69$ Days Inn Room in Arlington

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/20/00 1:56:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

jder@... writes:

<< I just went thru 3 days of a complicated negotiation for group rates

which ended up with a more expensive rate than the first one I got

directly from the hotel so scratch all of that.

>>

why don't you use priceline.com? I would Bernadette

[Guest guest]

I just went thru 3 days of a complicated negotiation for group rates

which ended up with a more expensive rate than the first one I got

directly from the hotel so scratch all of that.

If you don't have a reservation for MOW and you need one, here is

what

you can do if you want to ParTay with me at Arlington Day's Inn - not

that I actually will be ParTaying since we are all sick and all, more

like VEGETATE with me and talk big about it afterward (kind of like

high school sex)(not that I HAD any, jeez).

Call 1-800-DAYSINN and ask for a reservation for Arlington Days INN

at

2201 Arlington Blvd. for your stated nights = (most important) AT THE

FAMILY FUN RATE = 69$ a night. Repeat - FAMILY FUN RATE OF 69$ a

night.

I don't know if there is an extra charge for extra persons. I

usually say 1 adult and 2 children ages 10 and 14 (at 16 they start

counting as an adult). Then you can quietly move people thru the

lobby or - as this is an exterior-entrance hotel - leave some

members

in the car or outside.

I am doing May 2 and May 3 nights to combine a trip (slow shuffle)

thru FREE art (and other) museums on the greens there - more later on

museums.

NEARBY: There is a restaurant in this Day's Inn, and other;s nearby

and a malll listed as nearby. THE METRO is 6 blocks away and there

is

a courtesy shuttle to the Metro - please check the hours of the

shuttle - and be there at least 15 mins early so that if there are

more of us than the shuttle can handle, it can make an extra trip. I

always tip the shuttle driver a dollar. If we all do that, the

driver

will be more open to making extra trips for us, i.e. dropping us at a

restaurant or more inclined to make more than one trip if needed. I

think the shuttle runs on the hour, and stops at 11 a.m. until 3

p.m.,

then starts again. Sometimes at these places you can call and get a

shuttle in between if you have a big enough group or make a side

arrangement with the driver for tips = i.e. tell him your name and

ask if you have a group can he come for you inbetween hours. Do this

AFTER you have tipped him so he gets the picture.

So I am getting up early on May 3rd and grabbing a 9:00 a.m. shuttle

to Metro - I will be in line at the hotel for the shuttle before 8:45

and maybe as early as 8:30. At the Metro I will go to the large maps

on the wall and chart my route on different colored " lines " -

transferring is free.

I will post more on Metro later. I will pause by the booth just

before you pass thru the ticket gates and around on one side of the

booth will be small pocket-sized Metro Maps. If none, I will knock

on

the booth and get a Metro Map from the attendant.

I will note on the map some of the endpoints of my " line " because the

Metro landing will have 2 sides to it and they don't say (like new

york) " Uptown and Downtown " , they list instead ends of the routes, so

you have to know in what direction you are heading i.e. " Silver

Springs " even if you are only going two or three stops and then

transferring.

Transferring - go by color. Some colors are on a different level.

Everyone is very nice and there are attendants around to ask, too.

And more maps on little islands, again,, check the ends of the line

to see what direction train you should hop.

The Metro has escalators, and in many places (if not all) elevators

for challenged. At one stop in Va the escalator was too steep, two

floors, so I took the elevator. (Problems with heights).

It also has lights along the edge of the waiting platform which flash

prior to the arrival of a car = to alert the handicapped.

You can make your way to the Capitol easily, you will have to pay

prime-tiime (rush hour) rates and buy tickets along the walls as you

enter the station. Its a little complicated. I buy a ticket for -

lets say 10$ and then it keeps coming back to me at the ticket gate

and I can add to it when it gets low.

This avoids having to waste time on each Metro trip buying a new

ticket. I did this when I took all of my kids, a great timesaver,

especially in rush hour. It takes a while to put money in the

machines and people behind you are dancing. Or I bought the tickets

the night before as I first arrived (came in by train). The train

station in Wash. D.C. connects in same building to the Metro. Then I

caught the Metro to the Arlington stop and called by public phone for

a shuttle.

Summary:

1. Show up at 8:30 to 8:45 to catch the shuttle to the Metro at

designated waiting place for the 9:00 shuttle. Tip the driver $1.00

and thank as you get off.

2. At Metro Enter the station and go immediately to Wall Map to check

route, transfers, rush hour price of your trip, then ticket machines

along wall. The Map will tell you rates to where you want to go,

double it at prime time rate and pay that amount or more at the

ticket

machines./ Buy ticket (bring change just in case)

3. Go to booth by ticket entry gates and get Metro Map. Enter thru

ticket gates. Make sure you know which side of the platform you

should go on before or after you go down the escalator or elevator.

Ask someone if in doubt. Insome spots you go down different

escalators depending on route.

4. Check the map once in car if you need to transfer.

5. Get off at Capitol stop. If you are WAY early there are museums

nearby or you can walk around inside the Capitol - I have never been

there but hear there is some exquisite sculpture of various figures,

and paintings, etc. Socialize with others waiting!

This leaves us Lymies enough time to get lost, go in the wrong

directions, get turned around and still get there in time!

This location is listed by operator as being near a shopping mall and

near town. Now I don't think the Shuttle would take us to

town but I wouled dearly love to go there and have dinner - I

haven[t been there since 1976!!! It was a lovely area then and one

could walk around at night there.

Regards - More on Metro Later (if I can find my reference)

Lets' Rumble on Down to D.C.! Don't wait, call now!

PoliTick