|
Directions
Washington, DC
- DC Map
- The DC Org
How to Get to the City By:
- Car
- Parking & Disabled Access
- DC Driving Tips
- Bus
- Plane
Metro
- Metro Map
- Using Metro
- Metro Parking
Washington, DC
DC Map
Google Maps: DC
Washington, DC is of course known for its beautiful historic landmarks, museums, and the many buildings that house the central offices of our federal government and its myriad agencies. But the District of Colombia stretches out beyond the picturesque landscapes of the National Mall. There's much to see, much to do, and oh so many places of interest for Anonymous.
For our Over Nine Thousand Anon March, our focus will primarily be right in the center of Washington's historic National Mall, which is situated between Constitution Avenue to the north and Independence Avenue to the south. On the west it's bordered by the Lincoln Memorial, and to the east ends at the Capitol Building. In between those points lay a variety of beautiful memorials and monuments, as well as the world renowned museums of the Smithsonian Institute.
While Google Maps is great for getting an overall view of Washington, DC, there are great resources available at the official National Parks website for the National Mall & Memorial Parks. They offer a brilliant downloadable pdf map of the downtown area, downloadable here. I'd highly recommend you download that and print out a copy for yourself so you'll be aware of the major landmarks around you, as well as the many metro stations, museums, and so on.
For the most part, getting around DC is fairly easy using public transportation - please see the Metro section below for more information. Driving around DC can be quite hectic and confusing, as there are a lot of one-way streets and impatient drivers. Driving in unfamiliar big cities is never fun, so if you are able to take advantage of DC's public transporation, please do so.
Back to top
The DC Scientology Org
The Scientology Org in Washington, DC is located in Dupont Circle, an area several blocks away from the National Mall. The Org's address is 1701 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Wikipedia has a great article about Dupont Circle, as well as metro information and maps to the area.
At this time, no protest activities are planned to take place outside the Scientology Org for the >9000 Anon March.
Back to top
How to Get to the City
By Car
Driving in any unfamiliar big city is a difficult experience, and DC is no different. We would highly discourage anyone from driving into DC unless absolutely necessary, as it's extremely difficult to naviage by car.
There are multiple Metro stations conveniently located near many major highways which provide ample parking space. We would recommend that you instead locate the Metro station nearest to you outside the District, park there, and ride the metro into the downtown area.
We've provided some directions to the most convenient Metro stops adjacent to the major highways for your convenience. However, we would recommend that you double check these and any other directions against information provided by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority's website (http://www.wmata.com/). They have many easy-to-use directories on their site of stations in and around DC, as well as search engines to find stations nearest specific addresses, landmarks, and so on. You can even download the Metrorail system map to your iPod. You can find those directories and other services here, in their Trip Planner section (http://www.wmata.com/maps/maps.cfm)
ARRIVING FROM THE NORTH
(Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, etc)
Your best option is to take I-95 South. Once you reach I-495 you will need to take the I-495 NORTH exit towards Silver Springs. Take I-495 Exit 27 to the Forest Glen Metro Station (9730 Georgia Avenue, Forest Glen, MD 20910) where you can park for $4.95 a day. Using the Metro it will take roughly 45 minutes from that metro station to get to the Smithsonian stop.
ARRIVING FROM THE SOUTH
(southern Virginia, North Carolina, etc)
If you are coming from states south of DC, please take I-95 North. Take the 169A-B exit toward Franconia Rd, merge onto Springmall Rd, then turn right onto Frontier drive to the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station (6880 Frontier Drive, Springfield, VA 22150). Park for $4.95/day and take the Metro to the Smithsonian stop (travel time 45 minutes).
ARRIVING FROM THE WEST
If you are coming from the West, Google Maps will almost always give you the most efficient route. Simply plot your course to the East Falls Church Metro Station, located at 2001 N. Sycamore St., Arlington, VA 22205. From there ride the metro into DC, stopping at the Smithsonian station. (Further directions below in the Metro section.)
