My wife and I are in DC for 8 days with our toddler and we were counting on Uber Car seat being available but it's not. We don't have a car seat and we're wondering if the metro is safe for day to day use getting around DC to see the sights. Any recommendations?

I would say it's the only way to go, family or not. Safer than a car crash wise and safe to use during day crime wise no issues. Usually lots of police presence at stations.

Yes. Very safe.

Yes, very safe. We used the metro around DC while we were there a few years ago and had no problems.

Yes, very safe. Best way around DC

The disclaimer is that there are stations in bad neighborhoods, so avoid those at night. The trains themselves are very safe. When we were there a few winters ago, it seemed like a crapton of homeless were hanging around some of the downtown stations at night. I didn't see that on our last trip. Maybe because it was summer. Or maybe they are running them off.

The other disclaimer is that commuters are grumpy about tourists. I'd avoid rush hour. And don't be surprised if they push around you, or are impatient with your slow card-swiping or other routines that they have down to a science.

Lots of construction going on on the metro lines, so keep that in mind. But they are also upgrading to new cars, so some positives.

Would it be better to pay as you go or pay $59/person for 7-day pass. I'm leaning towards 7-day pass, but would rather defer to people in the know.

It's pretty easy to buy a card, check the balance on a card, and add money to a card. So you could easily start with $10 on a card, and add as needed.

But then you've got the logistics of keeping up with three balances, adding to three cards, etc.

Depending on how often you ride, $59 seems a lot. But I see the convenience factor.

And I'm assuming your toddler needs a fare, too. You'd have to check their rules.

I have never had a bad experience on the metro, that includes using it frequently while i lived in the area many years ago, and then I took the family with a 1.5, 3, and 5, year old. Stay away from the bad parts of D.C. and there shouldn't be any issues with the kiddos.

As far as spending the $59 for a week...Do the math. How much travelling are you doing? You can get an idea of fare costs by playing oaround on their website to calculate costs. For us, it was cheaper just adding to the card periodically as it doesn't take much time to reload the card if needed.

If I remember correctly. Kids older than 5 need a metro card, those younger are free with a paying adult. Again check the website.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Yes, very safe. Best way around DC

The disclaimer is that there are stations in bad neighborhoods, so avoid those at night. The trains themselves are very safe. When we were there a few winters ago, it seemed like a crapton of homeless were hanging around some of the downtown stations at night. I didn't see that on our last trip. Maybe because it was summer. Or maybe they are running them off.

The other disclaimer is that commuters are grumpy about tourists. I'd avoid rush hour. And don't be surprised if they push around you, or are impatient with your slow card-swiping or other routines that they have down to a science.

Lots of construction going on on the metro lines, so keep that in mind. But they are also upgrading to new cars, so some positives.

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This. Stand on the right side of metro escalators to blend in. Left side is for thru traffic.

JSKolache said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Yes, very safe. Best way around DC

The disclaimer is that there are stations in bad neighborhoods, so avoid those at night. The trains themselves are very safe. When we were there a few winters ago, it seemed like a crapton of homeless were hanging around some of the downtown stations at night. I didn't see that on our last trip. Maybe because it was summer. Or maybe they are running them off.

The other disclaimer is that commuters are grumpy about tourists. I'd avoid rush hour. And don't be surprised if they push around you, or are impatient with your slow card-swiping or other routines that they have down to a science.

Lots of construction going on on the metro lines, so keep that in mind. But they are also upgrading to new cars, so some positives.

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This. Stand on the right side of metro escalators to blend in. Left side is for thru traffic.

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This. Most important rule of the metro escalators, "stand to the right, walk to the left."

Quote:

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This. Most important rule of the metro escalators, "stand to the right, walk to the left."

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Yep. The people who commute daily on the Metro, somehow don't find it as fascinating and intimidating as we yokels from out of town.

And they are a grumpy bunch, in any case.

Yes it is safe and easy to use for someone who isn't accustomed to public transport.

I've never felt unsafe on the metro there, even when traveling alone or with others. You know what did happen with my kids and inlaws? That day was the one RARE day the entire metro got shut down (roughly\3 years ago). So we had to take city buses. Those had me way more stressed out than the metro ever did.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Quote:

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This. Most important rule of the metro escalators, "stand to the right, walk to the left."

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Yep. The people who commute daily on the Metro, somehow don't find it as fascinating and intimidating as we yokels from out of town.

And they are a grumpy bunch, in any case.

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In their defense, I'm pretty grumpy while headed to work each morning too, and if I had random tourists in the car with me I doubt that would help.

I live in a town with a small college, and 12 miles from the biggest state park in Texas. Sometimes you have to accept that you're going to have out-of-town folks to deal with. You can be a jerk....or not.

Kind of off-topic, but last time I was in DC, there were Texas A&M ads everywhere in the metro stations.

I was there 2 years ago and remember seeing those ads.

DC metro is very safe during the day and even at night if you don't get off at a bad station.

OP - where are you located?

I have 3 cards from the DC Metro that probably have $5-6 bucks on them.

I'd be happy to give them to you or even mail them so they get used. They've been sitting on my desk since our family trip 2 summers ago.

Jattamc91 ( at ) yahoo

No problem with families. Have taken my youngins on it with no concerns. They love watching the rats run around so you can skip the zoo and just watch the animals in the metro.

If you do Udvar Hazy our by Dulles, take the Silver line (iirc) as far as it will go then Uber to the museum. Bus from the end of the line to museum was 40 minutes each way as it goes out and back and not in a loop. Uber is 15m.

The only option for food at UHazy is McDonalds. If you like plane/space stuff you're kids will be bored long before you are. We were there 4 hours and I could have stayed a few more when the wife and kids finally got me to leave.

We used VRBO and found a great place walking distance to the Capital for like $250/night. Cooked a lot of our own meals.

Safe and easy!

Other key tips about Metro use.

-Unless you are at one of the wide gates, the gate does not have to close before you can swipe your card. just walk through the already open gate and swipe your card. The gate will stay open. The wide gates can be access from both sides, so they close between uses.

-Don't stop as soon as you step into or out of the train. Tourists tend to not know where they are going, so they tend to stop immediately after taking one step out of the train and try to read the signs to figure it out. Step out of everybody's ways first, then try to figure out where to go. Also, tourist seem to stop as soon as they enter the cabin. Realize people have to come in behind you so clear the door ways.

- Metro is very safe, but be street smart. Don't leave your purse, bag, or phone somewhere it is easy to grab and sit close to the door of the train.

-If you are worried about riding the train late at night, pick a car in the middle of the train as these will always have more people in them. If you are near the front or the back of the train, it can get pretty desolate.

-Learn to ignore people. If you get onboard with some one with mental issues or that is making a general ruckus (loud teenagers, drunks, etc) don't try to stare them down or confront them. This will often make it worse. If it is bad just switch cars at the next station.
Have fun.

Make sure you get separate cards for each person as well

I always am concerned when congress is in town.

When they go back home during recess, everyone is more relaxed.