response 88 of 126:

Jun 5 21:48 UTC 2007

re #87
Why is it weird that people who have healthy atittudes about nudity are not
sluts?  I think it makes pretty good sense.  Just look at the crazy teen
pregnancies which happen under the Christian prude socieities.

response 90 of 126:

Jun 5 23:40 UTC 2007

I guess I was under the impression that there already was a
"Family-Friendly version of Las Vegas", namely Branson, Missouri.  The
sinful one seems to be more popular, and I don't think it's just because
the airfare is often cheaper.

Getting back to #0, a recent vacation cost survey indicated that
Hawaii is the most expensive state for a family of 4 to visit, and DC
ranks second.

Of course, the methodology can be called into question, since it was
broken down on the state level.  Clearly a vacation to Manhattan will
have a very different cost structure than a vacation in the Adirondacks,
and since DC is all urban area it's different from most states.  It does
still illustrate, for better or worse, that on average DC is among the
more expensive (domestic) vacation destinations.

response 92 of 126:

Jun 12 16:39 UTC 2007

I finally made a decision, two weeks before we'll be going on vacation.
 The only hotel search site I found which accommodates my family (2
adults, 4 kids) was Expedia.com.  Orbitz and Travelocity rebuke you with
"Our system only accommodates 4 guests per room" messages.  It seems to
me they are missing some opportunities there.  Oh, well.

Through Expedia, I found a Residence Inn by Mariott 2 bedroom suite with
kitchen, free continental breakfast and outdoor pool, which will allow 4
kids.  It'll cost us $800 for 5 nights.  It seems like a lot to me;
we'll see how it works out.  I'll have a report in July sometime, I guess.

Anyway, thanks for the many helpful suggestions!

response 94 of 126:

Jun 12 17:13 UTC 2007

Most importantly, it sounds big enough that you won't all want to kill
each other after day 3, and you can't put a price on that.

If you're like me, you will go light on the souvenirs.  I was going to
buy a postcard of the Lincoln Memorial, but when I pulled out a $5 bill
to pay for it, I realized that I already had one so I put my wallet away.

response 96 of 126:

Jun 12 18:27 UTC 2007

you should take slynne with you so she can sit on the steps of capitol 
hill and sing "I'm just a bill... I'm only a bill..."

response 98 of 126:

Jun 12 19:49 UTC 2007

If you'd have mentioned that part earlier, I would have offered you
space in our car.

response 100 of 126:

Jun 13 01:29 UTC 2007

Do your 4 kids eat coffee and rolls for breakfast?

response 102 of 126:

Jun 13 03:21 UTC 2007

 re #99:  There's a security perimeter now?

response 104 of 126:

Jun 13 15:43 UTC 2007

What does the continental mean?  

response 106 of 126:

Jun 13 16:06 UTC 2007

Re 104  I have always said that continental means "cold".  Happily, 
many chain hotels (like the Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, etc.) have 
taken to putting on a very respectable breakfast:  coffee, juice, 
milk, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, danishes, bagels, granola 
bars, toaster waffles, etc.  So when you take into consideration the 
cost of going out for breakfast (which for John's family could run to 
about $30 at even someplace like McDonald's), that weighs very 
favorably in with the cost of the room.

response 108 of 126:

Jun 13 16:21 UTC 2007

 re #104:  usually it means nobody cooks anything for you and there's
 rarely table service.  In minimalist settings it can mean as little as
 having a coffee urn and a basket of stale donuts set out somewhere,
 but usually it means there will be at least some beverages, fruit, and
 pastries.  Better "continental" breakfasts usually offer more options.

response 110 of 126:

Jun 14 22:23 UTC 2007

Why not just hold up a 7-11 for some muffins?

response 112 of 126:

Jun 16 15:09 UTC 2007

It was a little tough when we got there, because there was a convention
in the area, and all of the hotels were booked.  I forgot to tell my
mother which area I wanted to stay in to be centrally-located for the
property/apartment search, so we didn't make reservations.  Having said
that, we did in fact get hotels.  I've got a few recommendations.

Tyson's Corner is a GREAT place to book a room if you've got business in
DC.  It's near enough to the District, it's got plenty of places to eat
and shop if you forgot anything for the trip, and the area is near to
the major routes/expressways.

The Westin Embassy Row on Massachusetts Ave in the District is not at
all impressive.  Don't bother.  To make matter's worse, everyone had
their hand out for the most menial tasks performed.  I'm sorry, I will
tip you for bringing my bags up, but I'm not going to tip you for taking
them out of the car to put on the cart, neither am I going to tip the
guy holding the keys to the valeted car (the only way you can park
there), because he's not the one who actually brought the car from the
garage!

Sheraton Crystal City (Arlington, VA) is nice, as was the staff we
worked with when we checked in.  They bent over backward to help up find
rooms for the rest of our time in the city.  The only drawback is the
location of the bar/lounge, right off the lobby, and since smoking is
allowed, it was not easy for my mother to deal with, because she's
allergic to cigarette smoke and a number of scents.

Sheraton Tyson's Corner was great.  I loved the rooms, there was no
smoking in the lobby area as far as I could tell, even though there was
a restaurant and bar there. The first two hotels had a physical ethernet
connection that you could plug into your laptop, but this hotel had
wireless access.