 and cut over via 17 at Winchester, which we've used many times in the past. This, in turn, makes the orange line the best target. Chico, that beer sounds good (it'll get me out of having to drive, too). Timing is a little iffey, though. This meeting is scheduled to last until 5 but they usually end well before that. So I'd like to say I'll be sitting there at Grevey's at 5 pm, but can't actually guarantee it. Check your PMs--I'll send you my cell phone number (after supper--I'm getting the hairy eyeball from my "starving" son) and we can try to wing it if you're game. As for caravaning to the Outer Banks, thanks but no can do. We're hooking up with my brother on Saturday. This is a big family trip involving among other things, my siblings and I scattering our mother's ashes on the ocean (and I'll pause here while everyone struggles to get that scene from The Big Lebowski out their heads). As I said, you folks are terrific. Thanks for the help.
The Grosvenor-Strathmore station may be a better red line choice. Here's info on it: http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/Stations/station.cfm?station=14
It's all good because I don't get off work till 5 and I'm two blocks away from the Dunn Loring Metro so I could pick you up. And I'm not heading to OBX for a couple of more weeks.
We scattered my wife's grandparents' ashes into the ocean in the surf at Hunting Island, South Carolina. It was a beautiful ceremony. Her grandfather died more than 20 years ago, and was cremated at that time. When his wife died back in '98, my mother-in-law and her brother and sister decided that scattering their ashes in the water at the beach would be the best way to have a memorial service. So I think I can empathize with what you're planning to do. Condolences nonetheless.