I have to admit that Union Station in D.C. is really the main train station I know well. I've spent…read morequite a bit of time at Denver Union Station, but never actually to catch a train, and the other major station I can compare it to is Penn Station in New York City. Obviously, Penn Station handles a completely different volume of people, so it's not exactly a fair comparison, but every time I travel through Union Station I'm impressed by how easy it is. First, there is SO much room. Even when it's busy, I rarely feel like I'm fighting for space. It's consistently clean, it's easy to navigate, and the communication around where trains are and where you need to go is clear. I also love that they actually use all that space. There are sometimes little markets in the huge open area toward the front, and there's also a room off to the side that doesn't have a restaurant or anything in it, but people seem to use it as a quieter place to sit. It's just more space, which is something I really appreciate in a train station. The food options are also surprisingly good in terms of variety. You can have a sit-down meal upstairs, grab something reasonably priced and fast-casual on the main level, or head downstairs for the cheaper fast-food options. There's even a post office, which is incredibly convenient if you need to get an errand done before leaving town or while you're passing through. Overall, I'm always impressed by Union Station. It's spacious, clean, efficient, easy to understand, and has enough food and other amenities that you can actually spend some time there comfortably before your train. As someone who really appreciates not feeling crammed into a train station, the amount of space might be my favorite part.

I'm updating my review since Union Station has been making an effort to make some changes. But, I'm…read morenot giving up other malls or restaurants. I had a good time visiting lots of stores during the day. I always use a cross body bag whenever I'm downtown. When I use the red line at night, I take Chinatown's metro stop. The streets are well lit and I have less unsavory characters to deal with. The police have a presence at Capital One Arena and the convention center. There are new businesses on the Mezzanine level that are interesting. A case study is whether Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Bites will stay. A pop art installation has replaced Ann Taylor on the mezzanine level. The space that housed Victoria's Secret is still empty (rip). My Swatch store (rip) is where Amtrak passengers wait for trains. H&M is now on the lower level (where Borders Books was located). Walgreens is hanging in there too. Chipotle is always a favorite (but the 4th St location is closer). The main hall is a beautiful event space. All that marble floor used to have benches where DMV residents & visitors could sit and visit. It is one of the reasons I don't hang out inside that gorgeous building as often. Most of the seating is gone. The Amtrak gates are just gates. All of the seating was removed after homeless people caused injury to Amtrak employees. Union Station is beautiful. We used to visit more often. I loved trying items in the food court. The vendors change over more frequently. Wendy's is gone. Taco Bell is hanging in there. Raising Cane's is there (as of 9/26). We attended the grand opening of Halal Guys. I'm happy they are still in business. The "suggested rule" for dining in the food court area is staying for 30 minutes. I have never been asked to leave when visiting with friends but we're usually in Chinatown where places are open after 8pm. The food court shuts down promptly at 8pm. If you are lingering after that time, all the other tables and chairs have been stacked and moved. Wok a Holic was a disappointment but meat eaters can find a dish (just don't order fried rice). Unos was a big loss (rip). We loved having pizza or pasta and two floors of places to dine. The main purpose for visiting Union Station is taking Metro, Amtrak, a bus or the Marc Train. The loss of the Circulator buses is another reason I don't visit frequently. Enterprise Car Rental has taken over dozens of spaces in the parking garage. The expansion project fell apart & was halted. The Postal Museum is across the street and worth a visit. If you park in Union Station you can still get a few dollars off of your parking by validating your ticket at the bus entrance level.

Amtrak is a pleasant way to travel. We waited in their lounge. Announcements for departing trains…read moreare made in the lounge as well as outside. The gates are clearly marked. Make certain you are in the correct line because the destination is not listed by the gate or at least we didn't see any indication of destination. It as a scenic comfortable ride. Our only mistake is we chose seats that faced the opposite direction of the train's route. The train is clean. Staff come around a few times to collect trash. There are bins above the seats for luggage. Restrooms were clean and well maintained. Each stop is announced clearly. A departing passenger has approximately 3-4 minutes to depart the train. There is a snack bar located in one of the cars.

