Paulie Walnuts
Well-known member
best way to DC to avoid I-95 parking lot north of Richmond? Looks like 301 is a good route.
2019-Whenever Misc. Grab Bag Thread
- Thread starter jeffbear
- Start date
SlapShots
Well-known member
Good luck— I find any route to DC is hot mess. There’s never a great route or a great time of day
Paulie Walnuts
Well-known member
they now have express lanes that go way south of DC but I don't think they are open Sat or Sun. And they are extending the express lanes even further south. Eventually they may reach Richmond. 
Yeah if your looking to go to DC there is no great route if your going up past DC well US 301 is a pretty good one. I normally took 95 up to the Bowling Green exit (207??) I know the road I don't know it's name off the top. but it joins 301 Just above Richmond and avoids the suburbs of Richmond.
Admittedly my knowledge is old since th parking lot at the time started at Potomac Mills. Now it's before Fredericksburg.
US 301 is a pretty good one. I normally took 95 up to the Bowling Green exit (207??) I know the road I don't know it's name off the top. but it joins 301 Just above Richmond and avoids the suburbs of Richmond.Admittedly my knowledge is old since th parking lot at the time started at Potomac Mills. Now it's before Fredericksburg.
The express lanes are being constructed to Fredericksburg for now, that’s a good 20 farther south of where they end now. But they always seem to be going in the opposite direction when I get there.they now have express lanes that go way south of DC but I don't think they are open Sat or Sun. And they are extending the express lanes even further south. Eventually they may reach Richmond.
When I came home from Massachusetts last week, Waze directed me onto 301 in Delaware and I stayed in that and US 50 all the way to the Beltway. It wasn’t a bad ride. I’ve used 301 south of DC too, but got back on 95 north of Richmond. I have friends who have taken US 15 to Charlottesville and cut over to I 81, but they were headed to central NJ.
Paulie Walnuts
Well-known member
and think how bad traffic would be in DC without the metro. they are finally running silver line to Dulles starting in Feb 2022, they hope. Maybe after that more people would skip national airport.
After 9/11 they wanted to close national but Congress vetoed that idea since it's so close
also we are staying in Chinatown about a block from cap one center home of caps and wizards
After 9/11 they wanted to close national but Congress vetoed that idea since it's so close
also we are staying in Chinatown about a block from cap one center home of caps and wizards
Last edited:
JFG
Well-known member
Amtrak
That’s not a time savings, depending on traffic. It’s 6-1/2 hours from Cary to Union Station according to Amtrak’s site, 4-1/2 on Google maps from the same place. It’s less stress to be sure, and could end up cheaper, depending on how much it costs to park once you get to DC. But the train heads southeast from Raleigh to Smithfield before turning north.
The key is time of day. 95 is sadly fastest, but avoid rush hour in DC. That's 3-7 ish in the afternoon, 6:30 to 9ish in the morning. But you can get caught in the Richmond-DC corridor anytime. However, NEVER leave at 4:00 on Friday unless you've packed supplies (water, snacks, charged batteries...)
And in my limited experience with that run, it can be very, very late. More in the 9-10 hour range. Not always. For 4 years I commuted RTP to DC weekly. I gave up and flew most of the time.
Amtrak ain't cheap either ... pretty much the same cost per person as a cheapo (aka bad hour of the day) flight on Southwest. Upside? Union station is downtown-adjacent ... BWI is in freaking Maryland, and Reagan and Dulles both suck (and cost more)
It depends on how much it’s gonna cost to park at your hotel. I took Amtrak to New York a few years ago because the airfare into any of the airports was nuts. It was about $150 round trip but, had I driven, it would have cost $60/night to park at the hotel.
Flying to National at least puts you on the Metro, the Silver Line hasn’t made its way out to Dulles yet. But for non-stops from here, you’re pretty much limited to a single airline per aiport; Southwest for BWI, United for Dulles and American for National
As someone who used DCA twice a week, I actually like it. Especially now that 35X has been replaced. It's so easy catch the Metro.
JFG
Well-known member
Right, exactly. And if you factor in the cost of a) being stuck in hellish traffic and b) being at the mercy of road rage nut jobs, the train ride is very appealing.
Yeah ... I always forget about city center parking. I don't go to DC a ton, but do generally stay in the Downtown area. $50-60 per night is probably about average in that area. It's cheaper to park at one of the outer train/metro stations and just switch to public transport from there.
Yeah Dulles has that cheap shuttle bus to the train station, but that's rough if you have luggage and stuff. Reagan is a lot more convenient just because you can roll your stuff right onto the Metro.
As a Teen My parents used to drop me off in Vienna/New Carrolton and the other end the other would pick me up Still odd to have a suit case on the Metro but it worked. Pretty sure that was the old orange line.
Also used to do the Rocky Mount to Union Amtrack Run That was 4.5ish.
Also used to do the Rocky Mount to Union Amtrack Run That was 4.5ish.
Last edited:
Paulie Walnuts
Well-known member
Bills want 1.5 billion in taxes for new stadium. If not may go to Austin
Oakland has been trying to say goodbye to the A's, but it takes a LOT of political willpower to kill off a regional focal point like a pro sports team. It's almost certainly in Buffalo's best interests economically to tell the Bills to pound sand, but it's an NFL team ... so you know there will be takers elsewhere. It's tough for elected officials to cut off a limb like that. Even if it's the right thing to do
The more realistic expectation is for medium sized cities to not get involved in that rodeo in the first place.