Layover in Wash. DC

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Jim G.

Service Attendant
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Mar 26, 2010
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Location
Lincoln, Illinois
I'll have about 4 hrs. and 40 min. between trains. Instead of sitting in the first class lounge for that long I's rather see or do something interesting. Any ideas. I've never been to Washington. This will be on a Friday afternoon. Thanks to all...
 
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Thanks for posting the link to the other thread.

My wife and son will be arriving on #30 at 1:10 p.m. (assuming it arrives on time) and will be departing for MET on a regional train #148 at 5:50 p.m. (Business Class). They are using an AGR reward ticket. I have a few questions:

1.) If #30 arrives on time, will they be able to exchange their AGR tickets for an earlier regional train home at the ticket counter?

2.) Their luggage was originally checked in EMY. What happens to their luggage at WAS? Is there red cap service to assist them with their luggage for a regional, even if it is business class? Do they have to pick it up in the luggage carousel? Is there somewhere where they can check their bags before their regional train leaves?

Knowing my wife, she'll be calling me from the Capitol Limited or from WAS with these questions. :rolleyes:
 
Switching to an earlier train north out of Washington on a Friday afternoon is going to be tricky as most trains will be pretty full. Even if you are able to change, there may be a change fee for doing so.

If you do have four hours to spend in DC, I'd catch the Red Line Metro to Metro Center and change to the Blue Line down to the Smithsonian Station. This will put you out on the National Mall where you can take a hike and maybe visit one of the Smithsonian Museums. Air and Space is popular but I like the one now called the National Museum of American History....

From the mall you can see the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument but you are unlikely to have enough time to walk to them, wait in the line, do the visit, and still catch your train...
 
take the Duckboat(not sure about the spelling).... it leaves from Union Station and takes passengers

to a part next to National Airport. There's a boat ramp. The "bus" drives directly into water and

becomes a "boat" for a hour-long cruise on the Potomac River....
 
found the link: http://www.dcducks.com/

dcduck01.jpg


dcduck02.jpg
 
Thanks for posting the link to the other thread.
My wife and son will be arriving on #30 at 1:10 p.m. (assuming it arrives on time) and will be departing for MET on a regional train #148 at 5:50 p.m. (Business Class). They are using an AGR reward ticket. I have a few questions:

1.) If #30 arrives on time, will they be able to exchange their AGR tickets for an earlier regional train home at the ticket counter?

2.) Their luggage was originally checked in EMY. What happens to their luggage at WAS? Is there red cap service to assist them with their luggage for a regional, even if it is business class? Do they have to pick it up in the luggage carousel? Is there somewhere where they can check their bags before their regional train leaves?

Knowing my wife, she'll be calling me from the Capitol Limited or from WAS with these questions. :rolleyes:
Friday is pretty hectic in WAS, as the previous poster said, the trains run full but yall could call AGR( agents cant change AGR awards unless it's an emergency/they are closed) and see if they would change your rez to an earlier train, not sure if the connection would be certain? As to the luggage, they can leave it in the Club Acela, there's a luggage room (unattended) right beside the check in desk, most people have no problem using it! They can NOT board a Regional from the CA, will have to go to their gate to board,RedCaps would be a great idea, they can assist with luggage and get them to their car ASAP since there is no checked baggage on regionals !(except #66/#67,the overnight trains!)Ill leave things to do in WAS to others, there's a million of em,great place! I would say if they want to eat in the station to go to one of the nicer places upstairs, the food court downstairs isnt anything to write home about, of course the station itself is worth a look, even the mall part with all the expensive stores! ;)
 
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take the Duckboat(not sure about the spelling).... it leaves from Union Station and takes passengersto a part next to National Airport. There's a boat ramp. The "bus" drives directly into water and

becomes a "boat" for a hour-long cruise on the Potomac River....
There are also some other tour buses, that one can catch right in front of Union Station. Some of them are "hop on, hop off" allowing one to get off, check some site out, and then hop back on the next.
 
If you do have four hours to spend in DC, I'd catch the Red Line Metro to Metro Center and change to the Blue Line down to the Smithsonian Station. This will put you out on the National Mall where you can take a hike and maybe visit one of the Smithsonian Museums. Air and Space is popular but I like the one now called the National Museum of American History....
That's going insanely out of your way. Depending on what museum you're going to, it's quicker to just walk. The national archives is also right close, and if you want to tour the Capitol you can sign up in advance for a tour here (http://tours.visitthecapitol.gov/) If you sign up for a your between around 2:30 you'll have enough time to walk down to the Capitol, take your tour and walk back to the station with plenty of time to catch your train.
 
If you want to tour government buildings, I've found it much better to go through my member of Congress to get tickets to the White House or Capitol. No waiting on line or anything. You do have to organize things a couple of months in advance, unless you're a big donor.
 
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