DRIVING INTO THE DISTRICT
If it is absolutely necessary that you drive into the district, your best option will be to use Google Maps or MapQuest, as they have the most up-to-date information on the traffic here are basic driving directions for you.
Naturally, to use MapQuest or Google Maps, you'll need an address for your destination downtown. If you're driving into the district, you're going to need a place to park, so please scroll down and read the next section, Parking & Disabled Access. Your best bet for a destination is going to be the Ronald Reagan Building, which I'll explain below.
Back to top
Parking & Disabled Access
In my opinion, by far the best parking option in downtown DC is the underground parking garage at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center. It's located directly behind the Smithsonion National Museum of American History, which is the closest Smithsonian museum to the Washington Monument. It's a bit of a hike to the Lincoln Memorial from there, but as far as parking goes, in my experience, it's the closest and most easily-accessible parking garage for tourists.
The address for the Ronald Reagan Building is 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.
If you use MapQuest or Google Maps and plot a course to that address, you should be alright. The entrances to the parking garage underneath the building are off 13½ Street, right off Pennsylvania Avenue. There are also two entrances on 14th Street, both of which are open from 5:00am until 2:00am. Here's a good map to show you the entrances to the parking garage:
If I remember correctly, I believe if you're traveling east on Constitution Avenue, you can turn left onto 14th Street, and then turn immediately right into the parking garage. Simple, easy, and centrally located.
The parking is not free, but for the convenience, I find it's worth the cost. On weekends, all day costs only $10.00. On weekdays it's much more expensive, but for the purposes of this event, you won't need to worry about that.
Please allow extra time for parking, as traffic is always heavy, and they do screen cars before they're allowed to enter the parking garage. As always, please make sure you don't have anything in your car that might seem dangerous. So just use your common sense and leave anything potentially dangerous back at home. You'll have no need for it at a peaceful protest anyway.
For additional information and directions, please check out the Ronald Reagan Building's website.
DISABLED PARKING
For those Anons who may required disabled parking, there are a few handicapped parking spaces available at various locations along the National Mall. However, they are extremely limited in number and unfortunately are restricted to a strictly-enforced two-hour time limit. Here's a list of the most convenient disabled parking areas:
The Lincoln Memorial
There are approximately five or so disabled parking spaces directly adjacent to the southern side of the Lincoln Memorial. They fill up quickly, though, so it's really up to luck whether you'll find one or not. To get to them, you'll need to travel west on Independence Avenue. Just as you reach the intersection of Independence & 23rd Street SW, you'll see a small road just to your right. There will probably be policemen there, but don't worry - if you show them your Handicap placard, they'll let you through. The parking will be up by the Lincoln Memorial and the police should assist you with parking. There is a two-hour time limit, however, so be careful.
DOWNLOAD A MAP OF THE AREA WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
I would recommend that you use Mapquest or Google Maps to direct you on how to get to that part of Indepedence Avenue. If you enter your destination as the intersection of Independence Ave & 23rd Street NW, it will direct you to the location shown on the map.
The World War II Memorial
There's a row of approximately seven handicapped parking spaces adjacent to the National World War II Memorial, which is located in the center of the National Mall near the Washington Monument. Just as with the spaces at the Lincoln Memorial, it's just luck of the draw whether any of these will be available. Again, there's a two-hour time limit on these spaces as well.
To get to these spaces, you can mapquest to the destination of the intersection at 17th Street SW & Homeland Drive. To get there, you'll go east on Constitution Avenue then turn right at the light for 17th Street SW. Between the Memorial itself and the end of the street, then just before it branches off, Homeland Drive will be on your right. Turn right and you'll immediately see the handicapped parking spaces on your right.
DOWNLOAD A MAP OF THE AREA WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
Constitution Avenue
There are handicapped parallel parking spaces along Constitution Avenue between 22nd Street & 17th Street. These are often full, as they're the first handicapped parking spaces visible upon entering the downtown area. But if you find one, grab it while you can. Again, as with all other handicapped parking spaces in DC, there is a two-hour time limit.
