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Grex > Travel > #73: Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC | |
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| 25 new of 126 responses total. |
furs
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response 25 of 126:
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May 30 15:23 UTC 2007 |
yeah, Marc is an expensive ho.
;)
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slynne
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response 26 of 126:
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May 30 15:29 UTC 2007 |
Yeah, wow. I just checked and the *one way* fare on MARC from Harper's
Ferry is $9!!! (but that is to Union Station). ON the other hand, one
can drive from Harper's Ferry or thereabouts to the nearest Metro
station. Harper's Ferry is a location I am suggesting just because it
is so pretty there and because there are some historically significant
places to visit there as well.
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slynne
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response 27 of 126:
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May 30 15:30 UTC 2007 |
resp:25 - HAHAHAHA. Yeah I guess if you want Marc to service you,
you'll have to shell out some serious bucks.
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jadecat
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response 28 of 126:
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May 30 15:54 UTC 2007 |
resp:20 Umm, if a person smoked in a room 6 weeks ago then yes- you may
still be able to smell it. Some people have a REALLY hard time dealing
with cigarette smoke. My father is one of them, and cannot sleep in a
room where there have been smokers. He also travels with a smaller air
purifier...
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marcvh
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response 29 of 126:
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May 30 16:12 UTC 2007 |
I do have a reputation to uphold. In general commuter rail is expensive
(even with significant operational subsidies) though still a lot cheaper
than Amtrak. Out here, for example, the Sounder Commuter Rail fare is
25% more than the equivalent bus fare.
I think that a kitchenette would work great for some types of vacations.
For a family of 6 to vacation at the beach, renting a cabin/cottage with
a small kitchen would be perfect; you just pick up some provisions at
the grocery store and you're all set. For visiting DC it doesn't work
as well, since most of the time you won't exactly be near your room.
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jep
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response 30 of 126:
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May 30 17:29 UTC 2007 |
I like the way some Grexers think out of the box! If you'd all come
over to M-Net, I'd give you some gribblies.
I like the idea of taking an electric skillet or griddle. That'd almost
have to violate safety codes for any place that doesn't have a
kitchenette, but it'd sure save a lot of money.
We'd want a kitchenette because, for at least one meal per day, we could
eat in the room and not spend money. We'd want a free breakfast
because, for one meal per day, we'd eat outside the room and not spend
money (even though the room costs more if a free breakfast is provided).
Also, it will take 1/3 of the time that going out to eat will take.
And we can take sandwiches for most of our lunches. We'd still be
buying snacks and drinks, no doubt. But eliminating the cost of 3
restaurant meals per day for 6 people is significant. McDonald's for 6
is about $40, Red Lobster tops $100, you're talking $200 per day in
saved meal money.
re resp:20: There are things you concede and things you don't. There's
always an alternative. If it's a choice between a smoking room and not
going, we won't go. But we're not alone in that kind of decision
making. Hotels have plenty of non-smoking rooms and do not charge extra
for them. Why would they? They're cheaper to clean and less prone to
damage and accidents.
re resp:23: Now that's the sort of tantalizing remark that I find
frustrating. Just how would you go about finding a hotel with free
shuttle service to the DC Metro, while maintaining a full time job and
everyday family life? Answer me that and I might send you some
gribblies through an inter-Backtalk banking transfer.
Thanks everyone!
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mcnally
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response 31 of 126:
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May 30 17:38 UTC 2007 |
What about renting an RV? If the trip goes badly enough you could sell
the film rights and make a fortune!
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edina
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response 32 of 126:
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May 30 17:43 UTC 2007 |
Ok, I looked at the Residence Inn in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax -
they have a 2BR Suite (w/kitchenette) for $149 per night. They
include a free breakfast, 2 BR and a sleeper sofa - you can call them
to ask if they have a shuttle to the metro, but most places do. The 1
BR suite is $99 per night.
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tod
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response 33 of 126:
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May 30 17:44 UTC 2007 |
You can always get yourself a $10 hotplate and a $10 heat element to do your
own cooking. That's how we do Vegas, anyway. As for cold stuff, once you
get to town, go hit a cheapo drug mart and get the $3 styrofoam cooler and
then keep it stocked with ice from the hotel ice machine.
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marcvh
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response 34 of 126:
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May 30 17:57 UTC 2007 |
So, instead of going to see La Reve, do you just put on tights and prance
around in the bathtub?
