Travel Intel!

Travel Note

Travel Spy Says: Define Your Mission!

If your primary mission is to accomplish Greater D.C. sightseeing objectives, and to check the box on wedding objectives as secondary, Travel Spy will not judge you (neither will the wedding party who will envy your freedom!). Guests who are thereby flight risks might consider picking a safe house close to mission objectives, such as near the National Mall. From there, you will have about a 15-minute Uber ride to Old Town Alexandria where the wedding venues will be. You will also be at meaningful risk of seeing a politician over there. You've been warned! If your mission is more modest in scope, consider just hanging your hat in the Old Town district. The following field notes from Travel Spy will focus on this particular mission!

Travel Note

Travel Spy: Intel Preview

And now, the risks you've taken to arrive at this juncture yield their rewards. Yes - evil counterspies know you'll be under the tutelage of Travel Spy and may be lurking nearby. But fear not - his most diabolical Alexandria travel hacks are encrypted and will be revealed securely only to you! Via Zola. Travel Spy has interrogated all 35,000 residents of Old Town Alexandria to distill just what a visitor needs to know (all intel was extracted with strict adherence to Geneva Protocols, of course). How do I get there? Where do I sleep? How do I get around? And I still can't find my hotel keycard! These mysteries and more - SOLVED!!!

Flight

Where to Fly?

Travel Spy says: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Well, umm, the Washington part isn't right - it's in Virginia. And, ah, neither is the National part - there are international flights. It is true that it is just three miles from Old Town and Uber fares are typically in the $Teens. But - Travel Spy says proper spycraft requires always having a contingency plan! It might rain. It might be busy. All the Uber drivers might be trading cryptocurrencies to pay for gasoline. Ground transportation has also been decoded for you, so check out the Airport Ground Transportation box nearby! Dulles International Airport. Travel Spy says - NO. If you find some killer fare there, just consider that an Uber will likely be at least $60 each way. If you're feeling a bit intrepid, Metrorail is an option but is a cumbersome way to get to Old Town from Dulles (best to contact Kelly or Harrison directly for the scoop.) But even the professionally intrepid Travel Spy uses Reagan. Baltimore/Washington Airport. NO, says Travel Spy. Uber will be even more expensive than Dulles and - for goodness sake - you'll be landing in the wrong state! Travel Spy says there's very little intelligence to be gained in an Uber and opts for the quickest way back to field deployment. See the Airport Ground Transportation box for a rail option.

Discount Code - NA

Travel Note

Uncensored Guide to Airport Ground Transportation

The best airport ground transpo options: Revealed! From Reagan. Travel Spy says: Uber. Old Town is just three miles away and in normal circumstances this will be a $Teens fare (but brace yourself if the weather's bad or it's late at night). Metrorail is the least expensive option, but a bit daunting if you're a first-timer (annoyingly, the Metrorail stations south of Reagan - which include the King St Station that serves Old Town - will be offline for track repair; buses will be serving those stations instead). However if you are staying at the eastern (away from the river) part of King Street it's an easy walk from that station to the hotels there. If you want to give that a go contact Kelly or Harrison and we'll pass along the detailed intel from Travel Spy! From Dulles. After decades of no rail service, a new Metrorail station will open for business there in . . . late October. But for now you face about a $60 Uber ride (and it can be worse). For those who wish to pursue this option, you'll take a bus from the airport to a Metrorail station, change trains at a second station, then (as noted just above) transfer to a bus and eventually arrive at the King Street Station. No says Travel Spy. Reagan. From Baltimore/Washington Airport. No. Reagan. But . . . for the intrepid souls . . . there is Amtrak service from BWI to Amtrak's King Street Station (this is a different rail line that won't be affected by the Metrorail trackwork). And a ticket is $6. Travel time: 70 minutes. Shalom, says Travel Spy.

Travel Note

Where To Sleep?

Travel Spy says: Hotel Indigo at South Union St. From here, you will have an easy walk to everything you will want to do in Old Town, including the wedding-related venues. This hotel is located on the Potomac riverfront and adjacent to the bustling King St corridor, right amidst the action. But remember! Travel Spy says to never embark on a mission without a contingency plan - read on for additional very good options: The Alexandrian, 480 King St. Just a few blocks from Indigo, this one has nearly identical logistical attributes to Indigo. It's just somewhat pricier and not on the river. Pod of Hotels on King St. Use your fave mapping app to navigate to the Hampton Inn, and you'll see several nationally branded hotels nearby. The slight downside is that you'll be doing more walking - or making more use of the free bus service that serves King St (see the How to Not Walk box below) - than at the others. But hey, you'll want to walk a lot anyway to see the sights. Travel Spy says: Consider these! TOP Secret Revealed! The Bride and Groom live four colonial blocks from Hampton Inn and Kimpton Lorien Hotel and five blocks from Christ Church.

Travel Note

How to Not Walk!

Travel Spy says: Free is good. And free is the price you must pay to traverse up and down King St without walking! Hit the View button below to see what the King Street Trolley bus looks like. You will see it on signs (look for the round, brown "King Street Trolley FREE" sidewalk signs) every two to three blocks along King St, on both sides of the street, that designate the stops. Even better, Alexandria Transit has tripled the fun by adding two free bus routes of its own that also march up and down King St. They are routes 30 & 31 -- you will see those numbers displayed on the digital sign on the side of the bright blue & yellow DASH buses, mounted near the front of the bus at the roofline. Look for small, square DASH sidewalk signs with those route numbers on them designating the stops. TOP Secret Revealed! Travel Spy says to sleuth around near your hotel and find one of the stops that all three bus lines serve. Some stops are Trolley only and some are DASH 30 & 31 only, but many serve all three and at those you will rarely wait more than a very few minutes for the next bus. For those staying at or in the vicinity of the Hampton Inn on King St, there is a 3-way stop right there at the corner of King & Harvard streets, so use that one. These three bus lines operate continuously throughout the day, with Trolley service ending at 11p and DASH ending at 1a weekdays, and 12:20a weekends. Hop on and off any of these three bus lines with reckless abandon! There are NO other city bus lines that serve King St in Old Town - so you CANNOT make a mistake and get on a wrong bus!

Travel Note

What Is the Cheapest Bar?

The one that returns your wallet to you the next day. Intact. But if you're intent on losing it do so at the Rock It Grill.

Travel Note

Where's My Hotel Keycard?

Under your barstool at The Majestic. Where you were drinking the Old Fashioneds they serve on tap!

Travel Note

Who is the Most Sympathetic Bail Bondsman?

The most expensive one. Freedom is a commodity but sympathy is a luxury good!