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!

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.

WMATA has improved. No doubt about it. While I wish trains were more often on evenings/weekends,…read morecommunication has been improved upon. The new audio system and screens help. Also station managers are out of their cubicle mostly. This helps lost tourists, or commuters who forgot where they were. Also have found them professional. This station is under ground of course. The escalators and elevators regularly work. That wasn't always the case. The new gates are more efficient. There's a slight jump up in price, but we are living in strange times. This is a decent metro station, and helps you get to this section of the nations capital.

Capitol South Metro station is another station in the Capitol Hill area. It seems clean. The best…read morething about it is the location. A few blocks away are some big time attractions. You can find a few places to eat and shop. It serves the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. It's the first station after getting past the National Mall. The next station is L'Enfant Plaza. It has a ton of nearby tourist attractions. This is right between the Congressional office buildings, which is where most of the governmental action takes place. Close to this is the United States Botanic Garden. The Capitol Building is just past the office buildings from here. It overall is in a safe area. It's conveniently on Capitol Hill. There's always a lot of good security.

Bottom Line: This station is small and easy to navigate and close to the National Mall…read more In my mind it is easy to confuse the Federal Triangle Metro Station with the Federal Center SW Metro Center. Both are on the Orange/Blue/Silver lines and both have Federal in the name. Additionally, both have the quintessential metro station "features" like dim lighting, red hexagon tile floors, ugly cement acoustic ceilings and the smell of an electric train. That is where the similarities end. This metro station is about one block off of the National Mall underneath the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building which is the current home of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If the EPA doesn't float your boat, as far as touristy stuff goes, this station is very close to both the Smithsonian's American History Museum and Natural History Museum. The entrance for this station is on 12th St. between Pennsylvania Ave NW & Constitution Ave. NW.

First-time visitor to DC a few weeks ago. My first-ever metro ride was from the King Street station…read morein Alexandria to Federal Triangle. The ride was a breeze and the station was super clean. What was absolutely mind-blowing, though, was the architecture of the buildings right outside of the station exit, and along the couple-of-blocks walk to the White House. Oh my gosh, absolutely stunning. I swear I stood there, right outside the station, and took photos of the building with the clock tower for five or ten whole minutes like a weirdo. I was in such awe!! I'd never hesitate to come through this station in the future.

Good old green line only Metro stop. Seriously, I enjoy not having to transfer if I don't have to…read more But be prepared when you are using this particular station for gamedays. If you haven't had the joy, you need to partake. If you are en route to the ballpark area during a game, ready yourself to become part of the flow. The flow that is gravitating towards the ballpark. And not just the ballpark, since the soccer stadium is over this way as well. If you don't know where you are going...yes you do. Just let the flood of people take you. The whole vibe of this station is the same as other one-line stations in the area. One platform, one entrance/exit, one schedule to have to worry about. When it is not gameday, or it is after the gameday rush, you would not know this is the same place. When it's not a rush of people, it's a calm and quiet place.

This station might be, one of the systems most clean. Best guess is being close to Nats Park and…read moreexpensive housing, could be a reason for this. They have the newer more reliable gate readers. These new ones are an improvement. They still have the crummy brown ticket machines. These are antiques. Hopefully one day WMATA replaces them. Here the staff do a good job. They are really good with, large crowds before and after a game. Much kudos to them for running more trains. This used to not be the case. Definitely the best way to get in and catch a game. Also this station is close to restaurants, and some nice area parks.

Nice Metro Station. It gets quite busy and only one elevator. Wish they could add more elevators…read moreand train lines.

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.

Seriously, a beautiful station. Great architecture and art going into the underground. To some it…read moremay not be special but for me it just has a beauty that I enjoy. It was not busy when we visited. We were able to hop in and off with ease. There is a lot around for this station to include the National Mall and museums. I'm sure this station can get crowded. It is right by the Navy memorial. It was pretty clean... well as clean as you can get for a public transportation area.

Many ride the Metro to the Smithsonian Station to visit the National Mall, but the Archives stop is…read morea contender. Just one block from the National Mall, it's close to the Archives, Gallery of Art, and many other destinations in D.C.

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!

After completing my day out I wanted to get home. I had had enough of peopling for the day. Being…read morenear the wharf I made my way to the nearest Metro station which happened to be this. Getting here can be a nightmare if you come from the wrong direction...which I did. The amount of streets you have to cross to get here can be time consuming and maybe even a bit dangerous. Once I conquered the streets I was happy to see that this was the Green Line. No need to transfer to me, just find a seat and settle in for the ride. The station itself is like many of the other underground stations on the system. The concrete tube with the orange hexagon tile. Single platform serving both directions. Older screens to let you know of the next train coming. Easy enough to use station.

This Metro station is unremarkable. It usually gets quite busy when something is going on at The…read moreWharf on the weekends or whenever there are games at the nationals stadium or Audi field. People either come to this one or the Metro at Navy yard. The area next to the Metro used to be a hang out for the unhoused and kind of still is, but the presence has been reduced by the current National Guard occupation and the curfew for minors. I do like that this Metro is across the street from the southwest farmers market. So you don't have to walk far with your groceries if you're visiting the market if you're just trying to get back on the metro and go home.