1 Star - Beautiful Station, Absolutely Terrible Customer Service!…read more Washington, D.C.'s Union Station itself is a beautiful facility with a lot to offer. Unfortunately, the customer service from both Amtrak and VRE personnel leaves a whole lot to be desired! Amtrak's customer service was terrible, but VRE was even worse! The woman responsible for directing passengers to the proper gate was downright rude, unprofessional, and unnecessarily yelling at people. There is absolutely no excuse for treating paying passengers that way, especially when they're simply trying to figure out where they need to go. Traveling can already be stressful enough without having to deal with employees who act as though helping passengers is an inconvenience. Customer service should involve patience, professionalism, and basic respect. Apparently, those qualities were missing during my experience. Union Station deserves 5 stars for the facility, but Amtrak and VRE customer service deserve ZERO stars! Management at both Amtrak and VRE seriously needs to address how their employees interact with the traveling public. Passengers are customers, not nuisances, and nobody deserves to be yelled at for simply asking for directions. A beautiful train station means very little when the people representing the transportation services make the experience so unpleasant. DO BETTER, AMTRAK AND VRE!

The station itself is nice and easy to navigate. However, the train I was on had to wait 45 minutes…read morefor a platform. If you know the train schedule, how can it possibly take so long to get a platform so we can all get off the train?

Beautiful station! This is a major hub for transporting visitors. Union Station is one of the…read morefirst stations used as a Railyard terminal. Trains run on the main floor. There are also many shops on this floor. A large food court is found on the floor below.

This place gets a FIVE star because it is one-of-a-kind. I'm not even into model trains but I…read morefound this place so interesting. You can tell the proprietor has been in the business for a LONG time (the old man is older than dirt) and his shop seems to be a hobby more than an occupation. The store is more like a museum than a store...they have so many antique model trains and if you want supplies, they have 'em! I believe he also used to own the gun store that used to be downstairs (Engage Armament) but the gun store moved to Gude Dr. If you are not into model trains but have some free time to burn, I suggest you check out this place...its a great diversion worth 15-30 (maybe even 45-60 if you are a museum go-er) minutes at a minimum. HOWEVER, if you ARE into hobby model trains, then you will be a kid in a candy store.

The Smithsonian Metro Station is well used. The stop is for those wanting to visit the famed…read moreSmithsonian museums. While you can see the museums from the station, it is a walk. Wear your walking shoes and check the weather before leaving. The Metro is clean, fast and easy.

The Smithsonian Metro station in Washington, D.C., is my go-to gateway to the National Mall, and…read morelet me tell you my first ride on the D.C. Metro was an absolute riot! I hopped on expecting a chill, leisurely cruise like some other cities' subways, but nope this thing hauled ass right out of the gate. It accelerated like it was late for a very important date, screeching around corners, jerking side to side like a caffeinated New York train on steroids. The cars were swaying wildly, I was gripping the pole for dear life, laughing out loud thinking, "Subway gone wild! This is a thrill ride disguised as public transit!" It was hilarious and exhilarating definitely not your grandma's slow commuter train. (They've probably smoothed things out a bit with more automation these days, but that memory still cracks me up.) If you're visiting D.C. in the winter months when it's freezing out, ducking into the Metro (especially at Smithsonian) is a lifesaver warm, quick, and drops you right in the heart of everything. Parking downtown is a nightmare and wallet-killer, so snag a cheaper hotel farther out, jump on the train, and zoom in without the hassle. It's a smart, affordable way to get around, and if you're a train nerd like me, that wild ride might just become the story you tell for the rest of your life. Highly recommend 5 stars for the nostalgia alone!

I've recently stumbled across Whistle Stop Hobbies and cannot recommend it enough, from the…read morefriendly staff, to the variety of tamiya paints and model kits. Planes, ships, cars, and more... they really have it all here. A hidden gem for the hobby

Cool little Hobby and toy store in a strip mall in Alexandria. Lots of models, puzzles,…read morefigures/figurines, model paints., and more! The person running the story was friendly and greeted me and asked if they could assist me in finding anything. #WhistleStopToyAndHobbies

One of the largest Metro stations in D.C., read the signs or ask a staff member for help if it's…read morehard to navigate. There are several levels so the details of the signs matter. There's subtle and not-so-subtle public art throughout.

