Alexandria, Virginia
Embassy Suites Hotel
1900 Diagonal Rd
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-684-5900
The Embassy Suites hotel overlooks the Alexandria Amtrak Station as well as the Washington DC Metro Station. All rooms on the Diagonal Rd side of the building have clear view of the tracks and stations. Closest to the hotel is the Metro (subway) with trains every 4 to 7 minutes. Just beyond that lies the CSX's 3 track mainline.
Traffic is moderate to heavy with peak times during weekdays. CSX, Amtrak are consitant, Virginia Railway Express commuter rail operates week days only, Norfolk Southern is rare, usually a local. A scanner is necessary as there are no crossings in this area, All trains will call signals, and there are detectors north and south of the hotel.
Hotels in this area are fairly expensive as they are close to the Reagan National Airport and DC. Since they cater to business travelers during the week, some decent weekend packages may be found.
One reader noted: "You get free drinks in the PM and free breakfast the next morning, not a bad deal.... my wife and kids love it, pleanty for them to do, indoor pool or the Metro to take them to tourist attractions while I spend time taking pictures.
Submitted by Chris Hash 7.30.2000
Hilton
1767 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-837-0440
The Hilton Hotel Alexandria offers two different types of Trackside rooms. There are rooms that over look the Washington DC Metro and Alexandria Amtrak Stations as well as rooms that are "right next to the tracks". Thats right, less than 100 feet away is the Metro and 50 feet beyond that sits CSX's 3 track Alexandria Subdivision.
We stayed in a fourth floor room that had a trackside view. The rooms were insulated but with the windows, you could also hear the locomotive growl, the flat spots on the freight car wheels, Amtrak P42's air compressor cycles and throttle up when departing the Amtrak Station just to the south. You also hear the Metro trains AC propulsion and wheels rolling on the rails.
Metro trains appear every few minutes with no warning except hearing the singing of the rails. CSX & Amtrak may show at any time, but is best to have a scanner to know when a train is comming, because if you wait to hear the noise the train is already outside of your window.
From a kid's prespective, we loved it. We went sightseeing with the family in Washington DC, rode the Metro all over the city and back to our hotel. And best of all, the room service made us feel like "Richie Rich", chicken tenders covered in fancy dishes, cloth napkins and dining while watching for trains. Best of all was the Sundae's they brought for dessert, YUM!
Submitted by Marie Wilson & Jason Hash
Holiday Inn
2460 Eisenhower Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-960-0859
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