{"id":36,"date":"2009-06-22T08:58:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-22T13:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/cheap-easy-ways-to-explore-the-washington-dc-area\/"},"modified":"2017-03-29T17:10:53","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T22:10:53","slug":"cheap-easy-ways-to-explore-the-washington-dc-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/cheap-easy-ways-to-explore-the-washington-dc-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheap, easy ways to explore the Washington, D.C. area"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Washington<\/a> By Brian Hoyt<\/em><\/p>\n

My first trip to Washington, D.C. was in the late 1970s when I stood on the front gate of the White House asking the Secret Service guard if I could meet \u201cthat guy\u201d who lived in the building. President Carter wasn\u2019t home, but my first trip to Pennsylvania Avenue started a love affair with a city that I am proud to promote.<\/p>\n

If you want to take a family vacation<\/a><\/strong> during these tough economic times, there is no better place to visit for the day or for the week. With a wealth of convenient and affordable ways to travel and get around on the cheap, Washington, D.C. is a\u00a0 truly recession-proof family vacation destination.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Getting to Washington, D.C.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is easy to get to Washington, D.C., be it via a flight<\/a><\/strong> to Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).\u00a0 You can train into King Street Station in Alexandria, Va., from the South or Washington\u2019s Union Station from the North, or you can drive.<\/p>\n

Getting around Washington, D.C.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segway<\/strong>: For the more adventurous family travelers, look into renting a Segway for the day as a way to navigate the city.<\/p>\n

Public transportation — the Metro<\/a><\/strong>: Washington boasts world-class public transportation, with the star performer being its subway system, the Metro. The Metro in D.C. is clean, easy to navigate, family friendly and also incredibly friendly to persons with disabilities. The Metro is the most affordable way to travel around town<\/strong> — tourists can buy day passes for unlimited rides throughout the day for under $7.80. It reaches at far north as Bethesda, Rockville and College Park, Md., and west and south into Virginia towns like Vienna and Alexandria.<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/a> Hoofing it<\/strong>: Make sure to pack that stroller if you have young ones and slap on those hiking shoes because this is a great city for walking.<\/p>\n