United Airlines Flights from San Jose (SJC) to Washington (IAD)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on United Airlines, which operates a daily non-stop flight from San Jose (SJC) to Washington (IAD) regularly scheduled to depart at 7:15am and arrive at 3:22pm. Usually an Airbus A319 is flown for this route. The average travel time from San Jose, CA to Washington, DC is 5 hours and 7 minutes.
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During your Washington vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The White House Visitor Center
Even -- especially -- if you are not able to tour the White House, you should stop here. The Visitor Center opened in 1995 to provide extensive interpretive data about the White House and to serve as a ticket-distribution center (though that function is suspended indefinitely). It is run under the auspices of the National Park Service and the staff is particularly well informed. Try to catch the 30-minute video about the White House, Where History Lives, which provides interior views of the presidential precincts (it runs continuously throughout the day). Before you leave the Visitor Center, pick up a copy of the National Park Service's brochure on the White House, which tells you a little about what you'll see in the eight or so rooms you tour and a bit about the history of the White House. The White House Historic Association runs a small shop here. The association operates an informative website, www.whitehousehistory.org. Before you leave the Visitor Center, take a look at the exhibits, which include:Architectural History of the White House, including the grounds and extensive renovations to its structure and interior that have taken place since its cornerstone was laid in 1792.Symbol and Image, showing how the White House has been portrayed by photographers, artists, journalists, political cartoonists, and others.First Families, with displays about the people who have lived here (such as prankster Tad Lincoln, who once stood in a window above his father and waved a Confederate flag at a military review).The Working White House, focusing on the vast staff of servants, chefs, gardeners, Secret Service people, and others who maintain this institution.Ceremony and Celebration, depicting notable White House events, from a Wright Brothers' aviation demonstration in 1911 to a ballet performance by Baryshnikov during the Carter administration.White House Interiors, Past and Present, including photographs of the ever-changing Oval Office as decorated by administrations from Taft through Clinton.
Library of Congress
The question most frequently asked by visitors to the Library of Congress is: Where are the books? The answer is: on the 532 miles of shelves located throughout the library's three buildings: the Thomas Jefferson, James Madison Memorial, and John Adams buildings. Established in 1800, "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress," the library today serves the nation, with holdings for the visually impaired (for whom books are recorded on cassette and/or translated into Braille), research scholars, college students -- and tourists. Its first collection of books was destroyed in 1814 when the British burned the Capitol (where the library was then housed) during the War of 1812. Thomas Jefferson then sold the institution his personal library of 6,487 books as a replacement, and this became the foundation of what would grow to become the world's largest library.Today, the collection contains a mind-boggling 128 million items. Its buildings house more than 29 million catalogued books, 57 million manuscripts, 12 million prints and photographs, 2.7 million audio holdings (discs, tapes, talking books, and so on), about a million movies and videotapes, musical instruments from the 1700s, and the letters and papers of everyone from George Washington to Groucho Marx. The library offers a year-round program of free concerts, lectures, and poetry readings, and houses the Copyright Office.Just as impressive as the library's holdings is its architecture. Most magnificent is the ornate Italian Renaissance-style Thomas Jefferson Building, which was erected between 1888 and 1897 to hold the burgeoning collection and establish America as a cultured nation with magnificent institutions equal to anything in Europe. Fifty-two painters and sculptors worked for 8 years on its interior. There are floor mosaics of Italian marble, allegorical