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OT: Washington DC travel advice

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jaydogsmooth1

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Jul 28, 2021
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Heading down to Landover, Maryland (right outside of DC) for the USA-Columbia soccer game on Saturday. Game time is 5:30 pm. Two questions:

1. Ideal route to take from Freehold
2. Ideal time to leave, and get there around 2:00-2:30 pm to tailgate (while not getting completely crushed with traffic)

Thank you as always!
 
If the GPS says go 301 (to 50), take it.

But it might not now that it’s beach season.
 
I don’t have great advice here, but if you’ve never been to FedExField, it’s an absolute nightmare to get to. You need to take certain roads to certain parking lots (at least for Commanders games), but your GPS won’t necessarily tell you that. You often end up sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on small suburban neighborhood streets. I’ve never gone to a game there and not sat in traffic for at least an hour once I’ve gotten within 1-2 miles of the stadium. It’s gotta sit in one of the worst locations possible for a pro football stadium.

Hopefully that isn’t the case at the soccer game you’re going to. But I guess my advice is to give yourself plenty of time. Pack some beers and tailgate for a while if you end up arriving early.
 
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I should also say, I’ve never arrived three hours prior to a game, so you may be in the clear! (Sorry, missed your note about your plans to tailgate.)
 
NJ Tpk & 95 is probably your best bet unless there's unforeseen issues that makes traffic much worse than typical for a Saturday. Probably can leave by 11 or so and give yourself 3 hours and I think you'd be fine.

I'll be at the USA-Colombia match as well with my son's soccer team.
 
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If you do get there early and drive around DC, just watch your speed due to all the traffic cameras.
 
RUnTeX said:
NJ Tpk & 95 is probably your best bet unless there's unforeseen issues that makes traffic much worse than typical for a Saturday. Probably can leave by 11 or so and give yourself 3 hours and I think you'd be fine.

I'll be at the USA-Colombia match as well with my son's soccer team.
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Leaving at 11 with summer turnpike and beltway beach traffic won’t be problematic?
 
JayDogSmooth said:
Leaving at 11 with summer turnpike and beltway beach traffic won’t be problematic?
Click to expand...
Since you are tailgating 2-2:30 PM, I would plan more for a 4-5 hour commute just in case. If you don't care to tailgate that long, maybe the above makes more sense. I would leave on the earlier side and do a side trip around DC if I was really early.
 
Drive to Trenton via I-195. Park across the street from the train station for $16 for the day.

take Amtrak to New Carrolton, MD. It’s roughly 2 hours 20 minutes.

For a same day trip its effortless, and you beat the traffic. Plus you can enjoy a beer and surf the web on the way down. Time goes by fast, as your tailgating on the train.

From New Carrollton, it’s a 10 minute Uber.
 
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rutgersal said:
Drive to Trenton via I-195. Park across the street from the train station for $16 for the day.

take Amtrak to New Carrolton, MD. It’s roughly 2 hours 20 minutes.

For a same day trip its effortless, and you beat the traffic. Plus you can enjoy a beer and surf the web on the way down. Time goes by fast, as your tailgating on the train.

From New Carrollton, it’s a 10 minute Uber.
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That was going to be the move, but I’m going with my wife and daughter, so I don’t think that would work
 
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jaydogsmooth1 said:
Heading down to Landover, Maryland (right outside of DC) for the USA-Columbia soccer game on Saturday. Game time is 5:30 pm. Two questions:

1. Ideal route to take from Freehold
2. Ideal time to leave, and get there around 2:00-2:30 pm to tailgate (while not getting completely crushed with traffic)

Thank you as always!
Click to expand...
Have done that route many times And each time once you get close to the stadium/DC/Baltimore the route differs. 195-95 and then trust WAZE once you get close.
I would leave no later than 10:00 preferably 9:00. Extra hour of tailgating can't be bad.
North of Baltimore to south of Alexandria is the worst! Good luck!
 
