1

The reason there are no hotels available that weekend has little to do with the rallies and lots to do with the fact that that's also the weekend of the Marine Corps Marathon, which draws about 20,000 runners.

You can take the MARC train from Baltimore to DC, but that doesn't run on weekends (last I checked). Amtrak runs from Baltimore to DC on the weekends. There's also a WMATA bus that goes between BWI and DC; presumably you can get to and from BWI. Check the WMATA web site for more details on that bus.

I am mildly amused by the proposition that this will be a "big" rally; that's what they said about the last one (the anti-Glenn Beck one), and that's already been forgotten about around here. Advice: take the money you would have spent on a trip to DC and donate it to the politican, committee, or PAC of your particular persuasion. You will do far more for your cause (in the form of funding last-minute advertisements) than by making a trip to DC.

2

The bus from BWI goes to the Greenbelt Metro station. MARC is a commuter line and does not run on weekends. You might try Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside DC. Easy to get from there to DC by Metro. To get there from BWI I'd probably opt for the bus to Greenbelt, then Metro (will need to change trains). Slightly easier, but more expensive, would be Amtrak from BWI to Union Station, and Metro from there.

3

You can take the light rail from many areas of Baltimore to BWI airport and catch the MTA bus from BWI to Greenbelt to pick up the DC Metro. Or as someone said, Amtrak from Baltimore to DC. I am actually surprised. I just checked Amtrak and it will cost all of $15.00 each way Between Balt. and DC. That is the way I would go.

As to #1, just about all rallies are forgotten about in DC within a couple of weeks. We have them on a pretty regular basis. That doesn't mean they are forgotten about by those who attend. Freedom to assemble is a basic American right and if you feel strongly about something, I would always encourage participation. As for me, I think I am mowing the lawn on Saturday.

4

hey gwahicks. Thanks for the transportation advice. I'm going because it sounds like fun, no other reason. I didn't mean to imply the rally was the reason my late planning resulted in fewer options. I could donate my money to a lot of non-profit organizations in lieu of having fun (and I do donate, and vote), but sometimes I like to have fun. Advice: You might try it sometime.

Thanks everybody for the friendly advice so far. I'll look for hotels near Amtrak, or closer in along the metro...

5

There are several ways to get from Dulles to DC by public transportation. There is teh 5A bus that only costs $3 or so, which takes you to the metro. There is also a $9 Washington Flyer bus. This information is available on the Dulles website.

You can also look into staying in the suburbs of DC/VA, i.e. Alexandria, Bethesda, Arlington, etc

Check http://www.Hotwire.com for cheaper deals too.

There are also buses from Baltimore to DC via http://www.Gotobus.com and http://www.Boltbus.com

6

The rally is going to be a BIG deal. No question about it. Has nothing to do with the subject matter or political bent but everything to do with the popularity of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. Together, their platform for publicity on this is huge. Add that to other events and this is going to be the toughest weekend for a hotel room all year.

The Anti-Beck rally was a surprise to almost everyone. I still have no idea who organized it or anything about it.

7

I could donate my money to a lot of non-profit organizations in lieu of having fun (and I do donate, and vote), but sometimes I like to have fun.

Well, that's what the rights to petition the government and peaceably to assemble are all about: having fun. Go crazy, kid.

8

OP said flying into Dulles would cost a lot more than flying into BWI. One advantage of flying into and out of BWI is that there will likely be fewer marathon participants flying out of that airport than from National or Dulles on the night of the marathon.

If they stay in Baltimore, near BWI, or in northern DC suburbs (e.g., Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring), they should be far enough from the "action" of the rallies, marathon, etc. to be able to find something, and maybe get a good price especially if they use Hotwire or Priceline. When I lived in the area, I was in the Rosslyn/Arlington area on Marine Corps Marathon day several times and saw that many of the nearby hotels were packed for the weekend; it's one time I'd avoid trying to stay there, even if one could find a room. Alexandria, Fairfax, etc. might be far enough away to still have rooms. Last year my wife and I happened to be in the area on marathon weekend and stayed in Silver Spring and saw no big crowds,but there are many other areas to choose from. Didn't have the rallies to deal with, of course.

9

The unfortunate part of the BWI to DC trip on the weekends is that the MARC train doesn't run. Options include Amtrak, taxi, SuperShuttle, and the B30. I've got some more info about these here . I'd say that the B30 is the cheapest and best option, but you need to be willing to spend the 40+ minute ride (which is only once per 40 minutes, so you need to check the time sheet), and the metro ride from Greenbelt into DC (perhaps another 30-40 minutes, depending on how long you have to wait for a train to arrive)