paintings on the overhead vaults, more than 100 murals, and numerous ornamental cornucopias, ribbons, vines, and garlands. The building's exterior has 42 granite sculptures and yards of bas-reliefs. Especially impressive are the exquisite marble Great Hall and the Main Reading Room, the latter under a 160-foot dome. Originally intended to hold the fruits of at least 150 years of collecting, the Jefferson Building was, in fact, filled up in a mere 13 years. It is now supplemented by the James Madison Memorial Building and the John Adams Building.On permanent display in the Jefferson Building's Great Hall are several exhibits: The American Treasures of the Library of Congress rotates a selection of more than 300 of the rarest and most interesting items from the library's collection -- like Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence with notations by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in the margins, and the contents of Lincoln's pockets when he was assassinated. Be sure to obtain a free audio wand before you view the American Treasures exhibit, so that you can listen to audio treasures: a Duke Ellington recording, an excerpt of Martin Luther King's delivery of his "I have a dream" speech, and so on.Across the Great Hall from the American Treasures exhibit is one that showcases the World Treasures of the Library of Congress. Its multimedia display of books, maps, videos, and illustrations invites visitors to examine artifacts from the library's vast international collections. Tucked away in a corner of the Jefferson Building is another permanent exhibit, the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment, which presents on a rotating basis, film clips, memorabilia, and manuscript pages from a collection that the comedian donated to the library in 2000. The Gershwin Room houses George and Ira Gershwin memorabilia, including a piano, desk, music manuscripts, and other of the American jazz composers' prized possessions.If you are waiting for your tour to start, take in the 12-minute orientation film in the Jefferson's visitors' theater or browse in its gift shop. Pick up a calendar of events when you visit. Concerts take place in the Jefferson Building's elegant Coolidge Auditorium. The concerts are free but require tickets, which you can obtain through Ticketmaster (tel. 800/551-7328 or 202/432-7328).The Madison Building, across Independence Avenue from the Jefferson Building, at 10 Independence Ave. SE, offers interesting exhibits and features classic, rare, and unusual films in its Mary Pickford Theater. (The theater closed in 2004 for a remodeling that would add accessibility features, but it should be open by 2005.) Find out more about the library's free film and concert series by accessing the LOC website (www.loc.gov), clicking on "Complete News and Events," then "Calendar of Events," and then scrolling down the page to find the postings for the free concert series and the free film series, as well as other events. The Madison Building also houses a cafeteria and the more formal Montpelier Room restaurant; both are open for lunch weekdays.Anyone over high school age may use the library's collections, but first you must obtain a user card with your photo on it. Go to Reader Registration in Room LM 140 (street level of the Madison Building) and present a driver's license or passport. Then head to the Information Desk in either the Jefferson or Madison buildings to find out about the research resources available to you and how to use them. Most likely, you will be directed to the Main Reading Room. All books must be used on-site.
Marian Koshland Science Museum
The National Academy of Sciences operates this museum, which was conceived of by molecular biologist Daniel Koshland, in memory of his wife, the immunologist and molecular biologist, Marian Koshland, who died in 1997. The museum opened in April 2004 in the heart of downtown D.C. Recommended for children over 13, and especially for those with a scientific bent, the museum presents state-of-the-art exhibits that explore the complexities of science. Three exhibits currently on show are the Wonders of Science, which includes animations of groundbreaking research and an introductory film about the nature of science; Global Warming Facts and Our Future; and Putting DNA to Work, which covers the details of current approaches to DNA sequencing, from tracking the origins of SARS to criminal forensics.