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My friend and I will be at the game too…I am picking him up in Bethlehem PA so I am going via 78 to 222 to 83 way..I would leave by 9:30 and go 295 south cross over south of Wilmington then 95south to the Baltimore Washington parkway to 495 south…it should be intermittent stop and go traffic from Baltimore and getting in to Commander Stadium is a nightmare but you should be in the lot parked around 1,,,get your parking pass on line through the Commanders…the crowd is probably going to be 65 to 35 in favor of Columbia fans and many of their their fans will be there before the parking lots open…if you are rooting for the USA you are invited to the American Outlaws tailgate …don’t know the lot yet probably the red lot…be prepared for a long time getting out…..but you should be home by midnight…please use Waze or google maps both ways because it is a June weekend…
 
BHSPCRU said:
My friend and I will be at the game too…I am picking him up in Bethlehem PA so I am going via 78 to 222 to 83 way..I would leave by 9:30 and go 295 south cross over south of Wilmington then 95south to the Baltimore Washington parkway to 495 south…it should be intermittent stop and go traffic from Baltimore and getting in to Commander Stadium is a nightmare but you should be in the lot parked around 1,,,get your parking pass on line through the Commanders…the crowd is probably going to be 65 to 35 in favor of Columbia fans and many of their their fans will be there before the parking lots open…if you are rooting for the USA you are invited to the American Outlaws tailgate …don’t know the lot yet probably the red lot…be prepared for a long time getting out…..but you should be home by midnight…please use Waze or google maps both ways because it is a June weekend…
Click to expand...
There's never been a worse stadium for getting out of after a game. I know many Redskins tailgaters who tailgate AFTER the game while they wait for it to empty out some...
 
dconifer said:
There's never been a worse stadium for getting out of after a game. I know many Redskins tailgaters who tailgate AFTER the game while they wait for it to empty out some...
Click to expand...
Sounds like the one year we had to tailgate in the Blue lot (first year in B1G). Took 1-2 hours each game just to leave the lot so we just tailgated post game all season.
 
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jaydogsmooth1 said:
Heading down to Landover, Maryland (right outside of DC) for the USA-Columbia soccer game on Saturday. Game time is 5:30 pm. Two questions:

1. Ideal route to take from Freehold
2. Ideal time to leave, and get there around 2:00-2:30 pm to tailgate (while not getting completely crushed with traffic)

Thank you as always!
Click to expand...
Colombia 🇨🇴
 
Oh by the way the parking lots don’t open til 2 PM so it’s going to be an extra cluster f…..https://www.ussoccer.com/competitions/usmnt-friendlies-2024/matches/united-states-vs-colombia-tickets-live-score-match-hub-lineups-highlights-6-8-24?tab=directions%2Cparking%2C%26tailgating
I would still get to the area early
 
BHSPCRU said:
Oh by the way the parking lots don’t open til 2 PM so it’s going to be an extra cluster f…..https://www.ussoccer.com/competitions/usmnt-friendlies-2024/matches/united-states-vs-colombia-tickets-live-score-match-hub-lineups-highlights-6-8-24?tab=directions%2Cparking%2C%26tailgating
I would still get to the area early
Click to expand...
Looks like leaving at 9 is the move

Stop for gas and a bite to eat, hopefully beat traffic

Nice 3 hour tailgate
 
BHSPCRU said:
My friend and I will be at the game too…I am picking him up in Bethlehem PA so I am going via 78 to 222 to 83 way..I would leave by 9:30 and go 295 south cross over south of Wilmington then 95south to the Baltimore Washington parkway to 495 south…it should be intermittent stop and go traffic from Baltimore and getting in to Commander Stadium is a nightmare but you should be in the lot parked around 1,,,get your parking pass on line through the Commanders…the crowd is probably going to be 65 to 35 in favor of Columbia fans and many of their their fans will be there before the parking lots open…if you are rooting for the USA you are invited to the American Outlaws tailgate …don’t know the lot yet probably the red lot…be prepared for a long time getting out…..but you should be home by midnight…please use Waze or google maps both ways because it is a June weekend…
Click to expand...
Any clue yet where the American outlaws tailgate will be?
 
