Copyright 2009 Jamie Michele
A Scouting Report for RWA's 2009 National Conference
This is a photo FAQ for the conference location based on a scouting trip I took into the
city Sunday, June 28, 2009. I also created pages advising travelers on how to get to the
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel from Dulles International Airport, Reagan National Airport,
and Baltimore's BWI airport. You can check out the Marriott's floorplans here.

Online information was gathered on 06/29 and 06/30/2009, and while I tried my best, I am
not a professional travel agent and can make no guarantees or warranties for the
accuracy of this information. As always, travel at your own risk!

Many of you are wondering about walking distances between our three major points of
interest. I calculated these distances using the Marriot's 24th St. entrance, which is the
most convenient entrance for Metro users and Omni guests.

Metro to Omni lobby = 320 meters.
Metro to Marriott main lobby = 250 meters.
Omni and Marriot lobbbies = 460 meters, which is just a bit more than the distance
around a typical high school track. If you're staying at the Omni but partying at the
Marriott, you'll be going downhill at evening's end. There IS a sneaky back door out of the
Marriott that goes straight to the Omni, but it's not reliably open, and wasn't
recommended by the concierge.

Most people will be coming in, one way or another, on the Metrorail Red line, exiting for
Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan. For detailed information (including maps) about DC's
public transportation system, visit http://www.wmata.com. Click here for my own
step-by-step description of how to use the Metro system.

Alright. So you've come into the city via the Metro, and you've taken the Red
Line to the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adamas Morgan stop. This is smaller station, with
only one exit that I noticed. So you ride up the loooong escalator to the surface.
Here's what the ride will look like going back down:
You eventually reach the surface. It's a busy but not overwhelming street, full of
small, ethnic restaurants and a few conveniences, like an M&T Bank, Bank of
America, and a CVS. You'll be facing the M&T Bank as you exit the escalator,
forcing you to choose to turn left or right. Turn right.
See the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel! The photo above was taken from just
outside the subway escalator. The entrance you see here is labeled "Service & Bus
Entrance," but fear not. If you're staying at the Marriott, this is your closest
entrance, called the 24th St. entrance by staff, east exit by map coordinates. Walk
up the driveway.
After an uphill 200 yards or so, you'll arrive at the entrance seen above. See? It's
perfectly normal. If you turn around, you can see the subway stop from here.
Look! It's my husband! This scouting trip was all his idea. He's awesome. But he
probably won't be sitting there when you arrive. If he is, say hi, and ask him if
he's there for the cover model contest. Behind him are the hotel registration
desks. Everyone will know where this obelisk is, making this is a fantastic place
to meet a friend. Or, if you prefer, try the lobby bar, which is just to the left of the
obelisk (the edge of which is in the photo):
Perhaps you'll be arriving from the north. The Marriott's main entrance from the
north is accessed via Woodley Road, and looks like this from the street:
But you're going inside the Marriott now. Turn back around, enter the Marriott,
and walk another, say, 50 yards from the side entrance to the main lobby. Check
out Marriott's floorplans if you want to know in advance where you'll be walking.
Or perhaps you'll be staying at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. In that case, as you
exit the Metro escalator and again are faced with the choice of turning left or
right, still turn right, but this time, look south, toward Calvert Street. You'll see
your hotel through the trees.
Walk towards your hotel, past Irish-themed Murphy's Pub and a charming
cafe/restaurant called Open City. Both have outdoor seating. When you reach
the intersection of Calvert Street and 24th Street, turn right on Calvert. You'll see
the Omni clearly by then, just across the street. Head into the main entrance.
The Omni lobby is grand, with plenty of seating for meeting up with friends:
And that's about everything I have to share. I hope this has helped you get a sense
for what you're about to walk into. See you there!
Award-winning author of contemporary romantic adventures