Washington D.C. / Maryland Airports

[Furrankee]

Baltimore Washington OR Washington Dulles - Which one is better?

I wanted to know which is the better one? Which one is bigger? From your experiences, which airport was more convenient or user friendly? Also, where is each airport located? Nearby capitol hill or what?

[retep]

well, that is a complex question...

if your destination is DC, you are best to fly to DCA and take the metro. it is clean, fast, fairly cheap, and decent....

IF you have a rental car and need to be there/ or a taxi sometime AFTER 10am, IAD will work...

IF you are coming in later at night and have a rental car or can afford a really expensive taxi, BWI is for you...

SINCE it appears you are from california, i would JetBlue to Dulles direct from Oakland or LA(Long Beach). I would rather have a drive from Dulles than a risky connecting flight.

 

DCA --->downtown say 30 minutes (keep in mind NO super late flights and in the spring a lot of rain cancellations it seems)

IAD ---> downtown say... 45-60, if traffic you are hosed, do not schedule for a AM flight, say 8am and expect to get there in less than 2 hours...

BWI --->downtown say 50 minutes... same thing for AM arrivals, you are hosed...

 

I hope this helps, i travel a lot so i pretty much nailed down travel usa/eu..

 

Peter.

[Putt4doh]

I wanted to know which is the better one? Which one is bigger? From your experiences, which airport was more convenient or user friendly? Also, where is each airport located? Nearby capitol hill or what?

 

 

As a resident of the area and a frequent airline traveller---I can say there are lots of ways to answer your questions...and not to further complicate matters but there also Reagan National.

 

How 'bout you tell me where you're going once you're here and what you plan on doing---that'll make a huge difference in what airport is best.

[thusgone]

If you want to be convenient to the DC Metro area, you should nix BWI. It is probably 1.5 to 2 hours from DC in traffic, and it has been a mob scene every time I have used it.

 

My favorite is Reagan National (DCA). First, it's 10 minutes from my house. It's also right across the river from DC proper. Second, it is relatively small (which makes getting through all the luggage and check-in stuff easier). Third, it's the airport Congress uses, so it's relatively well-run. Fourth, most of the people traveling thru it are seasoned travelers. This reduces your risk of getting stuck behind the guy with 10,000 lbs of metal jewelery and piercings in the securoty check line.

 

Dulles (IAD) is better than BWI, but worse than DCA. It is west of town 20 or so miles, so traffic is a problem (I have never gotten to or from that airport in less than an hour unless I was traveling at 4 a.m.). It's a 60s design that has not kept up with the volume of traffic it gets now. Also, it has these stupid people-mover vehicles that take passengers back and forth from the security/baggage claim to the gates. These futuristic buslike things add 5 to 10 unnecessary minutes to the process of getting into and out of the airport. Parking seems like it's miles away. Dulles has an exclusive taxi contract, which means longer waits for taxis.

 

 

As has been mentioned, the decision really depends on the details of your trip. Good luck.

[jimbonecrusher]

The only bit of advice that I will offer up, is that your decision depends on what you are there for.

 

If you are trying to go to the Capitol building, then flying into Reagon National and taking the Metro can't be beat for time and ease of use.

 

If you are staying and will be traveling around, then the best place to get a rental car and also allow you to travel a bit around town, then try going into Dulles. It is bigger and busier, so the wait time is more. Travel is easy from the 495, as you can get to there from the Capitol building really easy. I would definitely suggest getting a GPS unit in the vehicle that your rent. Even though it doesn't give you the shortest and quickest route due to traffic patterns, it will get you then and provide less stress.

 

These are suggestions that I give from living in the area for 2 1/2 years and then traveling in an out of the area a bunch with my job.

 

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

[Furrankee]

I wanted to know which is the better one? Which one is bigger? From your experiences, which airport was more convenient or user friendly? Also, where is each airport located? Nearby capitol hill or what?

 

 

As a resident of the area and a frequent airline traveller---I can say there are lots of ways to answer your questions...and not to further complicate matters but there also Reagan National.

 

How 'bout you tell me where you're going once you're here and what you plan on doing---that'll make a huge difference in what airport is best.

 

Our daugther got accepted to the Jr. National Youth Leadership Conference (JrNYLC) in D.C. and we planned a trip around it...we meaning my wife and I. According to their policy, we must fly into Dulles or BWI; I have chosen Dulles already because flights going there fare better from Oakland, CA.

 

Hotels - we're going the budget route, not spending money on the Ritz or other expensive hotels there (there are many), and we're staying in college park. It's a university town. Is it safe though? Is it nearby the capitol area?

 

My daugther's staying at UMUC. How close is that to college park?

 

Lastly - recommendations for good eats and nightlife. And of course golf! I'm bringing the clubs! Thanks guys.

[Furrankee]

Anyone?

