venue information
Westin Alexandria
400 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 253-8600
Website
Hotel Reservations can be made by calling the Westin Alexandria through their reservation hotline at 866-837-4210 or online here.
To take advantage of the Group Rate, please mention ISE North America. Cut-off date for special rate is October 16, 2011.
Getting There
There are three airports compete for air traffic into the Washington DC area.
DCA is located three miles from downtown.
Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA)
+1 703 417 8600
http://www.mwaa.com/national
Estimated cab rate to hotel: $20
Super Shuttle fee: $16
City Rail System: $2.35—Exit at King Street
IAD is located 25 miles from downtown.
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
+1 703 417 8600
http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/
Estimated cab rate to hotel: $75
Super Shuttle fee: $35
BWI is located 30 miles from downtown.
Baltimore-Washington International (BWI)
+1 800 435 9294
http://www.bwiairport.com
Estimated cab rate to hotel: $90
Super Shuttle fee: $47
CAR RENTAL
PARKING
Valet parking, fee: 24 USD daily
CAR SHARE
Other attractive ground transportation options is Zipcar ( +1 202 494 7227 / www.zipcar.com ), which operates in certain cities in Canada and the U.S. This new breed of rental car allows you to rent on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. Be sure to register online with each company before your trip.
BUS
There is a bus connection at all of the airports and throughout the city. Check the website for times and routes.
TRAIN
Amtrak ( +1 800 872 7245 / http://www.amtrak.com ) heads to historic Union Station and reaches points around the northeastern, southern and midwestern United States. Routes include the high speed Acela Express, which darts back and forth between Boston and Washington, D.C., with stops in New York. The Federal, Regional and Vermonter also link D.C. and Boston, with stops in Philadelphia and New York City. The Metroliner is a basic line between Washington D.C. and New York City. The Capital Limited heads west to Chicago, and the Crescent wanders south to Atlanta and New Orleans.
MARYLAND RURAL COMMUTER
MARC (+1 800 325 7245 / http://www.mtamaryland.com ) suburban rail network stretches into the four counties north of Washington D.C., merging with Metrorail on the Red, Orange and Green lines, with halts at Union Station, Silver Spring, New Carrollton and Rockville. It also connects D.C. to Baltimore.
VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS
(VRE) (+1 800 743 3873 / http://www.vre.org) has two lines (Manassas and Fredericksburg) that converge on Washington D.C. from the Virginia suburbs with stops at Union Station, Crystal City and L'Enfant Plaza.
TAXI
There are several cab companies in Washington DC, which includes:
- Central Cab (+1 202 484 7100)
- Checker (+1 202 398 0532)
- City Cab (+1 202 484 7100)
- Diamond Taxi (+1 202 387 4410)
- DC Flyer (+1 202 488 7611)
- Executive Cab (+1 202 547 6351)
- Washington Flyer (+1 703 661 6655 )
- Yellow Cab Company of D.C. (+1 202 544 1212)
Getting Around
CAR
Numerous interstate highways flow into I-495 (the Capital Beltway), which is the major ring road around the district. I-95 stretches from Washington D.C. south all the way to Miami, Florida and north to the Canadian border in Maine, passing though New York City and Boston along the way. I-70 connects the city with the western United States, via I-270.
Despite Washington's infamous reputation of being an insurmountable road bog, traffic tales tend to be exaggerated. No doubt, gridlock does exist, especially during weekday rush hours on major thoroughfares, and the Capital Beltway can easily become a parking lot anytime of the day. But despite the horror stories it is an easily navigable town, with an uncomplicated grid set up. Certain roads switch from two-way to one-way during rush hour commutes. Weekends (unless something is going on at the Mall) and nights are normally quiet when the roads turn into a ghost town after the politicos head home for the day. Parking, however, is not easy during the day even though most street parking is metered. In the outlying neighborhoods, Adams Morgan especially, it is literally impossible to find a spot, day or night. So if you do find a space, cherish it, keep it, and utilize the excellent public transit system for the remainder of the stay.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) (http://www.wmata.com) manages the extensive bus (Metrobus) and subway (Metrorail) system that work hand in hand to cover just about every nook of the central district and most of the neighboring suburbs. Opened in the mid-1970s, Metrorail has long been the envy of other US cities for its upscale and efficient subway loaded with plush trains, well-maintained stations (both underground and over ground) that look straight out of the future. But years of soaring rider traffic are creating some problems with the system as it has been plagued with delays, overcrowding and outages in the last few years. Still, it is the best way to get around town, safe, and exceptionally straightforward to use. It comprises of five lines (Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Yellow) that weave through the city center before branching out into suburban Maryland and Virginia. A number of the lines overlap allowing for trouble-free transfers to Metrobus or other Metrorail lines. Major transfer hubs include: the Metro Center, L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place-Chinatown.
Although there are numerous stations on the Metrorail, they are spread out over a vast area, and although the network is quite detailed, there are still places in the city it does not serve directly (e.g. Georgetown) and this is where Metrobus (or walking) comes in handy. Most metro stations are served by multiple bus lines. For instance, if you want to go to Georgetown, you can catch the Orange or Blue metro line to Foggy Bottom station and then hop on to the bus outside Washington Circle (or you can trek up Pennsylvania Avenue into the quarter). You can also opt to take the Red Line to Dupont Circle station and take a bus into Georgetown (or simply hike west on P Street). Various passes, including day and weekly, are also available.
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