<p>What is the best way to go from CMU to the Wash DC area and back? train, soutwest airlines to bwi ? Please give details. thanks</p>
<p>Car + Greyhound</p>
<p>Taking a plane is generally not worth it because of the overhead required in going to the airport.</p>
<p>I always use the plane because I love Pittsburgh International Airport and its fun to talk to people you know at the gates before you go back. I dunno if Jetblue flies to D.C. like it does to NY but sometimes you can get tickets for 100 or so.</p>
<p>PS: Greyhound sucks</p>
<p>PSS: Drive, 4 hours if you maintain 80mph, just make sure you rev it down to 70 when u hit MD/VA as there are more cops and the tickets range from 1k to 2k for speeding (I got one for 1k in MD).</p>
<p>When you hit the 55mph areas in PA on the turnpike you should also slow down. After driving that road more times than I want to count I became pretty aware of the spots the cops like to sit, and there's a lot of them.</p>
<p>I'd say flying since you can take the 28X for free to and from the airport. I lived near Philly and it took 10+ hours by train and about the same by Greyhound. Even if I got to the airport 2 hours early and it takes me one hour by bus, it's still a one hour flight, so I'd get there in five hours.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to post on misc.market and ask if anyone else is making the ride at the same time. Offer to pay for gas and tolls (or split plus you buy them lunch) and you should be able to get some people. When I'd drive home I'd always give rides to friends that lived roughly nearby since it made the ride a lot more enjoyable and cheaper for everyone.</p>
<p>let me be more precise in my question. taking greyhound or amtrack from pitt to dc is not an option (takes way too long). are there any "chinatown" like direct bus service from pitt to dc as they have from dc to nyc? if one does decide to fly southwest from pitt to bwi, how does one get to the pitt airport (i believe there is some sort of airport shuttle)? is it easy and regular to hitch a ride back and forth from pitt to dc on tgiving and xmas breaks? thanks.</p>
<p>I can't answer the DC end questions. (Can you believe though that Amtrak from NY requires changing trains in DC!?!) But there is a bus to the airport, it's free to CMU students. Taxi costs about $45, if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>With your ID you can take the bus anywhere for free - well, you pay for it on your student invoice - it is the "port authority" fee...
At break times you can always see many kids at the bus stops with suitcases waiting for the bus to the airport.</p>
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if one does decide to fly southwest from pitt to bwi, how does one get to the pitt airport (i believe there is some sort of airport shuttle)?
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<p>There's the 28X which is a shuttle run by the Port Authority. When I was at CMU it left every 20 minutes from Morewood and Forbes (start of it's run) and it takes roughly an hour to get to the airport. You can take the same bus back, and it's free both ways with your CMU ID.</p>
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is it easy and regular to hitch a ride back and forth from pitt to dc on tgiving and xmas breaks? thanks.
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<p>Post early on misc.market and you should be able to arrange something with someone.</p>
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<p>I've taken the Amtrak train from Trenton to Pittsburgh, the train is called the Pennsylvanian. According to their website it runs from NY. Amtrak</a> - Routes - Northeast I wouldn't recommend it, though. It generally took around 10 hours, and two times it took over 12. Plus there's no bus stop near the train station, you have to drag all of your luggage a few blocks from the closest stop. Flying was definitely much easier.</p>
<p>I always used plane. JetBlue airways, US Air offer good rates.United has direct flight.28X bus to airport from Moorwood is a good way to get to airport .</p>
<p>At bwi there are a couple of options. Super Shuttle is reasonable and will take you anywhere in the Baltimore-DC area. There is also a free shuttle from bwi to the Amtrak station and you can take the train (local) into DC. There may be buses, too, but I'm not familiar with them.</p>