[Putt4doh]

Dulles Airport to U of MD can be a tough haul depending on the time of day, but the good news is there's plenty to do around there.

 

You're on the topside of beltway (495) north of the city...

 

For restaurants and nightlife, you can easily head downtown, Georgetown, and even the Capital Hill area of DC has got some nice eats now.

 

If you're not up for the trip into the city, you can hit Bethesda, MD. There's plenty in the way of eats and entertainment. It's basically a case of pick what you'd like to do/eat, and you can find it nearby.

 

Now, the important stuff.....golf!

 

If you head up 270N (which connects with the topside of 495), you'll find plenty of real good, public golf courses. Depending on how far north you're willing to go, there's plenty to play....Little Bennet, PB Dye, Worthington Manor, Maryland National, Musket Ridge...

 

If you have any private club connections, you're right near the best the DC area has to offer.....Congressional, Burning Tree and Bethesda.

 

If you head the other direction (east), there's a neat course called Renditions, which is a recreation of 18 different holes from championship venues---including Amen Corner! Sometimes its in great shape, other days it needs some TLC, but it's still fun (and challenging) round.

 

http://www.renditionsgolf.com/renditions.a...3&page=2373

 

Hope that helps a bit...

[Furrankee]

Thanks, this'll help a lot.

[Golfinnova]

As a UMD graduate, I can help you with all the questions:

 

First, UMUC is right on the College Park campus, at the intersection of University Boulevard and Adelphi Road.

 

As far as golf, you only have to go literally across the street to play the UMD golf course which is a decent course. For good eats, plenty of restaurants in Greenbelt and the original Ledo pizza is right down the road from the campus on University Boulevard.

 

I live 10 minutes from Dulles Airport. While some of the airport is archaic, they have made many improvements, getting in and out is actually better right now than BWI. The issue is the time of day you get into town, if you arrive early in the day then it actually is tougher than coming in the early afternoon because of rush hour on the Beltway going towards College Park. You can expect an mimimum of 2 hours from the time you land until you get into the College Park area, so the best advice is plan accordingly. Dulles Airport is in the west, it takes 25 minutes just to reach the Beltway, and College Park is in the North East loop of the Beltway (approx. 45 minutes depending on traffic).

 

As far as hotels in the area, there are a few on the Rte. 1 corridor North of the campus. (Holiday Inn is right at Rte. 1 and the Beltway). For the most part the area is safe, but be on guard because there are a lot of robberies in the area. If you use good sense, you'll be fine.

 

Downtown DC is approximately a 25-30 minute ride from College Park (again depends on traffic).

 

Let me know if I can help out with anything else!

[Furrankee]

As a UMD graduate, I can help you with all the questions:

 

First, UMUC is right on the College Park campus, at the intersection of University Boulevard and Adelphi Road.

 

As far as golf, you only have to go literally across the street to play the UMD golf course which is a decent course. For good eats, plenty of restaurants in Greenbelt and the original Ledo pizza is right down the road from the campus on University Boulevard.

 

I live 10 minutes from Dulles Airport. While some of the airport is archaic, they have made many improvements, getting in and out is actually better right now than BWI. The issue is the time of day you get into town, if you arrive early in the day then it actually is tougher than coming in the early afternoon because of rush hour on the Beltway going towards College Park. You can expect an mimimum of 2 hours from the time you land until you get into the College Park area, so the best advice is plan accordingly. Dulles Airport is in the west, it takes 25 minutes just to reach the Beltway, and College Park is in the North East loop of the Beltway (approx. 45 minutes depending on traffic).

 

As far as hotels in the area, there are a few on the Rte. 1 corridor North of the campus. (Holiday Inn is right at Rte. 1 and the Beltway). For the most part the area is safe, but be on guard because there are a lot of robberies in the area. If you use good sense, you'll be fine.

 

Downtown DC is approximately a 25-30 minute ride from College Park (again depends on traffic).

 

Let me know if I can help out with anything else!

 

Robberies? I'm planning to rent a car and not pay insurance. Any chance of it getting broken into leaving it parked at my hotel parking lot over night?

 

How's the Ramada Inn? Our main concern is safety.

 

Also, more on golf!

[Furrankee]

Guys, I noticed that green fees in most of the above mentioned courses also include use of practice range with balls. Is that accurate? How come we don't have that here in San Francisco? I need to get out of this area.

[Golfinnova]

As long as you don't leave anything valuable in the car, you'll be OK. The post is not meant to scare you, but I have friends that work for both the University Police and P.G County police, and it is an area where crimes against property are high.

 

Ramada Inn is fine, traffic can be a bear at times.

