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Getting Here & Around

Getting to Washington, DC

By Air

Washington, DC is served by three airports:

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
www.flyreagan.com | 703-417-8000
Located south of the city along the Potomac River, National is accessible on Metrorail's Yellow and Blue lines. The Blue line goes directly to McPherson Square, 5 blocks from the festival hub at the National Housing Center. Taxi fare to downtown is approximately $22-$25. Shared ride van service is also offered by SuperShuttle.

Baltimore/Washington International Airport
www.bwiairport.com | 1-800-I-FLY-BWI
Just 30 miles from DC on commuter (MARC) and Amtrak rail lines. The trains arrive at DC's Union Station, where you can get the Metro Red Line to Farragut North, the closest station to festival venues.

Washington Dulles International Airport
www.flydulles.com | 703-572-2700
Located 26 miles west of DC, Dulles is accessible by bus to and from the Metrorail's Silver line. Washington Flyer provides bus service to Wiehle-Reston Metro station (Silver line) with departures every 15-20 minutes. The Silver line goes directly to McPherson Square, 5 blocks from the festival hub at the National Housing Center. SuperShuttle will bring you into DC for about $30 ($10 for each additional party in your group). Taxis from Dulles into DC are expensive.

All the airports are served by the van service, Super Shuttle (www.supershuttle.com). For travel from National Airport into the city, the Metro is a convenient option, and a cab is just as affordable as the van (and usually much faster).

By Rail

Amtrak - www.amtrak.com - serves Washington’s Union Station, on the Metro's Red Line. The Red line goes directly to Farragut North, 5 blocks from the festival hub at the National Housing Center.1-800-USA-RAIL.

By Bus

Greyhound - www.greyhound.com - 1-800-231-2222
The bus station is located inside Union Station, right on Metro's Red Line. The Red line goes directly to Farragut North, 5 blocks from the festival hub at the National Housing Center.

Other Bus Options Megabus, Bolt, NYDCExpress, and DC2NY buses are relatively low-cost options, and offer free wi-fi on the bus. These buses fill up fast and often overbook, so get to the departure site early!

By Car

Consider leaving your car at home. Festival sites are very close to Metro stations and street parking downtown is difficult. There are many commercial parking garages within a block or two of the venues. Rates are lower ($11-$13/day) before 9 am (or occasionally, before 10 am) and rise to about $16-$17/day thereafter.

Parking Lots

If you still prefer travelling by car there are parking lots nearby at rates starting from $7 per hour. You can search for a parking spot on Parkme.com where you can filter by different amenities like opening hours, sort by price or distance and reserve a spot. Make sure to pay attention to opening hours as some parking lots close for the weekend, charge overnight fees and do not reopen until Monday morning. A good app is Spot Hero.

Ride Services

DC is served by Lyft and Uber. Taxis travel frequently throughout the festival area, as well.

A few tips for driving in DC

Numbered streets run north to south, in four quadrants of the city. All the festival activities will take place in the Northwest quadrant, notated as NW. In Northwest, the numbers increase as you head west. Letter streets are in alphabetical order, running east to west. There is no J Street. State-named avenues run diagonally.


Getting Around in DC

Your registration materials will include maps. A map will also be availabe through the festival mobile app when it goes live.

Use Metro

We highly recommend taking Metro. All festival sites are within walking distance of the Farragut North (Red Line), McPherson Square (Blue, Orange & Silver Lines) Stations on the Metro. Fares for Metro start at $2 (and may increase with the distance and/or time of day you ride). You are now required to buy a Metro SmarTrip Card for travel; Metro has eliminated single-tripfare cards. SmarTrip Cards can be purchased online or at any Metro station. To plan your travels by Metro, use the Trip Planner on their website.

Use Capital Bikeshare!

Washington DC was the first jurisdiction in North America to launch a bike share system! Capital Bikeshare allows you to rent bikes on-demand from kiosks located all around the city. Go to any Capital Bikeshare station and follow the directions at the kiosk. Use a credit card to join for the day. You can take a bike as many times as you'd like for 24 hours or 3 days. For more information, go to www.capitalbikeshare.com.


The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District offers a map of the Farragut Square area.
 

ACCESSIBILITY

Split This Rock values individuals of all abilities and strives to make its programs and materials accessible to all. The festival’s venues and hotel were selected with accessibility in mind, to ensure that people with mobility disabilities can attend. Large print program books will be available at the festival by request. If you have questions, suggestions or would like to request accommodation for a particular need, please contact us at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.