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Catch the metro. I believe that's the correct term for the public transportation from DC to NY. I would inquire about a transportation system. That way you would not have worry about getting lost or parking a vehicle, etc.

There is so much to do in DC, and so much to do in New York, I'd probably just stick with one. You'll be in the car too long. You could go to Jamestown or some of those areas in Virginia, but I'd probably stick close to DC.

If you must go, take the train. Parking will be hard, and driving in that crazy city is scary.

L.

Since I went before 9/11, things may have changed but when I went to DC, I contacted my congressman before we went. Sometimes, they can get you in to tours that you can't get in to just by going to the location. My congressman's office got us a behind the scenes tour of the FBI and I loved it. Very interesting! We also got in to the White House Tour.

Also, I bought the trolley tour ticket and got on to and off of it all day long for 1 price. While on the trolley, they gave great information as you passed sites and it takes you to places that you can get off...go inside...and go get back on the next trolley that is passing by. It went all over DC and I saw and learned so much in 1 day. The National Cemetary was something that I was glad I went to see also.

Take good walking shoes! Have fun.

definately contact you congressman before going to dc. we went last may and he was able to send us to places that only a pass from you congressman will allow you to go . we also did a guided tour from a pro. dc guide and he was good because he explained things at the memorials that you might not would get if you were by yourself. the fdr memorial is AWESOME !! it is on the other side of the river and is 4 rooms each reping his terms and very moving and i was w/ a small school group and the kids even understood ! and the korean memorial is AMAZING!! that war we don't talk much about but the memorial is great ! we also did a " haunted tour " in alexandia at dusk. it fun and quircky w/ guide in costume and historical. the haunted tour in williamsburg was creepy at pitch dark and as soon as we started to walk BAMB! rain from no where started falling ! don't try to do everything you will be overwhelmed and good walking shoes!oh ! the holocost is great there is an area for small kids " daniels room " not groesume they understand interactive somewhat and at the end kids can write notes to surviors and leave them posted and the messages will move you ! have fun ! - K.

We just visited NY a few weeks ago. I don't know what your family's interests are so it makes it hard to suggest what to do. We spent 6 days and feel like we could spend a month and still not see it all.

Parking is HIGH. Like $15 per 15 minutes. You might want to see if your hotel in the DC area has a day trip offer. I know a lot of the places we've stayed offered those choices.

NY is WONDERFUL. I was a little nervous (mine are 8 & 4), but the NY people were friendly, helpful and a pleasure to visit with.

We took a carriage ride around Central Park (beautiful; around $40). One of the best things we did was Top of the Rock (Rockefeller tower roof). You are right next to the Empire State building, can see the statue of Liberty from there. You can visit www.topoftherock.com to see it for yourself. We went about 5 p.m. to see it at dusk and then see the lights of NY, it was awesome.

We stayed in Newark, NJ and rode the train in every day to Ground Zero. They also have a museum about Ground Zero but we didn't take our kids.

Times Square is something worth seeing, and is also VERY crowded. It's a lot of fun. We also went to FAO Schwartz and my kids had a blast playing the piano on the floor (like in the movie BIG).

We did so much, if you'd like to email me direct, I'd be happy to talk to you more about it.

L.

My son lives in the DC area and when he wants to go to New York, he takes the train. No driving in the city and no parking charges.

Take the train from DC to NY. -i personally do not advise you to drive at all near NYC-completely different mentality of those drives there! It makes our traffic during rush hour here in dfw seem like a picnic.

If you take the train to nyc and want to get around when you get there-you can walk-sight see and take taxi's.

Have fun!

Don't bother driving, just take the train. It's easy, with gas prices, probably cheaper, and a great experience our your kids. It's been years since I did that, so I don't have specifics to pass along, but we were very happy we did it when we did.

I moved here from New Jersey, and have family in S. Carolina and New York, so I've traveled up and down the East Coast quite a bit. I strongly advise against trying to go from DC to New York for a day trip. Although the mapquest miles may seem reasonable, you will travel through several large cities to get to New York and traffic will slow you down considerably. Baltimore, Wilmington, and especially Philadelphia are all killers. Travel time in optimal conditions will be about 7 hours one way. If there is any way you can spend the night somewhere in NJ, closer to New York, you will get much more out of the trip. Amtrak also has an express train that can take you from DC to NYC in reasonable time, and you wouldn't have to drive (and could save your energy for the city itself.) FYI, NY is not a driver-friendly town. You will spend a lot of time in traffic in the city itself, and parking is outrageous. Look into buses and trains - most of the tourist places in Manhattan you can get to easily on a bus, walking, or via taxi. Comfy shoes are a MUST. If you explore your options and plan carefully you will have a blast.

It would be great if you could go into NYC. We just moved from CT a few months back and before we moved my children (6,9, & 10) loved to go into the city. Drivng in the city can be a little stressful, so you might want to park in NJ and take a train into the city. Since you are only there for one day just walking or riding around would be a great way to take it in. You might want to on one of the tour buses that will drive you around and point out all the sites. There is also a great boat ride that takes you out into the harbor around Manhatten and past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

FYI -- NY is expensive, so don't be shocked at prices. Just think of it as cost averaging with the admission price of museums in DC.

Have a great time whatever you decide!

Be sure and see the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Washington National Cemetary. The kids will get an important message and it will move you all to tears. Don't miss it.

We went to DC last summer with a lot of family. The only thing I regret is that we did not take a tour bus. We had an 80 year old grandmother and my 8 month old son. It would have made things so much easier and we would have been able to see so much more.

