<p>Since this question relates to traveling along the East Coast, I am well out of my league. To make a long story short, my sister has been invited to join a few friends on a trip to visit schools starting at the University of Virginia and ending up in Princeton or New York. Along the way, they will split in smaller groups to visit schools in DC, Baltimore, Annapolis, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York. Everything was set but my mom has now been asked to pitch in and chaperone/drive. She is thrilled about the vote of confidence. However, this prompted the not-so-unexpected … “Can you ask the people on “that” site what they think about how to drive and where to stay” </p>
<li><p>Well, I started printing the various maps from Mapquest to get an idea of distances. While it does seem pretty straightforward, I’ve got a question about the best airport to fly in, if the first stop would be UVA. Seems like Dulles or Richmond are two choices. </p></li>
<li><p>Any recommendations about Philadelphia’s hotels if Swaaaaatmoh and Penn are on the agenda? </p></li>
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<p>Please do not hesitate to throw ideas or suggestions. Since my dad used to spend a lot of time in DC, my parents have the part Baltimore/Annapolis/DC covered. </p>
<p>Fly direct to C'Ville. Saves lots of driving and it's much less hassle. Will you return to fly out or have to drop the rent car elsewhere? A drop off charge can run several 100's.</p>
<p>The drive from UVA to DC is not bad once. You take US 29, a major 4 lane highway, pretty much all the way up. Most of it is through some very pretty countryside. Do not go near DC or the VA suburbs during rush hour.</p>
<p>"Rush Hour" around DC= 6am-8pm. The entire 95 corridor from DC to PA is horrible. If I only wanted to go from C'Ville to NYC I'd drive around using 81 to 78. Scenic and much less traffic.</p>
<p>I'll have to leave specific Phila hotel recommendations to the experts. When we drive down, we are usually so tired/grubby from move-in or move-out loading that we just stay in non-descript chain motel out near Swarthmore. My wife has gone down a couple of times and stayed with a retired professor couple who offer a guest room in their house in downtown Swarthmore in exchange for a donation to a local charity.</p>
<p>If they are shopping price, then there are the usual assortment of chain hotels near the airport in the $100 a night range, give or take. These are centrally convenient to both UPenn and Swarthmore (maybe a 15 minute drive).</p>
<p>Probably a more enjoyable approach might be to stay downtown. You can catch the R3 Elwyn commuter train from any of the three downtown train stations and go directly to stations on campus at both UPenn and Swarthmore. This would then open up a nice evening of sightseeing in downtown Phila -- the historic district, South Street for people watching, the Art Museum, Reading Market, or whatever the preference. UPenn and Swarthmore are very close to each other (maybe 8 miles).</p>
<p>BTW, Princeton is closer to Phila. than to NY. It is not difficult to do a day trip from Phila to NY (by car or by train) if it makes more sense to camp the group in Phila and fly home from there -- easier than dealing with the NY area airports by far.</p>
<p>You might want to consider flying into the Baltimore airport. BWI has a greater share of low cost carriers like Southwest, Airtran, etc. From BWI it is about an hour and a half to Philadelphia, 3-1/2to NYC, 30 minutes to Annapolis (drive times are approximate). We drove from BWI to Charlottesville last summer and it took us about two and a half hours. However, on the return trip, we took a detour to Arlington and ended up on the DC beltway stuck in traffic. So, I echo the advice about avoiding DC during rush hour if at all possible. </p>
<p>In D.C., the JW Marriott Hotel is a nice option - reasonably priced and close to everything. There are numerous low cost options near BWI - we usually stay at the Comfort Inn which has a terrific shuttle to the airport, but there are many other options right there as well. If you're flying into/out of Philadelphia, the Airport Marriott is actually a nice stop for your first night - much nicer than you'd expect and very convenient for picking up or turning in a rental car. From there, it is about 30 minutes or so to Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Second Carolyn's B-more airport idea. On Travelocity you can specify three airports so in my searches BWI, IAD (Dulles) and DCA (National) are always included.</p>
<p>In C-ville have stayed in the Hampton Inn near the Corner a few times. Good location as is the Courtyard near the Corner.</p>
<p>If you visit during Spring Break and the cherry blossoms are at their peak, avoid the Metro between 4-6pm, unless you desire to be part of the Orange crush. It's kind of a perfect storm of crowding as Tsdad will surely attest.</p>
<p>Per dudedad: one of the worst trips of my life was trying to negotiate 6 or 7 blocks of 14th street, which runs across the bridge by the cherry trees, during the height of their blooming. Tourists everywhere. And here's a question for all you tourists: how come when you come to DC you forget what a red light means? You're supposed to stand on the corner and wait for a green light. You do that at home, don't you? </p>