Hotel Rouge
High-energy rock music dances out onto the sidewalk. A red awning extends from the entrance. A guest with sleepy eyes and brilliant blue hair sits diffidently upon the white tufted leather sofa in the small lobby. Attractive, casually dressed patrons come and go, while an older couple roosts at a table just inside the doorway of the adjoining Bar Rouge sipping martinis. Shades of red are everywhere: in the staff's funky shiny shirts, in the accent pillows on the retro furniture, and in the artwork. This used to be a Quality Hotel: It's come a long way, baby.The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC (known for its offbeat but upscale boutique accommodations) has transformed five old D.C. buildings into these cleverly crafted and sexy hotels (see the Topaz, Helix, Madera, and Hotel Monaco). In the case of Rouge, this means that your guest room will have deep crimson drapes at the window, a floor-to-ceiling red "pleather" headboard for your comfortable, white-with-red-piping duvet-covered bed, and, in the dressing room, an Orange Crush-colored dresser, whose built-in minibar holds all sorts of red items, such as Hot Tamales candies, red wax lips, and Red Bull. Guest rooms in most boutique hotels are notoriously cramped; not so here, where the rooms are spacious enough to easily accommodate several armchairs and a large ottoman (in shades of red and gold), a number of funky little lamps, a huge, mahogany framed mirror leaning against a wall, and a 10-foot-long mahogany desk. The Rouge has no suites but does offer 15 specialty guest rooms, including "Chill Rooms," which have DVD players and Sony PlayStation, "Chat Rooms," which have computer/printers, and "Chow Rooms," which have a microwave and refrigerator. The hotel embraces the theme of adventure, inviting guests to partake of a complimentary Bloody Mary in the lobby on weekends, 10am to 11am. Weeknights, 5 to 6pm, the hotel serves complimentary red wine and red beer. If that aperitif whets your appetite, you can head to the Bar Rouge, settle into one of the thronelike armchairs and slurp a "Brigitte Bardot Martini" (orange vodka, citron, Grand Marnier, and orange juice), or some other exotic concoction, with a plate of seductive bar food to go with it.Facilities: Bar/restaurant (American, with a French twist); modest size fitness center; 24-hr. concierge; business center; room service (7am-11pm); same-day laundry/dry cleaning; 6 rooms for those w/limited mobility, 1 with roll-in shower. In room: A/C, 27-in. flat-screen TV w/pay movies, 2-line cordless phones w/dataport, minibar, coffeemaker (with Starbucks coffee), hair dryer, iron, robes, CD player, free high-speed Internet access.
Courtyard by Marriott Northwest
This hotel isn't much to look at from the outside, but inside it has a European feel and a well-heeled appearance. Crystal chandeliers hang in the lobby and in the restaurant, and you may hear an Irish lilt from time to time (the hotel is one of three in Washington owned by Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, an Irish management company). Guests tend to linger in the comfortable lounge off the lobby, where coffee is available all day.A complete refurbishment in 2004 replaced just about everything in the guest rooms, from TVs to carpeting. Cherry wood furniture, blue carpeting, 25-inch TVs, complimentary high-speed Internet access -- all new. Guest rooms are still very comfortable and bright. Accommodations facing the street on the sixth to ninth floors provide panoramic views. Especially nice are the 16 "executive king" rooms, which are a little larger and are equipped with marble bathrooms, trouser presses, and robes.For the best deals, call direct to the hotel or go to the website.Facilities: Restaurant (American, open for breakfast and dinner); bar; outdoor pool (seasonal); small exercise room; business center; room service (5-10pm); coin-operated laundry; same-day laundry and dry cleaning; 2 rooms for those w/limited mobility, both with roll-in showers. .
JW Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue
The best thing about this hotel is its prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue, especially in this, a presidential inaugural, year. The parade route goes right by here. By the time you read this, however, the JW will have been booked months in advance for the January 20, 2005 event. The hotel is also adjacent to the National Theatre, 1 block from the Warner Theater, 2 blocks from the White House, and within walking distance of the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian museums, and lots of restaurants. The best rooms on the 7th to 12th, 14th, and 15th floors overlook Pennsylvania Avenue and the monuments (floors 12, 14, and 15 are concierge levels). Corporate types and conventioneers make up much of the clientele, with tourists (including families) filling in the rest on weekends. Guest rooms are looking patriotic these days, decorated in hues of red, white, and blue. They are furnished with desks and armoires, many of them cherry-wood pieces. All rooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access, charged at $9.95 per day.For the best value, book around the Christmas holidays, any time during the summer, or on weekends. You're more likely to hear about special promotions by calling direct to the hotel or by browsing the hotel's website.Facilities: 2 restaurants (both upscale American); complete health club (with indoor swimming pool and whirlpool); concierge (6am-11pm); business center; 24-hr. room service; same-day laundry/dry cleaning; concierge-level rooms; 15 rooms for those w/limited mobility, some with roll-in showers.