Both DC and NYC are great cities, and there's lots of fun stuff to do in both places with kids! However, like others have pointed out, driving from DC to NYC for the day is probably a terrible idea. I grew up in that part of the country, and crazy as it sounds to a Texan, a car is just not a good way to get around there. Plan on spending at least 8 hours in the car (4 each way), then paying literally a hundred dollars to park. Stick to train between them, and subway within. Also, why not split your trip between the two, instead of just going to NYC for the day? Spend a few days in one, then go to the other and spend a few days there. If you do decide to do the day trip, the train will get you in to Penn Station, at 32nd street. Try to plan activities that will keep you near midtown Manhattan (the Met, Central Park, etc) to allow you to see the most things without spending a lot of time in transport. You could even just walk from there to see 5th avenue, broadway, times square, and the empire state building. Have fun!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are talking about one of the most congested tracts of real estate in the US between Washington and NYC. Driving for a day trip to NYC would involve not much more than driving all day. Then when you get to the city, there's parking and navigating the streets and tolls galore.

Investigate Amtrak as a conveyance between DC and NYC and you'll get a better idea of a timeline. You'll also experience a whole lot less hassle if you use public transportation on the trip.

As a day trip, there are many other places that are more suitable and practical. You can go to Annapolis or Baltimore or even Philadelphia. If you're into Civil War history, Antietam and Gettysburg are to the north. Manassas is to the south.

If you like rural settings, try Pennsylvania Dutch country or visit Shenandoah National Park. Take a day to go to the beach in Delaware or NJ or Maryland.

Enjoy the DC area on your trip and save NYC for another vacation. You could spend the entire trip in DC just exploring the Smithsonian and never get to the Mint or the Capitol or the monuments or Arlington National Cemetery or the White House or Ford's Theatre or the Washington Zoo or Mount Vernon.

Do plan on staying somewhere on the Metroline. You'll save yourself a lot of time, gas, and hassle.

Hi Rosemary! I have family that live in Baltimore which is right outside of DC. We used to visit every summer, except the past 5 years. However, there is a light rail that only takes one hour to get to NY. My grandmother does this all of the time. Also take full advantage of the subways in DC and that way you won't have to worry about driving and spending all that gas money! The subway takes you to almost all of the sites. And I'm sure there is some kind of website for the lightrail. Hope this helps!

Well, the drive between D.C. to NJ is nightmarish (assuming you are taking Interstate 95). I use to live in NJ and one year my family went to Williamsburg, VA. We took the scenic route down, but decided to take the "express" way home which took us right by D.C. The traffic was awful, and it was a weekend. My suggestion is to take the scenic route vs. major highways. Also, you might consider Pennsylvania instead . . . the drive is shorter, and there are nice things to do in the Philadelphia area (zoo, etc.)

I grew up in North Carolina, so I've had the chance to visit both Washington, DC and NYC a few times. I agree with the others- there's SO MUCH TO DO in either of these places that I wouldn't try to include both in one trip. If you insist on doing so, absolutely take the train!!

In Washington DC, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was always one of my favorites as well as all the national monuments of course - Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Capital, White House, Washington Monument. The Holocaust Museum is something I went to in recent years and it is not to be missed in my opinion! Nearby is Georgetown which might well have some shops and entertainment of interest to your young adults in particular. Of course, the Kennedy Performing Arts Center and other cultural offerings abound in DC as well.

Driving in Washington DC is a major pain. Lots of one way streets; diplomatic motorcades; poorly laid-out city. Growing up, my family spent nearly two hours getting to a hotel we could SEE due to the way the streets were laid out!! I'd walk as much as possible and consider other means of travel as well.

Have a splendid trip!

I am not sure that I would drive to NYC. It is a long ways although driving through Virgina is a beautiful drive. There is a fast train from DC to NYC that only takes like two 1/2 hours. It is a beautiful ride and very relaxing. That way you can just go for the day and hang out if you want. My father used to take me every winter to christmas shop in NYC from Bethesda Maryland ( very close to DC). What a great summer trip for the family, we look forward to taking our children who are 4 and 7 sometime when they are a little bit older and can understand it a little more! You can also take the metro and come up right in the middle of the park in DC by all the museums and not have to find parking, just FYI. The public transportation is amazing there! Good luck and have fun!

You can take a train from DC into grand central in NYC. Quicker than driving and prob cheaper w/ gas prices. I wouldn't drive into New York City if you paid me. I would also highly recommend taking a train into Baltimore. Believe it or not the inner harbor is really cool in the summer. You can take water taxis where you want to go and it has the coolest Aquarium I have been to. And I travel alot and have been to many! You can also take those little boats you pedal into the harbor. Good shopping! Best crab cakes anywhere at a place called mama's on the half shell that you can take a water taxi to. 10 x's cheaper than NYC and more accessible. Only 30 miles from DC. I used to live there downtown and I loved it. There are some bad areas but DC is actually worse. Have fun! I am jealous!

As a cost-effective alternative, I would take the bus. It would take about 5 hours or so depending on traffic, but it is only about $20 each way out of DC. The bus leaves from the Chinatown area of DC or out of Rockville, MD (which is right outside of DC). Check out www.apexbus.com. I have family that used to live in NY and this is how they always came home to visit. I still wouldn't make the trip in one day, there is just too much to see and do. It's an excellent idea to spend the night in NJ.

Two years ago we went to NYC, we took the first train in and the last train out. Luckily we had family that was familiar with the area. We took a ferry ride around Manhattan which which was a great way to get a glimpse of everything. We walked through central park and went to one art museum. We were barely able to do these three things so maybe just try to pick one or two things that are most important for your family to see. There is so much to see but we had a good day. Hope your experience is everything you want it to be.