Have a new question. We’re looking at accommodation now and see that Georgetown is not served by the Metro but hear the bus service is good. Is relying on the bus to and from Georgetown much of a problem?
It’d be fine - it’s not even a very long walk.
Thanks, that’s good to know. We’re actually leaning toward the Tabard Inn in Dupont Circle at the moment, but we are considering Georgetown too.
Most walkable neighborhoods in DC.
I don’t want to sound too discouraging, but a first time tandem ride on the path to Mount Vernon, might not be a good idea. I’m a somewhat seasoned rider of that trail and I get a little nervous when some of those aggressive racing types zoom past me without so much as a beep. Actually, maybe they did beep but the sound waves never caught up to them. If you do end up trying it, make sure you learn the cyclist’s rules of the road. There are some seriously steel hills toward the end, too.
It takes me about 2 hours each way, peddling at a good clip and making a few rest stops. For you and the wife I would estimate at least 6-8 hours round trip (if you go all the way to the end), unless you both really take to that tandem and make really good time.
The Tabard is nice, and there’s the Swann House which is also really nice but I don’t think it has the mini-restaurant or bar that the Tabard has, but it’s perfectly located half way between Dupont and U Street, and very close to a mini-restaurant strip with lots of sidewalk tables on 17th Street between P and R. Just off the top of my head I can think of five different types of ethnic food within that 2-block strip. I’m sure you’ll be itching for some Thai food 
Valley Forge is “on the way” to Gettysburg, but they’re at either end of that trip – VF is half an hour from Center City Philadelphia, Gettysburg is a couple of hours away.
The G2 connects Georgetown, Dupont and Logan Circles. Runs every half hour most of the time. But the previous poster is correct in that it’s hardly a 20 minute walk on P Street between Georgetown and Dupont, so I often don’t even bother waiting for a bus.
Thanks again for all the info. Maybe we’ll just take out the bike to fool around on it for a couple of hours. Another place we’re looking at in DC is called the Inn at Dupont Circle.
I see now that Valley Forge is very close to Philly. But we don’t want to rent a car until it’s time to leave the city. Is there tourist transportation out to there? Or is it best to just stop by on our way to Gettysburg?
About Gettysburg. I may have made a mistake in mentioning to the wife this weekend that Hershey is nearby, the center of the universe for chocolate. Now she wants to go. (She takes her chocolate seriously.) There’s a chocolate museum there that sounds pretty neat actually. I’m thinking once we rent a car and head out of Philly, we’ll stop at Valley Forge, stop at Hershey, then overnight in Gettysburg. I assume VF and Hershey can both be done in a day.
You can get to VF by bus, but it takes about an hour because it’s pretty much a local bus. (It also goes by King of Prussia Mall – the largest mall on the East Coast, and I think second- or third-largest in the country – if anyone in your party was interested in doing some shopping.)
BTW, I hope you’re planning to announce specific dates when the time comes – I’ll be happy to arrange a Philly Dopefest for you, and am sure NYC and DC will want to do so as well.
Has she ever read the Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury? The name tells you it’s more about the Cadburies than the other firms, but it talks about Milton Hershey quite a lot too. It’s way more interesting than a corporate history has any right to be and the audiobook version is very well-read.
Three Philadelphia RR stations were mentioned, but if travelling Amtrak from NYC, Sam’s most likely going to 30th Street Station. (BTW, “Suburban” Station is not suburban at all but in the business district; it just has that name because it was originally where the suburban lines connected.)
Still, definitely make the NY/Phila segment on the train. The highways on that segment are always full of surprises(*), in both cities parking costs are stupefying (and unnecessary due to decent transit), and though Amtrak timetables are sometimes just polite suggestions of when it would be nice to have a train run, it’s still better for everyone’s sanity.
(*I-95 around Philadelphia, and through SW/Central Connecticut has repeatedly stymied me by having drives last 1 hour one day and 3 hours the next…)
Doable, IMO, if you can budget your time. Valley Forge NHP visitor center opens at 9am, so you could hit it first thing in the morning then head for Hershey, which is an hour and a half drive away (per Google). At Hershey (as long as you avoid the Theme Park) Chocolate World and the Hershey Museum should fit an afternoon, then it’s an hour (sez Google) to Gettysburg.
Yep - 15ish blocks from the Foggy Bottom metro to the “main drag” where most of the restaurants are (might even be less?). I’ve heard that some folks actually go to Rosslyn (Arlington VA) and walk across the bridge but I can’t think that’s any closer.
Thanks, all. Our plans are coming together, and I can tell you we’ll be in Philly four nights starting April 14. I’ve just booked a nice B&B in the Historic District/South Street area. We’ll actually be coming from Connecticut, a small town maybe an hour outside of NYC, as we’ll be staying with friends there after leaving New York. I’m hoping they can point us to a train to Philly. After our side trip to Gettysburg (and Hershey), we’ll be in Washington for a week from the 19th. NYC will be a week starting April 5.
For Hershey, we’ll definitely skip the amusement park. Not that we have anything against amusement parks, but we just can’t fit it in. We’ll check out the museum and then head to Gettysburg.
We’ve gone ahead and made reservations with the Tabard in DC, near Dupont Circle. But here’s something that’s annoying: Someone recommended we check out staying across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia. Said if we stayed by a Metro stop, it was almost as convenient as being in DC, plus the rates and Virgina hotel tax were lower. Doing some checking, I found the Key Bridge Marriott right by Rosslyn Metro Station, just across the river. Looking at the rates, we could get a room for $119 a night. Great! Perfect! But what’s this here? Right in the middle of our stay, the rate would bump up to the high-season tariff of $269. !!! Averaging it out, we’d be paying exactly $1 less than for the Tabard pre-tax. Grrr. Rather than move our entire trip up a few days, we’ll just go with the Tabard. Every other hotel in Arlington that’s convenient to a Metro looks to be bumped up for that entire period except for ones farther away from the river and a good distance from the Metro.
But if anyone has suggestions for Arlington, please share them, as we’ve only reserved at the Tabard, not paid.
Time is getting close. Just one more question: As mentioned, we’re picking up a car in Philly to take to Gettysburg, then dropping it off in DC. But we’re thinking of keeping it an extra day to have it to drive out to Mount Vernon. We’ll have to pay some stiff overnight parking fees in Washington, but an extra day’s rental is only another $125 or so all in. Is it worth it keep the car like that, or is public transport out to there so reliable that it’s really a waste?
I live very, very close to Gettysburg, so if you’d like some company for lunch, PM me and we’ll work something out. I can also give some information about local attractions and stuff.
Robin, of the Central Pennsylvania Dopers.
So I guess you’re not gonna do the bike idea.
There are cruises down the Potomac to Mount Vernon.
FYI, DC Tourmobile recently shut down so if you had any plans for it, change them.
Gray Line runs a bunch of tours from DC including to Mount Vernon. It’s a 4 hour trip that includes Alexandria, which is woreth seeing too, but that isn’t enough time IMO to do both, especially if you want to stop and have a leisurely lunch somewhere.
Parking is free at Mount Vernon, and the entrance fee is pretty reasonable.
http://washingtondc.centralparking.com/Washington-DC-11-Dupont-Circle-NW-Parking.html
$7 - $14, with coupon.
Start an MPSIMS thread closer to the time and we’ll organize a Dopefest for you.