I've been to many Metro stations, but this one doesn't make me feel the safest at times. I happen…read moreto pass through on a Sunday morning. It was OK. I had my two children with me and I really made sure they stayed close by. The station is me of the dirtiest ones we have been in. I always have that expectation but, this was a little more than normal. While there there was at least 3 people jumping the bars to avoid paying. Again, another expectation sadly but, ugh. Just one of those stations you need to be extra cautious.

I'm not sure how I only just heard about this place, butI made it out as soon as I could... which…read morewas a bit delayed because they are only open on Saturdays! I would be back all the time... except at $44 a family of 4, it's not exactly a cheap outing. But it is worth it. The first part of it is the facade rebuilt on the front of a warehouse to make the place look like a firehouse. They also parked a gigantic firefighting boat out front - so it's pretty easy to know you're in the right place. Entering in, you're greeted by a sea of old firetrucks. The classic 60s styles, to one built out of a converted Model T, to horse drawn pumps from the 1800s. This place is so much bigger than I expected. At the very back is a great display dedicated to fire alarms. You can even pull one (its well labeled) and it lights up a light on an antique board that used to tell firemen where the fire was. To the right is the kids room. One wall is just cubbies with kid sized fire coats, fire boots and fire fighter hats. Tons of emergency response related toys are all over the place and a wooden fire truck. Then you realize there is an actual firetruck taking up one entire wall. You can climb on it, front and back, ring the bell, and even turn the front wheels with the steering wheel. If you have a kid... or just are one at heart.. you really do need to check this place out. If I lived in the area, we would be annual members.

Very nice little but packed museum in Lutherville! I loved learning about the history of fire…read morerescue and all the tools, gadgets and trucks they used to use. The museum also gave insight into how the fire men used to live at the stations. Very interesting stuff. They also give you a free poster! Recommend!

What can I say..it is the metro!…read more As is the case with most of the metro stations, the ceilings and train platforms are just picturesque, maybe good for photo ops. This is one of the few underground stations, so it is naturally dark and not well lit. I've been through this station a few times for years. The signage makes it very easy to navigate through this station. This is a transfer station between Silver/green/orange/blue/yellow lines. There are clear signs indicating which trains are on which platform, however, it can be easy to get lost. For a Saturday, the station was fairly busy. There is a very long escalator going up and down...even though I prefer the stairs option.

L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station can be found off the blue and green lines. This station is a little…read morefurther walk from the Smithsonian Museums. However if you're hungry, go upstairs to their food court. On the weekends, the food court tends to open a bit later. During the week, it is a bustling place.

Ok, I'm finally getting around to reviewing Metro stations. This is a deep station like many on…read morethis end of the Red Line. The platforms are pretty run of the mill Metro platforms. Normally it's pretty clean. Once you take the long-ish escalator ride up away from the tracks, you end up in a covered area where the buses are. This area has a tiny Dunkin Donuts if you need a snack or coffee. As you head to the next set of escalators, there is a water feature (not quite a waterfall) that comes down into the station area from the surface. Nice to have a natural sounds in a very urban area. Once you get up onto the surface, you're at the corner of Old Georgetown Rd and Wisconsin Ave near several hotels and a Starbucks (in case Dunks wasn't your cup of tea). Pretty central to a of businesses and restaurants. All in all, this station is convenient and central to downtown Bethesda.

Overall 3.5 Stars The Metro is a convenient way to visit DC…read morefrom Bethesda. It takes about 17 minutes from the station to arrive to the main station in DC. From there, you are located near the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums, White House, Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln monuments. Also, near the WW II and the Vietnam Wall memorials. The station is equipped for ADA via elevator near the main entrance and has ramps to the platforms. The elevator may have enough room for 4-5 people or 1 ADA Wheel or electric chair and two others. The trains are nice and clean. Not like other stations in other cities. Price is comparable to other cities dreaming from $2.50 -$6.75 depending the time and stop you are heading too. Use your phone, CC, or Smartcard you can purchase from the Metro. Also, you can plan your trip, purchase and schedules from their website @ https://wmata.com I highly recommend to use the site. Epic escalators! They are about 100' -150' deep before you get to the kiosk stations. Have a fun trip!