Vacationing in DC, need some advice.

1. Don't know (haven't gotten regular section tickets for years now)

2. 127-139, but not all of them are supporter's sections. I know the Ultras and La Norte are down by 127/128/129?, then there is a gap, then the Eagles and Barra from 131-137?
If you don't mind foul language for your kid then sure.

3. Probably drive as there are 5 of you. Parking is $15, metro fare both ways would probably be $5-7 or so each depending on where your hotel is.

4. No.

 

Offpeak you are going to pay about $2 for metro per person if you are in DC. You will pay a bit more if you are coming from the suburbs.
At RFK you must visit the World Famous Scarf Machine.

 

I personaly wouldnt bring a small child to the supporters section but if you get a seat on that side you can enjoy the experience without being right in the middle of it.

I would definitely check out all the awesome museums in DC and the Zoo is really nice.

 

It's a bit more. Showing $2.10 from L'enfant 1 way, which is a short trip

 

i realized I was looking at the bus price from Union Station which was a bit cheaper. They will probably only need to worry about one-way. Their despair of seeing DCU lose to Toronto will make their hearts stop in their chests right at RFK after the 90 minutes.

 

They could be TFC fans, in which case they'd need a return trip from RFK.

 

Then why come to a United/Toronto match?

 

If you get a hotel in DC it will cost more but it will make it easier to do things in DC like going to museums (which are free here). In general it is easier to get around DC on the Metro and it will be a new experience for the kids.

 

The metro is pretty easy to use. I would not necessarily recommend it for attending a United game at RFK (I hate to be isolated from my car for that long and with kids one might need temporary A/C, etc) - but for your other days of hitting museums, it'll do just fine - it's an easy system to use IMO - but as a tourist you really need to know one thing about the DC Metro, specifically about the escalators if they happen to be working at your stop: Walk on the left, stand to the right.

If your kid can have some extra fun hearing the occasional possible dirty word and not go repeating them everywhere, I recommend the supporters sections for the experience of singing and jumping around - but if you think they'd just repeat the stuff later, there is a quiet side (what the ticket office probably calls the home side from the old football days at RFK) that provides a great view across the pitch to the supporters' sections.

I personally stand in 232 which is just above the Screaming Eagles main section of 134, you can still see the folks jumping in the SEs (132-134) and Barra Brava (135-137), and we all stand and sing for 90 - but you're not down IN the GA supporters sections. I believe the United ticket office sells in section 231 next to us (I'm sure they sell in my section too, but much of it is controlled by the SG itself).
The 300-sections are generally more under the overhang (shade, rain) though not all are, and they sit down.

There is a seating chart on dcunited.com - under the Matchday heading I believe.

You can buy tix at the stadium, especially if you do decide to stand with one of the supporters groups (of the 3 main ones I think the SEs are the least foul-mouthed if that's a real concern none of them are horribly evil or anything but some folks are sensitive, I'm thinking your wife and/or girlfriend, kids all love it)

RFK food: avoid it all, especially the nachos or greyish hotdog-like things - with the very notable exception of the pupusa stand (usually near the team store at the main entrance, but not always). That place rocks a great rocking and has carne asada in addition to the delicious pupusas. Other than that, I would stick to beer and vodka lemonade inside. Oh, and the cotton candy doesn't suck

They sell beer right at your seats if you aren't picky about brand, or a short walk will find you Guinness, Boddingtons, and a few other good beers.

The Screaming Eagles have a huge tailgate with all-you-can-eat/drink buffet of your standard fare, and good beers and soda - www.screaming-eagles.com for details and to pre-pay if you wish. I think it's $10 for non-members, but I haven't paid in years so I have no idea if that's right, might be slightly more this year. Well worth it at twice the price, especially if you end up eating an RFK hotdog instead We have NAthan's if you like hotdogs
The Barra has a nice tailgate too, mostly community-style, bring food and share - they also supply some carne asada - their tailgate is free.

 

Oh, some memorials; Lincoln, Jefferson, Korea, MLK, especially FDR - I recommend going to at night if possible, save the day for the museums (A/C and closed at night). The outside ones like those are really lit up nice at night and have way smaller crowds. No information or staff however.
It's a beautiful city at night. Just don't necessarily walk around the neighborhoods near RFK at night, but anywhere near the Mall (museums, memorials) is perfectly fine 24/7.

