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Grex > Travel > #73: Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC | |
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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 126 responses total. |
furs
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response 96 of 126:
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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..."
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slynne
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response 97 of 126:
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Jun 12 18:34 UTC 2007 |
hahaha. I would do it too!
Plus I have a free place to crash in the DC area because my brother
lives there.
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jep
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response 98 of 126:
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Jun 12 19:49 UTC 2007 |
If you'd have mentioned that part earlier, I would have offered you
space in our car.
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marcvh
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response 99 of 126:
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Jun 12 19:57 UTC 2007 |
Can you actually get to the steps of Capitol Hill, or is it inside the
security perimeter?
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keesan
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response 100 of 126:
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Jun 13 01:29 UTC 2007 |
Do your 4 kids eat coffee and rolls for breakfast?
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slynne
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response 101 of 126:
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Jun 13 01:46 UTC 2007 |
Haha. Thanks Jep!
The one time I actually sat on the steps of the Capitol and sang "I'm
just a bill" you could sit on the steps but that was long before 9/11
and I havent been back to the Capitol Building since then.
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mcnally
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response 102 of 126:
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Jun 13 03:21 UTC 2007 |
re #99: There's a security perimeter now?
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edina
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response 103 of 126:
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Jun 13 15:22 UTC 2007 |
I don't think so. I think you can still walk the grounds. I think
they just have more security.
Re 100 Continental breakfasts at this point are a bit more than
just "coffee and rolls".
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keesan
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response 104 of 126:
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Jun 13 15:43 UTC 2007 |
What does the continental mean?
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marcvh
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response 105 of 126:
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Jun 13 15:45 UTC 2007 |
It means you're not getting a full English breakfast.
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edina
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response 106 of 126:
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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.
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nharmon
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response 107 of 126:
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Jun 13 16:17 UTC 2007 |
The Staybridge Suites we stayed at provided breakfast, and a sundowner,
which was basically dinner.
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mcnally
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response 108 of 126:
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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.
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tod
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response 109 of 126:
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Jun 14 21:44 UTC 2007 |
re #106
And half the time, you can waltz through the front door and pretend you stayed
the night while eating their free breakfast.
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marcvh
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response 110 of 126:
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Jun 14 22:23 UTC 2007 |
Why not just hold up a 7-11 for some muffins?
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tod
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response 111 of 126:
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Jun 15 14:11 UTC 2007 |
Don't think I haven't thought about it.
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bhelliom
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response 112 of 126:
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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.
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jep
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response 113 of 126:
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Jun 20 20:05 UTC 2007 |
After all of this, something has come up and I had to cancel our hotel
reservation. We'll try again to arrange a trip at a later time.
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furs
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response 114 of 126:
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Jun 20 20:14 UTC 2007 |
wow! what a bummer!
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samiam
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response 115 of 126:
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Jun 20 21:23 UTC 2007 |
Crap. That stinks!
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slynne
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response 116 of 126:
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Jun 20 22:10 UTC 2007 |
That is too bad jep. But I have to admit that the end of June might not
be the best time to visit DC as it is often pretty hot there.
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cyklone
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response 117 of 126:
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Jun 20 23:49 UTC 2007 |
Hope you get another chance to go, jep.
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zulu
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response 118 of 126:
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Jun 21 00:12 UTC 2007 |
(Did you ever check availability of the Lincoln bedroom?)
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jep
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response 119 of 126:
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Jun 22 14:43 UTC 2007 |
What a weird week. We're going to be able to go after all. I just
rebooked our hotel. It cost me $25 to cancel it earlier this week, and
about $50 more to reserve our room (at the same hotel) for 5 days when I
booked it again through Expedia.
There's still a bummer involved. I asked my congressman's office for
help in getting reservations for tourist sites. I had asked with pretty
short notice. The hardest request for them to fulfill is the White
House. I got a call from someone there, the day after I cancelled the
hotel, and was told they had gotten us reservations for the White House.
Wow... but I couldn't use them. Our trip was cancelled.
So now the trip is on again, but we won't be going to the White House.
Ah, well. We'll leave that for another trip. Instead we'll freelance
and see what we can of the Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetary, National
Zoo, and such other sites as may catch our attention.
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slynne
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response 120 of 126:
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Jun 22 14:44 UTC 2007 |
Dont worry, you wont be short of things to do.
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