Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Hi guys, figured this thread would belong here, fringes of football indeed :

Coming to DC for 4 days in December to see the Skins beat the Giants at home !

We have ourselves a guide book but I was hoping you guys could help me on a couple of things:

1) What do you think would be the cheapest way/place/website to rent a car ? (Don't [URL="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cheap+rental+car+in+DC"]LMGTFY[/URL] me, I checked that, but maybe there are tips that I wouldn't have heard of ?)

2) What "unlikely to appear in a tourist guide book" place or activity would you recommend ?
Anything from a small restaurant, sports bar, to your favorite escape game or theater/concert place... anything that has you thinking [I][U]"Man that's not written in his stupid guide book and he shouldn't leave DC without doing/seeing it!"[/U][/I] !

3) Last but most important: I'm planning to [B]go to FedEx with a nice sign and some face paint[/B], but we'll have to travel light because we bought the cheapest plane tickets possible... So do you have any idea where I should go to find material such as colored cardboard, glue, big markers and burgundy and gold face paint in DC ?
Are there any fan gear stores that would sell those items ?

Of course, if any of you is going to this game, I'll be there early and would gladly drink a beer or two with a fellow Warpath member !

HTTR !!!

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

1. If you are staying in DC, Arlington, Alexandria or anywhere inside the Beltway, Uber or Lyft might be a cheaper/easier option than renting a car. In the city Metro will get you to all the tourist places in/around The Mall.

2. I would go to Ford's Theater and see 'A Christmas Carol'. Historic venue and a great play to start your holidays. Hillwood is also a great museum (near the zoo). The greatest collection of Russian art outside of Russia.

3. I would expect you could find most of those items at CVS or a store like Target. Stores like Target, Kohls, or Wal-Mart sell Redskins gear at cheaper than at the game. I'd definitely check the Redskins website to see what you can and cant bring into FedEx.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Don't be afraid to check places like Modells for sales. Bought several jerseys/beanies/etc. there over the years when they had stuff on sale. Best one was an Ovi Winter Classic sweater (jersey for you NFLers) they had marked 50% off two days before the Winter Classic.

If you really want to rent a car I'm surprised you didn't look into car offers paired with your flight. When I fly I always look into their offers for discounted rental cars because often times it's easier than booking a car separately. Key exception is when flying into a major touristy city like Chicago/Boston/Vegas, they have massive insane taxes that cost as much as the actual rental if you rent at the airport. Not sure if DC is like that too but you can get around it by taking an Uber/Lyft to a rental agency several blocks away from the airport and renting there.

I also second Irish's suggestion to verify what you can't bring into Fedex. The list is long. My ex had to ditch her umbrella in the parking lot because they wouldn't let her bring it into the game once.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Where are you staying? DC has a pretty good Metro rail system. It is best to tour DC by foot and by train, finding parking is either expensive a pain in the ass or all of the above. I would definitely hit the museums. For the record I have only played "tourist" in DC a couple times. I live 80 miles south in the middle of the woods.

I guess for something not mentioned you could grab a bite and or catch a college game at Joe Theisman's in Alexandria. That was one of my landing spots when I first visited the area before moving here 7 years ago.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

[quote=Buffalo Bob;1208642]Where are you staying? DC has a pretty good Metro rail system. It is best to tour DC by foot and by train, finding parking is either expensive a pain in the ass or all of the above. I would definitely hit the museums. For the record I have only played "tourist" in DC a couple times. I live 80 miles south in the middle of the woods.

I guess for something not mentioned you could grab a bite and or catch a college game at Joe Theisman's in Alexandria. That was one of my landing spots when I first visited the area before moving here 7 years ago.[/quote]

Theisman's is a good suggestion and is literally across the street from King St. Metro station.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

[quote=irish;1208643]Theisman's is a good suggestion and is literally across the street from King St. Metro station.[/quote]

My first trip here I stayed a couple blocks from Theisman's. I got in the morning of Thursday Dec. 14th, 2006. The hotel room I stayed in had a full kitchen, big desk, couch, big screen TV, large bedroom, etc,etc. Everything except NFL network. At the time I was a 49er fan from Cali and the 49er-Seahawks were on Thursday Night football and the 49ers were still in the hunt to win the division.

I had rented a car but did not want to drink and drive, also I had no idea about the awesome Metro Train system. Somehow the guys at the desk did not know about Theisman's and only knew the bars close by on their same street. I started walking around and every bar I stopped in was not showing the game. I went back to the room and watched scrolled score updates on ESPN while drinking a six pack. Driving around exploring the next day I found that Theisman's was less than a half mile from where I stayed. That is where I spent my Saturday afternoon watching college football.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

[QUOTE=FrenchSkin;1208608]Hi guys, figured this thread would belong here, fringes of football indeed :



Coming to DC for 4 days in December to see the Skins beat the Giants at home !