<p>And another thing: please don't stand in front of the ticket machines in the Metro with a class of 30 seventh graders at 6:00 in the evening trying to read the directions and buying all your tickets. It's rush hour, people have been up since 5:00 in the morning. They're exhausted and they want to go home. Also, while I'm at it, stand on the right on the escalators, not two abreast, and wait for the people to get off the subway before you get on. Bring your manners with you.</p>
<p>Well, I'm glad I got that out. I have been saving that up for years. And by the way, when your on North Carolina Ave. and want to get to New York City. Hah. Don't ask me. I'll tell you you can't get there from here.</p>
<p>Apparently I haven't gotten it all out. Be quiet on the subway. Other than teenagers coming home from school, people traveling on the Metro do not engage in loud conversations, show-off, sing (a few obnoxious religious freaks excepted), or play radios without earphones. The subway trip, particularly if you can get a seat, is regarded as a place to read, reflect, or sleep. So there.</p>
<p>Enjoy your trip to DC, and bring your manners. </p>
<p>And one more thing--no jokes about Federal employees or security issues. Neither are appreciated.</p>
<p>None of this is meant for Xiggi who I am sure is a perfect gentleman.</p>
<p>Hi..Interested Dad's idea about downtown and trains to colleges is the most aesthetically pleasing, but we had no time to include Philly on our college trip. When we go to Swarthmore to visit my friend on the faculty, we stay either in an airport hotel with a perfectly charming view of Camden, NJ I believe..but quick access to Swat. The airport hotels are really quite affordable with a bit of sidestep.com or travelocity searching. I was sorry my S saw Philly two days after a big snow when it was just dirty looking because the Main Line schools are really pastoral and lovely in better weather and he didn't get a feel for the special countryside that is not far down the road. Or we stay in a bed and breakfast almost adjoining campus. That is a bit pricey for a group because of usually only one bed per room. There is always the option of sleeping an Any Hotel, USA in Wilmington DE on the way up should night fall and you want to get up the next day and go straight to Swarthmore in morning light.<br>
In Charlottesville, consider buying a room at the downtown Omni which spills out onto the cobblestone central square. Then you can watch the professor's families and the students working and playing. Lots of cool places to eat, a ton of quaint stores and bookshops and sometimes various little festivals or street theater going on. Charlottesville deserves its reputation as one of the most fabulous college towns in the USA. Albemarle County is simply breathtaking in its own rolling hills and historic way. The grown-ups who graduate either never want to leave or trickle back to find a way to stay later...so many of them have established businesses around there. The economy is therefore multilayered and it is not just a college town. Many interesting adults everywhere as well as bright, fit and and upbeat looking students.</p>
<p>Flying into to C'ville versus Richmond or Dulles will cost about $100-$150 more (as you will fly from a hub--Dulles, Atlanta, Cincinnati or Charlotte--to C'ville on a small plane). If you wind up with the Richmond/Dulles choice and all else is equal, definitely pick Richmond. The drive from the Richmond airport to UVA is all interstate, Richmond's rush hour pales in comparison to a gentle Sunday afternoon in northern Virginia, and you won't be backtracking. </p>
<p>The Cardinal runs from the Amtrak station in C'ville to DC, and from there you can take an Amtrak Metroliner to all points north. This is by far the most convenient and least stress-filled way to travel up the DC to NJ corridor, in my opinion. You may need cabs in Philly and Princeton, but the Admissions Offices may make arrangements to pick up prospies, I don't know. It is probably more expensive than driving, though personally, having lived in the Balto/DC area for 17 years, I would almost give my firstborn to the gypsies to avoid the DC "rush hour", which as other posters have pointed out, is actually 12-14 daylight hours.</p>
<p>I'm so happy to hear that your sister will be visiting Mr. Jefferson's fair city. The most convenient lodging is the Hampton Inn on West Main Street, an easy walk to the Rotunda. I hope she'll have enough time here to poke around the "Academical Village" after one of the very good student-run tours--some of the gardens behind the Pavilions are spectacular in the Spring. If your sister and her friends have a little extra time, they should make there way up to Monticello for the tour. Let me know if there is anything specific I can do to help on the C'ville/UVA end of things.</p>
<p>If you're coming from the northeast, I strongly advise driving rather than flying to Charlottesville and Lexington. But avoid I-95 and the Baltimore/Washington beltways AT ALL COSTS.</p>
<p>From New York, New Jersey and Pennsyvania, use I-78/I-81 to get south. No tolls, less traffic, prettier roadside scenery.</p>
<p>Take 29 out of Charlottesville, in Culpeper pick up Rt 15, take that up to Harrisburg, PA then take I-78 into NY---this way you avoid the 95 mess around DC. Only one word of caution avoid 15 on weekdays during PM rush hour between Leesburg, Va and the Maryland line.</p>
<p>PapaChicken, I did not remember the name, but when I looked at the website, I recognized the Inn at Colonnade hotel. I stayed there in 1998 when Team Texas went to the youth version of the World Cup Lacrosse. What I do remember is the Homewood field and that big ESPN place at the harbor. JHU was not the program then. :)</p>