What to do in Washington, DC in 7 hours

What to do in Washington, DC in 7 hours?
On my travels to SC I will have a 7 hour layover in Washington, DC - IAD airport. I have never been there before. Can anyone tell me about good ways to kill some time while waiting on my connecting flight? Remember, I only have 7 hours....actually less than that since I have to give myself some time to go back through security and get to my gate. All help is appreciated! I will be coming in around 2:50pm and flying back out around 9:55pm. I am from Germany, so I doubt I will look at anything that has to do with the holocaust...lol...but thanks anyway....
Washington, D.C. - 9 Answers
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1 :
Go to the National Holocaust Museum. Never been, but I've heard its good.
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If I were you i would go and see the sights. the white house, pentagon, capital building. Also if you can't leave the airport, you can always get gifts for your family
3 :
Take a walk around the mall. i went on a clss trip and we spent bout four days there. My favorite sights were the lincon memorial and the washington monument.
4 :
First off, you'll have to watch your time because of the traffic getting in and out of the airport. Cab fairs are high also. But if you'd really like something to do, take a cab or bus to what's called "The Mall". If the weather is nice, you can walk around. You have the Capital, Museums, The Washington Monument, the wadding pool and the Lincoln Memorial, (in that order crossing over the 14th street bridge from the right to the left. There are plenty of bench's to sit down and just people watch and you could grab something to eat at the Wash. Monument. I'm sure what "day of the week or the time" you'll be in DC, you might want to add that part. So, I'm just assuming you will be there during the day, while everthing is open. Have fun, there is so much to do, I'm just trying to keep you close to the airport, all you pretty much have to do is go a few miles onto 95N, and once you cross over the 14th Street Bridge, you are there.
5 :
Your 7 hour layover will get eaten up quickly. Allow 1 hour to and from the airport, so now it's 5. Allow getting to the airport at least 1 hour if not more. So now it's down to under 4. You can waist a lot of time in traffic so pick one or two places to go. Forget the capital or white house; even if you can get it the lines are long. GO TO THE SMITHSONIAN.. it's on the Mall and you get easily walk to several of the buildings (Air and Space Museum, Main building (you can see Dorothy's slippers, etc).). It could take you over an hour from IAD each way, so watch out for the rush hour.
6 :
First: You will only have about 5 hours to allow to get back into security. Second: IAD is Dulles Airport. It is not in DC, it is Northern Virginia, a good ways from DC. It is in the suburbs really, so there isn't much nearby. Third: Traffic is notoriously AWFUL and you have to allow about double what you think it might take to travel a distance. There is really no good direct public transportation into DC from IAD, you'll have to arrange ground transportation: see http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/parking_transportation_3/ground_transportation. The best bet would be to take the Metrobus to Metrorail (Metro), then Metro to the Mall. The Mall would be the best "Bang for Buck" time-wise if you have your heart set on going into DC, you'll see the greatest concentration of DC sites. If you are going to go downtown, I'd allow 2 hours AT LEAST for travel time, just to be safe (to allow for traffic/bus schedule). Now you are down to only about 3 hours. Personally - it seems like a lot of drama to go through for a few hours of sightseeing, but I live here. However. There is a much better option in my opinion if you just looking to kill time. The Udvar Hazy Center as part of the Smithsonian is right next to the airport, and although maybe not 5 hours of fun, cheaper and closer. Here is the link. http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/ AND, they have ground transportation from IAD. http://www.nasm.si.edu/visit/transportation/airports.cfm <Edit - there used to be a shuttle to downtown, but it has been discontinuted>
7 :
The Smithsonian Museum has put a major museum out near Dulles that features airplanes from the National Air and Space Museum, the most visited museum in the world. That should be something you can do on your layover - it's not far to travel, and it should be interesting and well done.
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Take the subway to the train station, newly rebuilt with shops, restaurants, and subway connections. Especially at rush hour, you can observe professional prostitutes preying on their kill, the innocent men commuting home to the suburbs, in stiletto heels and outlandish outfits...
9 :
I second the Udvar Hazy (website below). It's a Smithsonian & free! Air conditioned, comfortable to walk around, a neato gift shop, some food, very close to the airport, IMAX theater, and has really cool things to see at the museum to boot. A cab to Udvar Hazy should be less than $5. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME TRYING TO GET INTO THE CITY AND THEN TRYING TO GO VISIT A MUSEUM AND THEN TRYING TO GET BACK IN TIME. You will likely end up frustrated. It is about 1/2hour to 1 hour ride into the city & round trip. Locals might be able to do it, but you'll hardly see anything but traffic in your travels that way. And you'd have to take a cab or bus there (booo for trying to get places in a timely, inexpensive way). If you're dying to see something else, Dulles Town Center mall is just a few miles up Rt 28 (a $5 to $7 cab ride). It's a great mall with plenty of food & shopping options. Don't bother going downtown to DC, but do come back another time and check it out. DC is great for a full day trip, a weekend, or even a week. :)

