As I am guessing we'll get quite a number of folks asking about this, I figured I'd sticky some general info in Lot 8. Any additions folks have, please PM them to me and I'll update this. __________________ BY PLANE When purchasing flights to Washington DC, you should first decide which airport to use. There are three choices when purchasing DC tickets: BWI, National, and Dulles. Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) is 30 miles Northeast from Washington DC, about halfway between DC and Baltimore. Almost half of the flights in and out of BWI are bargain flights operated by Southwest Airlines. Cheap flights to Washington DC can be achieved by using Southwest and taking a train to DC. Other ground transportation options to Washington DC from BWI include taxi, SuperShuttle and BWI Express bus. One-way fares range from $4.10 - $45. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (still called "National" by locals) is located south of the city along the Potomac River, a few minutes by car and 15 to 20 minutes by Metro to downtown DC. National offers a full range of domestic flights on major, regional and commuter carriers. Recently renovated, National conveniently connects directly to the Yellow and Blue lines of the Metro subway system. Taxi fare to downtown is approximately $12-$15. Shared ride van service is also offered by SuperShuttle. National's security procedures add certain precautions not in place at other airports, like the "30-minute rule": Passengers must stay in their seats for the 30 minutes prior to landing at National, and for the 30 minutes after their plane takes off from National. Although not as convenient to downtown DC as National, Washington Dulles International Airport provides faster access to downtown DC than BWI, thanks to an uncongested airport access road that travels half the distance toward Washington. About a half hour drive west of the city, Dulles is DC's closest airport with international service. Ground transportation is provided to the nearest Metro train stop, West Falls Church, where DC tickets are generally under $5 and trains run every 45 minutes. If you prefer, you can take one of the shuttles, or a cab, which will run you about $50 into downtown DC. __________________ BY TRAIN Amtrak services (tel: (215) 349 1160 or 1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) cover long-distance routes from Washington, DC, while MTA/MARC trains (tel: (410) 539 5000 or 1 866 743 3682; website: www.mtamaryland.com) connect with points in Maryland. Train services operate Monday to Friday 0500-2400. The vast Union Station is on 50 Massachusetts Avenue and its extensive facilities include restaurants, shops, ATMs and left-luggage. The ticket office (tel: 1 800 872 7245) is open 0430-2300 weekdays and 0500-2300 weekends. Tickets can also be purchased from the 24-hour Quik-Trak ticketing machines. Amtrak operates long-distance services, including regular departures to Philadelphia (journey time - 1 hour 35 minutes), New York (2 hours 45 minutes) and Chicago (17 hours 30 minutes). The Acela Express, introduced in 2000, has cut 15 minutes or more off the current Metroliner service journey time to New York of about three hours. MTA/MARC operates local services, including to Baltimore and other towns in Maryland. Metro Rail - http://www.wmata.com/ __________________ BY AUTOMOBILE From I-395 From Virginia, follow 395 North, across the Potomac River, for approximately three miles. Once past the Maine Avenue exit, stay in the left lane of the freeway. I-395 will exit to the right to the Capitol and Senate buildings. Do not follow I-395 North; stay left for the stadium. Proceed straight ahead in the left lanes to the exit at Sixth Street Southeast and Navy Yard. At bottom of the ramp go left at traffic light onto Sixth Street. Stay on 6th Street for .5 miles to Independence Avenue. Turn Right onto Independence Ave. and stay on Independence for 1.1 miles to 19th Street. Turn Left onto 19th Street and travel one block to East Capitol Street. Turn right on East Capitol to the stadium. From I-66 and Constitution Avenue From Virginia, follow Constitution East past the Capitol to Maryland Avenue. Turn left on Maryland and go two blocks to Stanton Square. At Stanton Square, turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue. On Massachusetts, follow directions as from Union Station. From I-270 From Maryland, follow I-270 to I-495 (Capital Beltway). Proceed east on the beltway (towards Silver Spring). Continue to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (south). Bear left onto 295. Exit onto East Capitol Street. From I-95 From Maryland, follow I-95 to I-495 (Capital Beltway). Proceed east on the beltway (towards Richmond). Continue to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (south). Bear left onto 295. Exit onto East Capitol Street. From Route 50 From Maryland, follow rte. 50 west to Kenilworth Avenue (south). Exit onto East Capitol Street. From Union Station Go East from Union Station along Massachusetts Avenue. Continue past Stanton Square on Massachusetts to Lincoln Park (at 12th Street). Go around Lincoln Park to East Capitol Street and turn right onto East Capitol. Follow East Capitol to stadium. http://web.mlsnet.com/t103/stadium/directions/ __________________ BY BUS http://gotobus.com/washingtondc/ for all bus options http://www.greyhound.com/scripts/en/TicketCenter/step1.asp for Greyhound Main Greyhound terminal: 1005 1ST ST NE Washington, DC 20002 Telephone Numbers Main: 202-289-5160 Baggage: 202-289-6549 Greyhound Package Express: 202-289-5118 Union Station Bus Terminal Customer Service: 202-289-5141 Greyhound Charter: 800-454-2487