Pre-Iday Ideas

Hey Ya'll,

My family and I are heading up to Annapolis about five days before Iday to do some traveling and sight seeing. Does anyone have any suggestions of cool things to do around the area? We're planning to visit the D.C. area and possibly Baltimore, but is there anything else we should really take our time to visit?

Thanks!

Stay away from Annapolis as much as possible before Iday. You will undoubtedly get enough of it for 4 years. Go to Washington and walk around. Take in the sights and eat good food. Enjoy TV and unfiltered internet and seeing people that don't hate their lives. Don't go to Baltimore. Good luck.

annie_usna said:

Hey Ya'll,

My family and I are heading up to Annapolis about five days before Iday to do some traveling and sight seeing. Does anyone have any suggestions of cool things to do around the area? We're planning to visit the D.C. area and possibly Baltimore, but is there anything else we should really take our time to visit?

Thanks!

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I'm doing the same thing, we're going to check out the smithsonian so that might be another option for you. but definately going to D.C. I've never been out of the southwest so I'm excited.

Take the tour at Arlington National Cemetery, see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Hit the museums around the National Mall -- but remember plebes usually go to the Holocaust Museum during the summer. The National Zoo and National Cathedral are fine places. My favorites: Arlington, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, National Air & Space Museum, Natural History Museum.

Drive down the George Washington Parkway along the Potomac to Mt. Vernon.

Walk around Old Town Alexandria, see Gadsby's Tavern (historic tavern), the Torpedo Factory (old munitions factory turned into art and design home for artists you can watch at work).

Baltimore has a great waterfront: National Aquarium, visit USS CONSTELLATION (last Navy sailing warship), ESPN Zone, water taxi to Ft. McHenry (think National Anthem history) ... maybe the Orioles are playing in Camden Yards, a great baseball venue.

If you are staying in Annapolis and touring from there, I highly recommend driving to the New Carrollton Metro stop about 15 miles from Annapolis on US 50. [US 50 is the main artery DC-Annapolis] Get an all-day unlimited pass, ride the Metro right to Smithsonian, National Cemetery, Zoo and many other stops. Parking in DC during the summer tourist season is a challenge. We arm all our visitors with DC tourist maps (you can probably find one in the Borders or Barnes & Noble) and drop them at the New Carrollton Metro. It's much cheaper than parking in DC, easy to figure out and pleasant to ride. http://www.wmata.com/

Good suggestion to tour the surrounding area; you will be walking around Annapolis enough in the coming years.

marvin7794 said:

Stay away from Annapolis as much as possible before Iday. You will undoubtedly get enough of it for 4 years. Go to Washington and walk around. Take in the sights and eat good food. Enjoy TV and unfiltered internet and seeing people that don't hate their lives. Don't go to Baltimore. Good luck.

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Wow, Marvin7794, that was a bit harsh!

If you are going to Washington, Capt MJ is right on the money. The metro from New Carollton was the way to go. We did this following NASS and it worked out well. Be sure to check with your MOC (now, before you head to Washington) for a Capitol tour and a White House tour.
When we went back for I-Day. We spent a couple of days on the Eastern Shore. We just relaxed. I wanted a few quiet days with our family before everything changed. We didn't have a busy schedule to deal with. We slept in, went swimming, and did some sightseeing. We even found a gun club and rented some shotguns and went shooting. This was something new for our family to do.

Not harsh, just real. All of the suggestions are good though. Annapolis has great food and great night life, but you will have plenty of time to take all of that in. Nationals games are fun. They aren't good, but it is a great way to spend 3 hours in the summer. If you can, go to Udvar-Hazy at Dulles Airport. This is the new addition to Air and Space and it is awesome. Best of luck to you. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I live near Annapolis (in VA) and close to the Udvar-Hazy is Tysons Mall which is one of the area's largest malls with an AMC Movie Theater

Annie, it might be a good idea to spend the day before I-Day to just relax and spend some time lounging in the hotel with your family. Take that time to say good-bye, get all the last words out instead of cramming it into a 10 minute time period on I-Day with all the upperclassmen buzzing around. It might make saying good-bye the next day a little easier too. Just a thought? Heh.

Go to Timbuktu - Rt 100 to Coca Cola Dr exit - 1726 Dorsey Road, Hanover MD.

Don't ask for a menu, just order the crab cakes.

Capt MJ said:

If you are staying in Annapolis and touring from there, I highly recommend driving to the New Carrollton Metro stop....

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usna2012mom said:

If you are going to Washington, Capt MJ is right on the money. The metro from New Carollton was the way to go.

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During daylight hours only. Do not attempt after dark.

The subway system in DC & suburbs (called "The Metro" by everyone) is safe, but the parking and surrounding area in New Carrollton MD is not.

We park at New Carrollton all the time - daylight at to the wee hours and have never had a problem. Typically do not park in the deck - but in the lot right next to the drop off. Lot is well lit and usually do see police sitting in the drop off area. Mid has even left car overnight with no incidents. This is the first I have ever heard this warning, never heard it from Mids sponsor family nor from Mids roommates family who are from the area.

