Half a day in D.C. (IAD-BWI)

If all goes to plan, early next month I will be arriving in Washington
D.C. (Dulles) on a United red-eye from Seattle *very* early on one
morning and will be flying out of Baltimore bound for Reykjavik the same
evening. So I have about 12 hours to kill, I'm sure I'll feel terrible
but I'd like to use that time to see some things (my first visit to
D.C.). What I would ideally like to do is to get from Dulles to Union
Station somehow, store my stuff there, have a walk around for most of
the day and then catch the train to Baltimore airport in the late
afternoon. My understanding, however, is that due to security
restrictions there is nowhere to store luggage any more. What are my
options here? I assume I can't check my bag through from Seattle to
Reykjavik directly since I'm guessing United isn't interested in moving
my bag between airports. I also don't think going straight from Dulles
to Baltimore and checking in *really* early is going to work either
because Icelandair only has one flight a day and therefore there won't
be anyone around. Changing flights to better fit would cost $$,
likewise getting a hotel room in Washington (even if a few hours sleep
would be good that morning).


Any ideas?



Thanks.



--
James Macnicol

In article ,
James Macnicol wrote:
[...] My understanding, however, is that due to security
restrictions there is nowhere to store luggage any more.

Actually, you *can* check bags in the luggage room at Union Station, but
you may need an Amtrak ticket to do so. Of course, Amtrak is one way to
get to BWI, but it's more expensive than the MARC commuter trains, unless
you'll be there on a weekend in which case Amtrak is your only option
anyway.

When I visited DC with a group in March, we parked our bags in the Union
Station luggage room between checking out of our hotel in the morning and
boarding our train home in the evening.

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA

James Macnicol writes:
If all goes to plan, early next month I will be arriving in Washington
D.C. (Dulles) on a United red-eye from Seattle *very* early on one
morning and will be flying out of Baltimore bound for Reykjavik the same
evening. So I have about 12 hours to kill, I'm sure I'll feel terrible
... What I would ideally like to do is to get from Dulles to Union
Station somehow, store my stuff there, have a walk around for most
of the day and then catch the train to Baltimore airport ... My
understanding, however, is that due to security restrictions there is
nowhere to store luggage any more.

I don't know about that; I wouldn't be surprised either way.

If no other solution offers itself, you *could* consider renting a car
-- one with a trunk, not a hatchback -- at Dulles, to be returned at
or near Union Station (or, for that matter, at BWI airport). Park it
somewhere and leave your stuff in it, and there you are.

The main problem with this solution is that falling asleep has a rather
higher fatality rate if you happen to be driving at the time. The second
problem is that you'll have to drive and navigate in Washington. And
the third problem is that you'll have to pay for parking as well as the
car rental itself.

Speaking of falling asleep, missing your stop on the train will certainly
be a hazard if you go that way. Do make sure someone is prepared to wake
you up, whether it's the conductor or a friendly passenger.
--
Mark Brader | "You guys have your own pagan religion...
Toronto | Instead of sacrificing sheep, you sacrifice sleep."
| -- John Cramer

My text in this article is in the public domain.

On Tue, 20 Apr 2004 13:10:46 +1000, James Macnicol
wrote:

I also don't think going straight from Dulles
to Baltimore and checking in *really* early is going to work either
because Icelandair only has one flight a day and therefore there won't
be anyone around.

Last time I was in Vegas, we went to the airport early hoping to get
an earlier flight. We couldn't and they would not allow us to check
our bags more than (I think) 4 hours before flight time, due to
security regulations since 9/11.

Russ
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