Beltsville or Laurel, going to Ft Meade and DC

We will be going to Ft Meade for a graduation in October but would also like to go to DC and possibly Baltimore. We (2 adults) are flying into BWI and staying a total of 5 nights. We are not getting a car and would like to stay under $100 a night for the hotel.

I do not know what area to stay in and I can%26#39;t quite figure out the best way to get around. It sounds like the Metro and possibly Amtrack are good ways to get to DC (which is why I was looking at Beltsville or possibly College Park area) but I also need to get to and from BWI and Fort Meade. I didn%26#39;t want to spend $30 each way for a taxi to get to the Greenline from Laurel but the hotels are cheaper there.

Reading the reviews confused me even more regarding what area to pick.I am thinking about staying at the Sheraton Washington North in Beltsville. It%26#39;s a little more than I want to spend. They say they have a shuttle to the Metro.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Beltsville or Laurel, going to Ft Meade and DC

Without a car and wanting to leave the option of a few days in Baltimore open, you may be best off with a BWI area hotel. All the hotels should be able to shuttle you to the Amtrak/MARC rail station for service into Washington, as well as the airport terminal or another station nearby for the inexpensive light rail service into Baltimore.

Putting yourself in Beltsville or College Park or better yet Greenbelt might be a better choice if you know you don%26#39;t want to do Baltimore, but if there%26#39;s no reliable hotel shuttle to the Metro, you%26#39;d still find yourself getting into a taxicab.

I%26#39;d count on needing a taxi to/from Fort Meade regardless of where you%26#39;re staying.

Beltsville or Laurel, going to Ft Meade and DC

You can take the B30 Metro Bus from BWI directly to the Greenbelt Metro Station. It takes 30 minutes. From there you could catch the shuttle to the Sheraton you mentioned.

In terms of frequency and cost, the Metro Subway will be your best option for getting into DC.

http://www.wmata.com is the site for the Washington Metro. You can type in your starting and end point, and it will tell you how to get there by train, bus, or walking.

Thanks to both tubman and MartyMcSuperFly. We were able to get a good rate(avg $90 night with taxes) at the Sheraton in Beltsville so I don%26#39;t know if we will be able to see Baltimore. We arrive in two weeks.

Hopefully we will only make one roundtrip to Fort Meade!

If we can get to Baltimore for a day, any suggestions on Must Sees/Do Not Miss? We were thinking of going into Baltimore just for crab cakes after seeing Faidleys on a TV show. Are they as good as they looked or are there better ones in Baltimore?

Again, thank you both for your speedy responses.

';We were thinking of going into Baltimore just for crab cakes after seeing Faidleys on a TV show. Are they as good as they looked or are there better ones in Baltimore?';

Asking people in Maryland where to find the best crabcake is like asking a New Yorker where the best pizza is, or a Carolinian where to find good barbecue - you can ask 10 people and get 10 different answers lol.

Faidley%26#39;s makes good crabcakes, and seeing Lexington Market is a plus imo. (Get some Berger cookies while you%26#39;re there!)

I realized after asking about crabcakes that there were probably posts on that topic. And IrishFan is so right about all the differing opinions!

Thank you for your help. And the cookie recommendation. I%26#39;m getting hungry reading the posts!