We went a few days early for IDay - spent one day in DC, eat at our favorite restaurant, then did Mall at night which is a great experience with the lights. Next day we did St. Michael's - across the bay Bridge and about an hour south on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake - good Maritime museum - nice waterfront restaurants and shops. Also good outlet mall on the way. Day before I Day we wandered around annapolis so that the Plebe to be had a sense of Annapolis - the Mall, movie theaters, restaurants within walking distance in East Port etc. It was a lot of fun meeting people out and about in Annapolis the day before - kind of took the edge off of IDay worries for the plebe to be.

Profmom2 said:

We park at New Carrollton all the time - daylight at to the wee hours and have never had a problem. Typically do not park in the deck - but in the lot right next to the drop off. Lot is well lit and usually do see police sitting in the drop off area. Mid has even left car overnight with no incidents. This is the first I have ever heard this warning, never heard it from Mids sponsor family nor from Mids roommates family who are from the area.

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A simple perusing of the crime reports from the Washington Post or Washington Times or the Prince Georges Journal would back me up. Not to mention that I lived inside the beltway in New Carrollton and PG County for 17 years.

If it's the first you ever heard of crime at New Carrollton Metro Station or the New Carrollton/Lanham/Landover area, you need to expand your news sources.

According to Metro Crime States, the highest amount of violent crime in the entire Metro system happened at 4 Metro stops, all in PG County - New Carrollton (#1), Largo (#2), Suitland (#3) and College Park. Yet Maryland refuses to install security cameras like they have in DC and VA.

To get back on track, I would feel safe riding the Metro anywhere during the day, and nowhere in PG County at night.

As a DC resident for 23 years I agree that there have been crime problems at Metro stops particularly in PG county however I would not think twice of using or leaving my car at any metro stop day or night.

Even if there are many parts of PG I would not go to even in the daylight.

If it's the first you ever heard of crime at New Carrollton Metro Station or the New Carrollton/Lanham/Landover area, you need to expand your news sources.

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Pesonnal experience and talking to people who ride the metro on a day to day basis I find much more valuable than looking at police reports and crime statistics. If we based our existence on those we would never leave our homes! Especially the city where I do live as it actually has much higher crime statistics than the district and surrounding area.

I've been riding the metro all over DC for many years too and like Kero pointed out - I two would not think twice about riding or leaving my car at any metro station day or night.

Profmom2 said:

Pesonnal experience and talking to people who ride the metro on a day to day basis

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Again, as I sadi before, mine are personal experiences, having lived and worked in PG County/New Carrolton/Lanham area for 17 years.

I find much more valuable than looking at police reports and crime statistics.

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They don't make those things up, do they? Those "police reports and statistics" represent actual people who were victims of crimes, both violent crimes and property crimes.

If we based our existence on those we would never leave our homes! Especially the city where I do live as it actually has much higher crime statistics than the district and surrounding area.

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Not saying to never leave home - just giving a word of caution from a local perspective. You can follow it, use it, consider it, or disregard it.

But the only people riding the Metro in New Carrollton at night are tourists (victims) and locals who went to the Verizon Center, and most of them won't park at New Carrollton either.

I've been riding the metro all over DC for many years too and like Kero pointed out - I two would not think twice about riding or leaving my car at any metro station day or night.

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Kero also pointed out that there are many parts of PGC that Kero wouldn't go to even in the daytime! New Carrollton, although not quite there yet in the daytime, is close. At night, it's a no-brainer. Avoid it.

Like I said in my PM - You pays your money, you takes your chances.

I appreciate Luigi's comments. The context for mine WRT New Carrollton and Metro in general, was daytime sightseeing, back in the car during daylight hours. It's been quite a while since I've howled with the wolves and flown with the eagles ... there are definitely parts of Prince George's County (PGC), DC and northern Virginia I wouldn't hang about in, as with any metro area.

Part of us are driving (from TX!), picking up the others at BWI on Sat before I-Day. Some of us will have three days in Virginia Beach area, then an evening and a day in DC, then on to Annapolis Monday am. Because there are six of us, we rented a house on Fleet Street, only a block or two from USNA. Saturday: Monuments in the evening, musuems all day, then a quick trip to Arlington early Monday morning before migrating to Annapolis. Older son was a Washington, DC tour guide the summer of 2006, so we will have a personal guide. All of us have been before as well.

Luigi, where's your crab cake place in relation to Annapolis, BWI, etc? I guess I can get out mapquest!

I, for one, am getting very excited. And we have older son's wedding (june 12) to get through as well.

Any tips on Virginia Beach/Norfolk area?

jennyp said:

Luigi, where's your crab cake place in relation to Annapolis, BWI, etc? I guess I can get out mapquest!

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5 minutes from BWI, 35 minutes from Bancroft Hall.

I also understand that Cantler's is a good place to go for fish and seafood.