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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 - Closest, Recommended
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 the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop, about 2 blocks from the Festival hub at George Washington University's Cloyd Heck Marvin Center. Taxi fare to downtown is approximately $22-$30. 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 Metro Center, then transfer to the Blue, Silver, or Orange line to get to the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop, the closest station to the Festival hub at George Washington University's Cloyd Heck Marvin Center.

Washington Dulles International Airport
www.flydulles.com | 703-572-2700
Located 26 miles west of DC, Dulles is reachable by bus to and from the Metrorail's Silver line. Washington Flyer provides bus service between Dulles and the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station (Silver line) with departures every 15-20 minutes. The Silver line goes directly to Foggy Bottom-GWU, about 4 blocks from the Festival hub at George Washington University's Cloyd Heck Marvin 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 and connects to the Metro's Red Line. You can take the Red line to Metro Center, then transfer to the Blue, Silver, or Orange line to get to the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop, the closest station to Festival venues. 1-800-USA-RAIL

 

By Bus

Greyhound - www.greyhound.com - 1-800-231-2222
The bus station is located inside Union Station, and connects to the Metro's Red Line. You can take the Red line to Metro Center, then transfer to the Blue, Silver, or Orange line to get to the Foggy Bottom-GWU stop, the closest station to the Festival hub at George Washington University's Cloyd Heck Marvin 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 relatively close to Metro stations and street parking downtown is may be limited or expensive. 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 $17-$20/day thereafter.

Parking Lots

If you still prefer travelling by car there are a few 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. Visit www.fairhotel.org to stay aware of garages currently being boycotted or protested. 

A few tips for driving in DC

Numbered streets run north to south, in four quadrants of the city. The Festival hub is located 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

Use Metro

We highly recommend taking Metro. We are working to ensure that all Festival sites are in short walking distance of public transporation. Fares for Metro start at $2 (and may increase with the distance and/or time of day you ride). You will need to purchase a Metro SmarTrip Card for $2 as Metro has ceased the use of single trip fare 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. 

For more accessible Metro access: Consider applying for Visitor Status for Paratransit service through MetroAccess. Info is available at the Metro website. Applications should be submitted 3 weeks ahead of time.

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.

Electric Scooter Sharing

You can rent electric scooters by the trip in Washington, DC from Lime. Visit the Lime website for more information. 

Area Maps

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District offers a map of the Foggy Bottom area. Maps of Festival venues and the DC Metro will be provided at Festival check-in. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY

Visitors to DC are welcome to apply to use MetroAccess, a regional complementary paratransit service. Applications should be submitted 3 weeks in advance. Learn more about how to secure Visitor Status for Paratransit Service through MetroAccess at the Metro website.

Split This Rock values individuals of all abilities and strives to make its programs and materials accessible to all. We prioritize using venues and hotels that are wheelchair accessible. Large print program books will be available at the Festival by request. ASL interpreters will be part of the Featured Poet readings. More detailed information about accessibility is available on the Accessibility web page. If you have questions, suggestions, or would like to make an accommodation request, please contact us at access@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.