Back to top
Driving Tips
1 - Beware of one-way streets! They often are not marked on maps and are literally everywhere around DC. Please keep an eye on signs and watch the flow of traffic.
2 - Be mindful of the traffic lights nearest your position. Along Constitution Avenue especially the intersections are extremely close together. We drivers typically focus our attention off into the distance, but in DC that can often lead to looking right past upcoming intersections, sailing right through them without even noticing. Please keep an eye out for traffic signals, especially those closest to you.
3 - Do not turn right on red! The legality of turning right on red is often dependent on the time of day, which can make things very confusing. Be on the look-out for signs that will tell you during which time of day it's permissible for you to turn right on red. The same applies to left turns at certain intersections, so please be wary.
4 - Watch out for pedestrians! They're everywhere and they often are too busy looking at all the pretty sights to worry about the cars headed right at them. Be extra cautious, drive slow, and keep an eye out for wandering jay-walkers.
5 - DO NOT USE YOUR CELL PHONE!!! It is illegal now to use your cell phone while driving in downtown DC and, believe me, you will be stopped and you will be ticketed. It doesn't even matter if you have a hands-free device, even those are illegal now. So just leave the cell phone off while driving downtown.
Back to top
By Bus
Check Greyhound.com.
Bus drops-off and picks-up just north of Union Station and it's Metro stop
Check GoToBus.com, which has routes from Washington, D.C to:
- Atlanta, GA
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Greensboro, NC
- New York City, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Richmond, VA
Bus drops-off and picks-up from 715 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001, which is just north of the Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metro stop (See 4. Metro Section).
Back to top
CHARTERED BUSES & PERMITS
The District of Columbia City Council passed into law the “Charter Bus Trip Permit law”, (DC Law L16-0279). There are three options:
1. Register as a Class B commercial vehicle – This option impacts DC based motorcoach companies only.
2. Obtain proportional registration in the motor coaches base jurisdiction through the International Registration Plan - This option impacts motorcoach companies that are based out of state (not DC).
OR
1. Obtain a trip permit – This option impacts motorcoach companies that are based out of state (not DC).
Click here for more detailed information.
Back to top
By Plane
Flying into Dulles International (IAD) will definitely offer you the best price and convenience. BWI is sometimes cheaper, but is just too far away to be worth the meager savings.
Reagan National Airport (DCA) is also sometimes a viable option, as it's located directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.
Simply use a travelspider service such as Kayak.com to find the cheapest rates from all available sites.
Back to top
Metro
Metro Map
The Washingtion Metro Area Transit Authority has provided a map, available here.
Back to top
Using Metro
The Metro is extremely convenient and is the ideal way to get around in DC. Simply buy a one-day fare card for $7.80 and you can get anywhere you need to go at any time of the day.
The most centrally located metro stop for the >9000 Anon March will most likely be the Smithsonian Station. It's located just east of the Washington Monument, so it's a bit of a hike to the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building from there. But it's a pleasant walk down the National Mall and not too bad.
Download a really good map of downtown DC, complete with the locations of Metro stations!
METRO TRIP PLANNER
The Washington Metro's website also has a fantastic online trip planner, much like MapQuest or Google Maps, but for the metro system. Please use that service to help plan your trips and any possible line changes you may have to make in order to reach the Smithsonian Station.
Back to top
Metro Parking
Metro parking lots will only let you pay with a SmartTrip card (a debit card you can fill with a prepayed amount), which you can purchase at any Metro station. However, parking at Metro-operated lots is FREE on weekends (i.e., the day of the protest) and federal holidays.
To find Metro stations with available parking, please visit the Metro website's online Station Finder.
Back to top
We hope you'll join us for the >9000 Anon March this July and that you'll have a wonderful time in Washington, DC!
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Webmaster at
Webmaster AT OverNineThousand DOT org
Back to top
|
