<p>Hi all,
I’m looking for help with hotel and transportation for a college tour this fall. The AU website has a few hotels listed. </p>
<p>There is a Days Inn on Connecticut and near Forest Hills and a metro. There also is Savoy Suites and Holiday Inn, both on Wisconsin near the US Naval Observatory and the Vice President’s home. No metro but both have shuttles. We aren’t looking to see DC sights but would like to hang around campus and the neighborhood used by students to get an authentic vibe. </p>
<p>What about the Marriott at Wardman Park by the Zoo? I haven’t stayed there but it looks very close to the Tennleytown metro stop, and is n the same price range as the others you listed.</p>
<p>We are going to visit AU in a few weeks and reserved a room at the Holiday Inn Georgetown, which offers free shuttle service to AU. This hotel was listed on the AU website. I’ll post about the hotel after our visit (here and TripAdvisor, same name).</p>
<p>Thanks BlackCrow! Yes, I saw that one and the Savoy Suites both on Wisconsin Avenue near the US Naval Observatory. It looked good, and like it will give a realistic perspective of the neighborhood that the university is in. I want my D to see what her surroundings will be like, where she might grab a Starbucks, groceries, etc. So hard to tell where to stay just based on a map. </p>
<p>As long as you stick to the red line, you can pretty much stay anywhere. We have stayed in DC proper, and we recently stayed in Bethesda at a Residence Inn. Bethesda is 2-3 stops on red line. At Tenleytown stop, you just jump the AU shuttle. If its a vibe you are looking for, that would be the way to go.</p>
Actually, @Living61, no hotels are in the AU “neighborhood”, if by that term you mean areas that are close to the campus and frequented by AU students. To get a feel for the AU surroundings, walk around Tenleytown (on the Red Line), a commercial area that is usually swarming with AU students, and then from there walk back to the campus or take the AU shuttle bus. You can also walk down Massachusetts Ave. from the campus to the “Berks”, a large apartment complex where many AU students live. Then you’ll have pretty much covered all the areas that AU students frequent on foot–the “neighborhood”. With its very good public transportation, the entire city of DC is easily accessible, and most AU students often go beyond the immediate area for socializing, shopping, jobs, etc.</p>
<p>There’s a Courtyard by Marriott and an Embassy Suites at the Friendship Heights Metro station (one stop past Tenleytown). There’s also a Doubletree at the Bethesda Metro station (two stops past Tenleytown). The Courtyard has special AU rates.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! We will we definitely check out Tenleytown. The Marriot at Wardman Park is on the red line and two stops from Tenleytown so I think we will try that hotel. </p>
<p>Our D just graduated from AU, so in 4 years, we’ve tried quite a few different hotels. We only stay at Marriotts (on points) but we usually stay in Friendship Heights or Bethesda. Both are on the red line and convenient to AU. If you want to be closer to DC sights, try DuPont Circle. I think H has stayed at the Wardman Park Marriott and liked it.</p>
<p>It may be pricier than some of the other hotels suggested here, but the Embassy Suites in Chevy Chase (one Metro stop from Tenleytown with the Metro station right inside the building) is a wonderful hotel, and the free breakfast is very high quality–made to order omelets, etc. It has true suites, with a separate living room with TV and a sofa bed and attached kitchenette, so one suite can accommodate a whole family. The staff is excellent, there’s a Starbucks right in the building, as well as a World Market (a store I could browse in for hours) and many other retailers. Fans of Top Chef will want to visit Bryan Voltaggios’s restaurant in the building, Range. We had D’s graduation dinner there, and it was quite an experience. All in all, a great choice when visiting AU. We stayed there many times over four years, and I actually miss the place!</p>
<p>We are also planning a trip to AU, probably in November. I was just looking at the directions to get there. Once we arrive at Tenley town on the Redline, the AU site says to take a metro bus to the campus, but I think, rather than trying to figure out where to wait for a bus…and then standing there waiting, we might prefer to walk. Are there any cautions about walking that route? Are there more bus stops along the walk in case we change our minds along the way?<br>
Also, the website suggests taking the metro bus, and doesn’t mention taking the AU shuttle (for tours). Is the AU shuttle an option for those who are just visiting and won’t have any kind of AU ID?</p>
<p>AU takes the official position that the shuttle is only for AU students and employees, but in four years I was never asked for an ID, and nobody cares. Don’t bother with the metro bus, which you have to pay for, and just grab the free shuttle at the corner where the Metro Red Line stop exits. If it’s not obvious to you where to stand, ask anyone in the area who looks like a college student and they’ll tell you. The bus itself is clearly marked. During the day, the wait should be quite brief. The passengers on the shuttle will tell you which stop to get off on campus if you let them know where you’re headed–they’re used to visitors. The walk is perfectly fine, quite pleasant, if that’s your preference. While the shuttle stops at the law school, I don’t know if your best walking route would take you to that point. More details on the shuttle here: <a href=“http://www.american.edu/finance/facilities/wclmetroshuttle.cfm”>http://www.american.edu/finance/facilities/wclmetroshuttle.cfm</a> </p>
<p>As mommaj says, just grab the free AU shuttle. It’s right at the Tenleytown. Metro stop. Or of you want to walk, just cross Wisconsin Ave right in from of the metro stop and walk the ten minutes to the campus, going straight down Nebraska. It’s a very pretty walk.</p>
<p>For fun-- when walking, see if you can spot all the concealed security cameras. You will be walking past some embassies, NBC and the Dept of Homeland Security.</p>
<p>Just to make this a bit more complicated… any different suggestions if our flight lands at 7:45am, we are touring Georgetown at 10:30am then AU at 2pm. AHHHH! </p>
<p>Living61 - The Savoy and the Holiday Inn are convenient to both the Georgetown part of DC and AU. Not walking distance to either one but convenient. How will you be getting from one school to another? There is no metro in Georgetown. Be sure to plan in advance because you are cutting it close! Formal tours and info sessions take awhile. </p>
<p>I agree with NewJerseyMom. You haven’t left much time to just wander the Georgetown campus or neighborhood, chat with students, or eat in a cafeteria, all elements of a good college visit. Any chance you can switch to an earlier session there or a later one at AU? With your current schedule I’d recommend a cab to AU–the bus is convenient, but it’s not a short ride and it stops a lot. The admissions office may be able to call a taxi for you–I don’t know if cabs cruise in that area.</p>
<p>You can use uber to get from Georgetown to AU. My daughter uses them a lot - I can tell by my credit card bill! However, they are convenient, polite and fast. Tip is already factored into the price. </p>
<p>Cab straight to Gtown when you land. Prob cast $20-25. You will be on campus by 9am, have breakfast and take in the sights. It’s a beautiful neighborhood and campus. Then it’s another cab to AU…prob around $12? It’s your only way outside of renting a car. You will make it to AU in time…</p>