DC/Baltimore area meet up?

[BadgersMommy]

November 1 works great for me. What time works for folks? As the local, can I do anything for anyone to make this easier (other than offer parking which, sadly, I don't have...)?

[Freckle]

Nov 1st is great. I don't have to work round nursery or naps, so we can fit with what others need.

[ches]

Okay, so to summarize, it looks like:

Tuesday 1 November
Natural History Museum
1:30pm is the earliest Zeddy can make it to DC so 1:45pm (ish) in the lobby? And everyone will have eaten lunch already?

It seems like a short hop from Archives Metro, so my plan will be to get to Greenbelt around 12:45pm and Metro in from there. I'm happy to meet up with everyone at the museum or to meet up with Freckle and/or Zeddy at the Metro station. I will have the smaller one in a black Moby and the larger one in a black umbrella stroller. Badger'sMommy how heinous would taking a stroller on the Metro at 5:30pm be?

The real question is, what did I do with that offer of a Smithsonian magazine subscription for $10 that gives you a discount in the museum store because OMG the Smithsonian-brand science toys are awesome!

[zeddy]

Great! Shall I swap phone numbers with someone? Good idea if I'm running late with traffic or whatnot and I can find you inside the museum. I'm approximately driving from the PAX base down in St. Mary's county. I've never attempted the Metro before. I have a double pram, can you take them on?

[ches]

I think, given we'll probably be leaving at the start, middle or end of rush hour, that it would be insane to try, especially on your first Metro journey. But then spending $22 on parking is also possibly insane.

[BadgersMommy]

Zeddy, I think a double pram at rush hour probably isn't a good bet, but if you can get on the first car of the train and are willing to go right at 5:00 or a little before, it's doable. People might stare daggers at you, but whatever. Ches, a single would be fine, esp. if you get on the first car. I'd be happy to help you guys navigate if needed -- Zeddy, I'll probably be going the same way as you (for a while anyway).

For those who haven't been before, the Constitution Ave entrance is the one you want if you have a stroller (the "front" entrance, on the Mall, has stairs). Natural History is the building with the big dome on top. There's a big elephant under the dome that makes a great meeting place, so let's meet there.

This is gonna be really cool.

[ches]

How much does the Metro cost, do you need exact change and do you pay for 4yos?

[BadgersMommy]

There's a fare calculator at wmata.com -- it's pretty cheap, def. less than $5 one-way (depends on what time you travel). You don't need exact change. Under-5s are free.

[ches]

Oh sweet I can use my Charm Card in DC!

[Freckle]

Thanks for all the Metro info, I've not been on it before. Ches, can we meet you at Greenbelt?

[ches]

Sure! I'll PM you my phone number. There's a Metro at 1:04 pm that gets into Archives at around 1:30 pm that I was going to aim for, so I would aim to be at Greenbelt 15 min before to figure out parking and juggle kids. Of course there's traffic to consider... I'd offer to car pool from Baltimore, but TBperfectlyH I don't trust J in the back seat unsupervised with T and another child! He has been great the past two days, but it's a long way to DC.

[Freckle]

Cool! I'll aim for 12.45ish then. I'm excited now

[BadgersMommy]

Oh, one important Metro tip: right before you leave, check to make sure that there aren't any elevator outages at the stops you're planning on using. Generally you can prevail upon the kindness of strangers to help you get a stroller up the escalator, but it's no fun.