jaydogsmooth1 said:
Heading down to Landover, Maryland (right outside of DC) for the USA-Columbia soccer game on Saturday. Game time is 5:30 pm. Two questions:

1. Ideal route to take from Freehold
2. Ideal time to leave, and get there around 2:00-2:30 pm to tailgate (while not getting completely crushed with traffic)

Thank you as always!
Click to expand...

I lived in DC for over a decade and frequently traveled to and from Central NJ. You will be fine taking 195 to turnpike/95 southbound to Delaware. Going down your best chances at traffic are going to be Delaware just after the bridge and toll plaza, and the immediate area in and around DC and PG county. Check your GPS when you get to Baltimore but You can take 295 Baltimore-DC parkway when you get to Baltimore. It will take you to the beltway (which is 95/495) the same way that 95 eventually will but you can avoid traffic that occurs frequently when 95 merges into 495.

Honestly you are more likely to have a difficult time getting in and out of FedEx than you will getting to DC. The stadium is terrible, but the only thing worse are the roads outside. Good luck.
 
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MooneyHall07 said:
I lived in DC for over a decade and frequently traveled to and from Central NJ. You will be fine taking 195 to turnpike/95 southbound to Delaware. Going down your best chances at traffic are going to be Delaware just after the bridge and toll plaza, and the immediate area in and around DC and PG county. Check your GPS when you get to Baltimore but You can take 295 Baltimore-DC parkway when you get to Baltimore. It will take you to the beltway (which is 95/495) the same way that 95 eventually will but you can avoid traffic that occurs frequently when 95 merges into 495.

Honestly you are more likely to have a difficult time getting in and out of FedEx than you will getting to DC. The stadium is terrible, but the only thing worse are the roads outside. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Gotcha
Do you think leaving at 9 from Freehold would be too early, as the parking lots don't open until 2pm?
Or leaving at 10 would be the better move?
 
jaydogsmooth1 said:
Gotcha
Do you think leaving at 9 from Freehold would be too early, as the parking lots don't open until 2pm?
Or leaving at 10 would be the better move?
Click to expand...
Leave at 9:30….there is no set lot for AO pregame lot but I am in lot E gold…the Sammers club is there also…
 
Take Amtrak from Trenton to Union Station or New Carrollton. Uber from NC is 10 minutes. Union Station is a little further but a lot of nice bars and restaurants if you want to pre game.
 
Left at 9:15

195-Turnpike-301-Bay bridge - backroads on the way down

95 pretty much the entire way back

Stadium is awful, parking a disaster and having it in that neighborhood w the rerouting of parking they did makes no sense

Wash desperately needs a new stadium and not there

Train is the way to go if no tailgating

Columbia had roughly 80 % of the fans, attendance looked about 60k

Columbia fans are intense - I’ll leave it at that

Would go back if World Cup games are there but much prefer Baltimore, Philly, met life or Boston
 
JayDogSmooth said:
It was very scenic!

Also, I assume Waze sent this that way to avoid the whole Baltimore 95/495/695/missing bridge situation?
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My kids, now just one, go to school in DC. The bridge was never really a factor in my visits.

I think they said they had maybe only gone over it once for an away hockey game or club lacrosse.

My guess was just the volume on 95. But Waze sometimes says their way is better even if it’s just a minute difference.
 
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can't comment much about DC but if you are looking for a good place to eat there, check out The Red Hen https://theredhendc.com/about/ (make sure you go to the correct one though, there was another unrelated restaurant in MD that has a similar name)

Chef and owner is Mike Friedman from Westfield NJ
 
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