 

As for golf, depends on how far you want to go to play. You could check out Cross Creek in Beltsville which is North on Rte. 1 of College Park. One poster mentioned Renditions which is in Davidsonville (about 35 minute drive from College Park). This course has replicas of Amen Corner, the 17th of TPC Sawgrass, and other famous holes. The rate is $79 weekday/$89 weekend. Others have mentioned the courses on the I-270 corridor, they are excellent but you will drive 1 hour each way (if there's no traffic). There are many fine courses in Montgomery County that are a closer commute than the I-270 corridor. The thing is that you need to add significant time for traffic if you go on the Beltway since anything can happen at any given time.

 

BTW, most courses include range balls out here. There are a few that exclude the range from the fee.

[retep]

WHOA there furrankee....

you didn't say WHAT month you are coming here, cause the weather might be hit/or/miss, so i am concerned about that for your golfage.... that being added to the thread of messages here, i think the courses over there are fine and close and you are fine with a rental, that hotel, etc... if you have NAV on the rental from hertz/ or your own, would be worth bringing for sure, as stuff isn't that clear out here... being in technology, i would guess that in a few years you will need an antique car to NOT have navigation in it... ps, i love Whiskey Creek, and there are some others i hear good things about on that area of the dc as well... peter.

[Furrankee]

Can anyone briefly tell me what are the upper-middle class cities in Prince George, Montgomery, Fairfax, District of Columbia, and Baltimore counties?

 

How about east Maryland heading towards delaware? How's that area? Any areas that I must avoid completely? Any area that is a must see?

 

I've been research tons of courses in the area and have narrowed down my choices. My wife and I are going, so not much in terms of golf is going to be experienced.

[Golfinnova]

In P.G. county, you want to avoid anywhere next to D.C. like Suitland or Seat Pleasant. Better places to go are Bowie, Laurel, College Park. The outer suburbs of P.G. county are the best to go.

 

In Montgomery, it would be Rockville.

 

In Fairfax, Chantilly fits the bill. The city of Fairfax may be a possibility.

 

In Baltimore County, anything outside the Beltway would work. Catonsville is a possibility.

 

SE D.C. is the worst of the quadrants.

 

Heading east on 50 is great for golf or exploring. Queenstown has excellent golf and outlet shopping, there are a few courses in Salisbury to look at, then there's some beautiful courses in Ocean City.

[costanza]

I'd check out some of the monuments downtown. Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII, I don't know if the Washington Monument is accessible now. I'd also look into some of the Smithsonian Museums, including the Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy center which is right near Dulles Airport, and the Arlington National Cemetery, which is accessible by Metro.

[Furrankee]

Costanza and GolfinNova,

 

You know I've been looking at Google Earth and it's showing that a lot of upper Montgomery County is farm land and if I were to go east on 50, there's a lot of farmland also. Is this accurate? I don't think I'll be going as far away as Queenstown and Ocean City for that matter. I'm thinking to go as far north to Baltimore (just to check it out) and as far south as Annandale. As far as going east or west (besides coming from the airport on the first day), Bethesda on the west and maybe not crossing over the 50/301 and that body of water heading east.

 

I'm planning to do the following:

 

- Washington D.C.

- Arlington National Cemetary

- Baltimore

- College Park/U of M

- Georgetown

- Annandale

- Bethesda

 

I don't know what else to do. Oh btw, what city or area is well-known for the prettiest girls? What area is well-known for wealth? Must avoid snobby areas? Prettiest Caucasian girls? Prettiest Asian girls?

 

In terms of ethhic demographic, what am I to expect?

[Golfinnova]

That is correct. A lot of upper Montgomery County is undeveloped, same for the Eastern Shore. If you don't cross the Bay Bridge then you go to Annapolis and the Naval Academy. Downtown Annapolis is very historic and scenic, I would recommend a visit.

 

As far as the wealthiest areas, McLean and Kalorama in D.C. always come to mind. Most of the power players live along the Potomac.

 

As to the girls (albeit a strange question), Georgetown is a great area. The beauty of this area is that many women of different backgrounds can be found.

[Furrankee]

That is correct. A lot of upper Montgomery County is undeveloped, same for the Eastern Shore. If you don't cross the Bay Bridge then you go to Annapolis and the Naval Academy. Downtown Annapolis is very historic and scenic, I would recommend a visit.

 

As far as the wealthiest areas, McLean and Kalorama in D.C. always come to mind. Most of the power players live along the Potomac.

 

As to the girls (albeit a strange question), Georgetown is a great area. The beauty of this area is that many women of different backgrounds can be found.

 

 

 

I had to ask! ;)

 

Side note: I didn't know 495 ran in a circle. I read some history on it and it's pretty much a recent creation. 30 years? No wonder traffic becomes problematic, as you all said. I'm planning to take local routes and/or less commuted freeways for my travel.

[costanza]

Random question...if you're traveling with your wife and daughter, why the hell would you be so concerned about eye candy?