Can you take knitting needles on a plane

Can you take knitting needles on a plane?
I've looked on the TSA list of prohibited items but it doesn't say anything about knitting needles. I'll be on an international flight from London to Washington DC. Can i bring the needles on/is there a specific kind of needle i could bring on - plastic etc? I'm a fairly frequent flyer but having never tried to take knitting stuff in my carry-on before, i just don't know.
Air Travel - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
DOT BRING THEM MINE WERE TAKEN OFF ME FLYING TO AMERICA AND I WAS NEARLY FINISHED MY SCARF!!!!!:-(
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See sites below. yes, you can, however, since some TSA agents are idiots, they reserve the right to take them away from you, even tho they are allowed! They seem to prefer the plastic ones.
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DONT BRING THEM MINE WERE TAKEN OFF ME FLYING TO AMERICA AND I WAS NEARLY FINISHED MY SCARF :( I'LL LAUGH MY HEAD OFF IF I GET BEST ANSWER HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
4 :
No, there considered A "Weapon" , anything sharp or that can be used as weapon is tooken away before you go on the plane i think if its plastic you could bring it look up on the internet , see if the airport allows it
5 :
The UK government web site that speaks about travel rules does not mention knitting needles anywhere: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Publictransport/AirtravelintheUK/DG_078179 Having checked several airline web sites - I also find no mention of knitting needles. The TSA site (whose rules would cover your return flight) says this: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1252.shtm = = = = = = = Knitting needles are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage. Items needed to pursue a Needlepoint project are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage with the exception of circular thread cutters or any cutter with a blade contained inside which cannot go through the checkpoint and must go in your checked baggage. = = = = = = = I believe that they prefer plastic ones to metal, and prefer them not to be circular needles (so you can't use it as a garrote, I guess), but I can't find any specific reference to those preferences. The best idea is to call the airline on which you will be flying to see what their specific rules are. It would be a shame to lose your favorite set of needles.

I'm in Washington DC and I need a ticket to go to Chicago for thanksgiving

I'm in Washington DC and I need a ticket to go to Chicago for thanksgiving!!?
I am traveling to chicago for thanksgiving and I need some help finding the cheapest way there. priceline, hotwire, cheap tickets didn't have anything. Does anyone know of a cheap way to get to chicago , from DC, that won't take years to get there. Rather it's bus, train, or flight... let me know!!!!
Chicago - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
try southwest airlines, they r da cheapest, and they don"charge you for the luggage. They land at midway airport only. It will be cheaper if u reserve 2 weeks in advance. Good luck, & have a happy turkey day!
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www.kayak.com Likely www.greyhound.com will be the cheapest.
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I suppose it depends on how cheap you'd want to go. Southwest still has flights available on Thanksgiving Day for about $150 and they don't require a round trip ticket. I fly to DC frequently and the fare is always around $100 and that's booking in advance. So considering it's only 4 days away, that's not a bad fare and you'll be here in less than 2 hours flight time.
4 :
Southwest is your best bet, and go straight to www.swa.com but its probably pretty expensive now.... you can take Amtrak - no obnoxious last minute fares, and its not too bad of a ride - but just work some extra time in since it tends to arrive later than advertised.
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Try the "Name Your Own Price" feature on Priceline. I've gotten some good deals there. Basically you bid on a plane ticket from airlines that have tickets available for the days you want to go there. You can put in any price and, who knows, maybe you'll find a ticket for close to that price. For instance I bid on a roundtrip ticket to Chicago to Denver for $100 (cheap, I know). They couldn't find anyone willing to meet my bid, but they did find someone willing to sell me a round trip ticket for $150, which is pretty damn cheap (the average RT tickets is about $250). Not that you'll find a deal that good, but it's worth a trip. The only stipulation is you don't get to pick the hours your fly (you do pick the day) so you might be flying off-peak hours, either really early in the day or later in the evening. And you don't get to pick the airline. AND you have to put in a credit/debit card number nad you're charged right away. AND there are generally no refunds (however if you do have to cancel your flight, they will give you a partial refund, provided you book another roundtrip flight later on). But if getting to Chicago quickly and as cheaply as possible is important to you, I'd look into it.
6 :
there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely give you the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.
7 :
Flights fastest. Many airlines are having thanksgiving sales like virgin. Try continental,deltal,northwest,us airways.I searched on this site and got the cheapest,check it out,it also had discount coupon codes for expedia,orbitz,travelocity,priceline,etc. http://freetravel4ever.blogspot.com

flight to

flight to?
About how long does it take to get to Birmingam, AL to like Maryland/Washington DC on an airplane? And does anyone know the time difference?
Air Travel - 3 Answers
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1 :
United have a direct flight which takes 1 hour 55 mins. Washington is 1 hour ahead of Alabamba.
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1:56 HOUR
3 :
It depends on the type of Aircraft being used. it takes approximately 1:45-1:56.