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tod
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response 35 of 126:
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May 30 18:03 UTC 2007 |
The idea is that we save money on lodging in order to have more to spend on
entertainment. Vegas isn't exactly the place that wants you to hole up in
your room when you get hungry.
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marcvh
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response 36 of 126:
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May 30 18:10 UTC 2007 |
Sure they do! They'll be happy to bring you a $16 cheeseburger from room
service, or you can enjoy a $5 Snickers from the mini-bar. But if you
stay downtown, lodging and food is pretty darned affordable.
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tod
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response 37 of 126:
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May 30 18:31 UTC 2007 |
If you don't mind the 10 mile walk through the casino to get an ice cold coke,
sure. Sometimes, you just want to get up in the middle of the night and have
a coffee or a sandwich without having to trek through Gomorrah. Most of the
downtown hotels in Vegas do not even have coffeemakers.
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keesan
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response 38 of 126:
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May 30 18:40 UTC 2007 |
A small (1-burner) butane camping stove would be easier to transport than a
hotplate and could be used again for camping. How much extra does the 'free'
breakfast cost and does it consist of more than coffee and toast?
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tod
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response 39 of 126:
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May 30 18:42 UTC 2007 |
I'm not sure how well a butane camping stove would be received at the airport
baggage x-ray.
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marcvh
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response 40 of 126:
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May 30 18:45 UTC 2007 |
True enough, though I can't say that I've ever had the urge to drink
coffee in the middle of the night in a hotel room. That must've been
one nasty hangover (and I'd suggest hair of the dog, not coffee, for
that one.)
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edina
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response 41 of 126:
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May 30 18:49 UTC 2007 |
Re 38 Usually, continental breakfasts consist of danishes, fruit,
yogurt, granola bars, cereal, oatmeal and juice and coffee. I've had
some that had waffles and breakfast sandwiches. I think if it costs
an extra $15-$20 it would be worth it, as there are 6 people.
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marcvh
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response 42 of 126:
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May 30 18:54 UTC 2007 |
(slippage)
A backpacking stove (with no fuel, and no smell of fuel) might be OK, but
you run the risk of having it confiscated by a security screener. Then
you would have to find a place that sells fuel at your destination.
Then, any leftover fuel that you don't use is a problem -- you can't take
it on your return flight, but you can't throw it away because it's a
hazardous material, so you're kinda hosed. And, in Vegas anyway, you're
most likely talking about a hotel room on the 23rd floor of a sealed and
climate-controlled building; not a place where I'd use a stove.
I suspect you could do as well just going to a grocery store and getting
a small ice chest and some sandwich fixin's, without the need to resort
to cooking in your room. In Vegas, this also means the added
inconvenience and expense of renting a car.
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richard
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response 43 of 126:
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May 30 18:57 UTC 2007 |
well you could always rent a winnebago for a few days and go stay in a
trailer park in the 'burbs.
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keesan
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response 44 of 126:
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May 30 19:05 UTC 2007 |
Take along three equal-sized stones and find some dead wood and cook on that
outdoors in the park. You can send the smallest kid up a tree to find dead
branches.
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edina
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response 45 of 126:
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May 30 19:14 UTC 2007 |
Sindi, you should run a survivalist camp or something.
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marcvh
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response 46 of 126:
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May 30 19:33 UTC 2007 |
If you're looking for resources for "urban camping" here's a list of them:
http://w.ick.ca/8777
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richard
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response 47 of 126:
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May 30 19:38 UTC 2007 |
re #46 thats a list of homeless shelters and soup kitchens. I know
JEP wants to save money, but isn't having his family stay at a
homeless shelter or eating at a soup kitchen a bit extreme?
This sounds like it could be National Lampoon's DC Vacation, with
Clark Griswald taking his family to D.C. the cheapest way possible.
Of course the Griswalds ain't got nothing on the Perrys :)
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tod
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response 48 of 126:
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May 30 19:50 UTC 2007 |
re #44
LOL
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keesan
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response 49 of 126:
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May 30 19:54 UTC 2007 |
r 44 and 48, we actually spent a month cooking over wood fires once, in the
far west, where Jim did go up trees to get dead branches. We took along a
car and put any extra wood in it for later.
After a month we smelled hickory smoked, and got a camp stove.
There are camp stoves that take expensive little gas canisters, but Jim found
a way to use them with a big canister that he can refill, for bike camping
where we can manage the extra volume and weight. A gas canister would
probably be much cheaper than a free breakfast.
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