 

Paul, the only place to stay in Alexandria near the Metro is Old Town which is quite nice, but pricey. There are 4 hotels near the Metro stop at King Street -- Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn and some boutiquey thing with valet parking for the folks who show up in Range Rovers. The Hampton is the most reasonable, but is often sold out. The bottom line is that a decent hotel in the District in a place safe to walk around at night also will be pricey -- the city and the close in suburbs are just so damn expensive.
I drive to the stadium from south of Alexandria using 295 and make a U-turn at Minnesota Avenue to park in Lot 4. Takes me 30 minutes on a weekend day, a little longer on a work night.
For the kids: the Zoo (we used to live in Woodley Park and the Zoo was our kids' backyard while we lived in town). Air & Space, Natural History, and others are all good. The Newseum is good, but you will pay an admission. There is an annex to the Air and Space out at Dulles -- it's free, but $15 to park and there is nowhere else to park for free and walk so just resign yourself to paying $15.
I heartily concur on the RFK food -- can't vouch for the pupusas because they're not my cup of tea.
Hope you enjoy the trip, by late August the humidity may be down a bit, unless we get the remnants of a hurricane coming up the coast.

 

Someone here with kids should be able to expand on this post, or you can likely just google it these day, but when going to the Zoo (which I do highly recommend), there is one Metro station to use when going to the Zoo and another to use when leaving the zoo, so that both walks are downhill instead of uphill - but I cannot recall which is which (but with kids it is a very important decision to get right).

 

Definitely Cleveland Park > Zoo > Adams Morgan is the downhill order.

Source: I work in Cleveland Park and have walked down to the McDonald's by Calvert for lunch, and the walk back is unforgiving, uphill stuffed with McDoubles and fries.

 

I think it is Cleveland Park going to the zoo and Woodley Park-Zoo leaving the zoo that gives you the all-downhill experience. Another thing to remember about Metro - always put enough money on your fare card so you don't have to stand in line each time you take the train.
I like the Natural History museum for kids - it has awesome exhibits that kids love. My grandkids were here recently and loved the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but I've never been. Get there early to get an assigned tour.

 

couple of things.
DCU-TOR is not going to sell out. If you don't like where you are sitting, move to an empty section. For example, if you're too close to the standers and your 8 yo can't see move back to the empty seats. If it's too hot in the sun, move to the quiet side by the corner underneath the upper deck. There are some tricks to it, they never have anyone from the 300 deck (on the noisy side, there's a single hole in the wall) and the 300 deck near the papusa stand around behind old home plate. If you want to be more official you can go to customer service and trade in the tickets - but that seems so overkill.

Go in early and do the VW garage, things to do and watch Toronto warm up.

If you get general admission seats (from BB or SE), go in very early and get a front row seat.

I'd recommend not getting tickets from BB (without knowing first hand what you are getting into). If you do you need to be in the fartherest section from 135/136 - proabably 138? I can't remember all the details.

Walk around lot 8, watching all the tailgates (SE very organized, consistent; BB chaotic, friendly and inviting, drop in get a piece of meat - but you never know what there will be; DU - quiet, sedate, friendly next to bubbling brook known as the Ancostia).

Plan to hang out afterwards, because parking can be a clusterf with the closed road to Virginia

I'd drive with 5 people rather than taking Metro. My wife almost always drive downtown - but she is the parking whisperer.

things to do: Air & Space; American History, eat at Indian Museum (near Air and Space); monuments (it's a long walk from the capital to lincoln memorial over to jefferson.

 

One thing I'd echo here (as someone with kids) is that the food at the stadium, with the exception of of the pupusas (which are kind of like salvadoran filled cheese sandwiches with cole slaw) is really bad and expensive. And believe me i am not a food snob. Eat before you come. Also they don't allow umbrellas in the stadium.

 

The above should say " salvadoran GRILLED cheese". They are not filled with salvadorans

 

Weekend rates usually aren't bad--not sure exactly which nights the OP is staying, but the Hilton Old Town starts at $95 a night for August 23-25, and the Hilton Arlington which has an Orange Line stop right outside starts at $79. A number of the Hilton/HGI/Hampton hotels in the District are in the low $100s.

 

Is the OP flying or driving? Troy isn't too far away (500 or so miles), I drove from Detroit to DC in just over 7 hours last year (but I don't stop for breaks - and I drive with purpose).

5 people flying in for a week-end could be expensive.

If you're flying in - which airport? BWI is 30 miles away from DC; IAD is probably a little closer. If you fly into National, then you could get away without a rental car.

 

Inside the stadium, the Jerked Chicken with Fried Plantains is unique and really good. Other than the Pupusas, the stadium food is stadium food. There are a few beer stands with unique choices, including the Bud Lime-a-Rita