We have ourselves a guide book but I was hoping you guys could help me on a couple of things:



1) What do you think would be the cheapest way/place/website to rent a car ? (Don't [URL="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cheap+rental+car+in+DC"]LMGTFY[/URL] me, I checked that, but maybe there are tips that I wouldn't have heard of ?)



2) What "unlikely to appear in a tourist guide book" place or activity would you recommend ?

Anything from a small restaurant, sports bar, to your favorite escape game or theater/concert place... anything that has you thinking [I][U]"Man that's not written in his stupid guide book and he shouldn't leave DC without doing/seeing it!"[/U][/I] !



3) Last but most important: I'm planning to [B]go to FedEx with a nice sign and some face paint[/B], but we'll have to travel light because we bought the cheapest plane tickets possible... So do you have any idea where I should go to find material such as colored cardboard, glue, big markers and burgundy and gold face paint in DC ?

Are there any fan gear stores that would sell those items ?



Of course, if any of you is going to this game, I'll be there early and would gladly drink a beer or two with a fellow Warpath member !



HTTR !!![/QUOTE]



Sweet man! Definitely gotta check out the Smithsonian American Art Museum. They used to sell these cool burgundy n gold masks inside Fedex.
This place is pretty happening too...

[url]http://www.blackcatdc.com/[/url]

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

You probably should state your approximate age and who you're traveling with for those who have been to DC to make appropriate suggestions. A 40+ year old man with a wife and kids in tow won't be interested in the same places someone in their early 20's and single would be.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

[QUOTE=Buffalo Bob;1208720]You probably should state your approximate age and who you're traveling with for those who have been to DC to make appropriate suggestions. A 40+ year old man with a wife and kids in tow won't be interested in the same places someone in their early 20's and single would be.[/QUOTE]



Thats why i gave him a club and a museum to choose from. Lol.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

[quote=punch it in;1208725]Thats why i gave him a club and a museum to choose from. Lol.[/quote]

Well if you're into museums take your pick French, DC has plenty to choose from.

Also the Black Cat?

Come on man, 930 club is where it's at. Also heard good things about The Anthem but I haven't been yet.

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Thanks a lot for the tips guys!!! Theismann's place is exactly the kind of things I was talking about, not in the book, good place to meet and bond with Americans in a pretty American way !

[quote=irish;1208619]1. [B]If you are staying in DC, Arlington, Alexandria or anywhere inside the Beltway, Uber or Lyft might be a cheaper/easier option than renting a car[/B]. In the city Metro will get you to all the tourist places in/around The Mall.

2. I would go to Ford's Theater and see 'A Christmas Carol'. Historic venue and a great play to start your holidays. Hillwood is also a great museum (near the zoo). The greatest collection of Russian art outside of Russia.

3. I would expect you could find most of those items at CVS or a store like Target. Stores like Target, Kohls, or Wal-Mart sell Redskins gear at cheaper than at the game. [B]I'd definitely check the Redskins website to see what you can and cant bring into FedEx[/B].[/quote]

We're staying at my father in law's friends' place, in [B]McLean[/B]. This is why I figured we needed a car, from what I saw, it's a 20 min drive from DC, but 1h by train so...

Smart tip, I'll check the list, thanks!



[quote=mooby]Don't be afraid to check places like Modells for sales. Bought several jerseys/beanies/etc. there over the years when they had stuff on sale. Best one was an Ovi Winter Classic sweater (jersey for you NFLers) they had marked 50% off two days before the Winter Classic.

[B]If you really want to rent a car I'm surprised you didn't look into car offers paired with your flight.[/B] When I fly I always look into their offers for discounted rental cars because often times it's easier than booking a car separately. Key exception is when flying into a major touristy city like Chicago/Boston/Vegas, they have massive insane taxes that cost as much as the actual rental if you rent at the airport. Not sure if DC is like that too but you can get around it by taking an Uber/Lyft to a rental agency several blocks away from the airport and renting there.

I also second Irish's suggestion to verify what you can't bring into Fedex. The list is long. [B]My ex had to ditch her umbrella in the parking lot because they wouldn't let her bring it into the game once[/B].[/quote]

Probably a smart tip too, I'll check if they have offers, I actually didn't know we were going to rent a car when we took the plane tickets !

Yeah I'll check but I'm just thinking about a cardboard sign.

[quote=Buffalo Bob]You probably should state your approximate age and who you're traveling with for those who have been to DC to make appropriate suggestions. A 40+ year old man with a wife and kids in tow won't be interested in the same places someone in their early 20's and single would be.[/quote]
Spot on!! I'm 28 and will be traveling with my wife, she actually went to DC twice with her parents before we met and she LOVED the city... (haven't figured how to get her to root for the Skins yet though ^^).

We'll definitely do the classical touristic things to do, but we also like to go outside the box a little bit, so if you tell me the widest ball pit in America or a really nice hiking trail are 30 minutes from DC, that's things we'd be interested in!

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Wow... what a trip!

First thing I have to say: DC is an A-MA-ZING city!
Wifee and I loved it, obviously went to the mall, but also had a meatloaf in Adams Morgan, a clam soup at the Fish Market, tacos and incredible salvadorian food I won't remember the name of in Columbia Heights, a breakfast in Georgetown, and a pulled pork with Mac and cheese at Kenny's... also visited the Fridge street art gallery and played some Uno in a bar at Dupont Circle ! Just beautiful and so diverse all around!

(Found material for my sign at Blick art, great place, they have everything.)

Also, you're out of your mind if you think driving and parking in DC is complicated! It was wayyyy easier and smoother than in Paris!!! DC's traffic during rush hour is like Paris' on a quiet Sunday! (Except that I got honked aaaall the time because I'm french so obviously I didn't exactly follow the rules all day).

Now, back to the Redskins: on Friday, while visiting the Lincoln Memorial, we met Joe (picture of him in the stands from the field). Awesome lifelong diehard Skins fan from California. We exchanged numbers, and when I got to FedEx on Sunday morning, around 11am, I called him. The guy was* crazy generous, bought me a T shirt and a key ring/can opener* at the team's store... I wanted to thank him by buying him a hot dog, but HE wanted to buy ME a hot dog... so we fought and argued with the cashier to know who was going to pay, and ended up buying each other hot dogs and beer...
So we're in the hall way eating our several hot dogs, my sign at my feet, and this guy, Tom, and his wife Pam, 30 years season ticket holders (picture with them on the field), come up to me and say "saw your sign, we won some field passes on a season ticket holder's private lottery, we have an extra one... want it?"... My jaw dropped... "Field pass... as in... a pass that allows you ON the field? Are you kidding me?!"...
So I say bye to Joe, follow them down the stadium, and the security guy says I'm not allowed on the field with a beer... so I drink in 3.5 seconds.
I was already crazy pumped, now I'm pumped as a m'fucker AND tipsy.

Had a great time on the field during warm ups, shouted to Tress Way he was going to the Pro Bowl, he gave me a thumbs up, Danny Johnson was nice enough to take pictures with a few of us, Jonathan Allen fist bumped me and went "HTTR", and at the end of stretching, Chris Thompson came up to me, shook my hand and said "Thank you for coming", we talked for a few seconds, I was so pumped I had my forehead on his face mask, he said they were going to have a good game for me... Well we all now how that went but that moment was crazy: first ever time in the US and I'm on the field head to head with one of my favorite players... just awesome... (The twitter picture wad taken by one of FedEx field's community manager.)

I also had a great time in the stands, people were super nice, was seated next to one of the Hoggettes, who was dressed up as Santa Claus, don't think it was aired but I appeared on the big screen a couple of times.

I was just above the Redskins' tunnel, behind the endzone were most of the TDs were scored (most of the Giants' points, including Saquon crucifying long TD run, and both Skins' scores!). Pretty sure I had broken my voice before half time...

Overall, as many of you predicted: I had a BLAST!* Awesome experience, just so thankful to all the people I met who were so nice and generous!

As I wrote on my sign that I had to leave behind at the airport, I definitely plan on coming back!!!

HTTR![IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/1b9134625b85957e9202887bbd7c53ce.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/da5c119211c3f40a072a01f93574e003.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/254528843cadced41499d1c67dd99faa.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/c0e7d8afbaff84ab9efff8960870a05a.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/7e4771185396663f62cb43597377d914.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/62d29494363b04aa6994d633a3f17494.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/db5eb7a51f34e212c86f80dcd2b0c961.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/93b895201af3b318ae576c751683a853.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181212/54bc13e36499a56f19b0574e3d8efd49.jpg[/IMG]

Envoyé de mon SM-J320FN en utilisant Tapatalk

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Looks like you had a great time!

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

What a great experience you had!

Re: Getting ready for my Week 14 DC trip !
 

Awesome, looks like you had a blast!