D.C. by trolley
Normally, I’m anti-organized tours when I’m traveling. I prefer to do things on my own. But I let Mom talk me into doing a sightseeing tour with Old Town Trolley Tours on our first full day in Washington, D.C. The cost is $35 a person and it allows passengers hop-on-and-off privileges for an entire day. The originating point, or stop #1, is Union Station, which is just three blocks from our hotel. There are nineteen stops altogether on two different trolley lines. The selling point for me was the stop near the National Zoo, since we decided that was going to be the first thing we’d see on our first full day. Just like organized tours, I am also anti-zoos; however, there are giant pandas at the National Zoo. I had never seen a real, live panda before (except on TV and in pictures) and figured this would be my only chance.
We rode the trolley for most of the day and got to see most of the major sights. Unlike other tour operations in DC, the trolley tours offer live narrations in each of their vehicles. All drivers are licensed tour guides and they are all incredibly knowledgeable. It was enjoyable listening to them rather than a recorded, piped-in narration. To get to the zoo, we had to switch over from the orange line to the green line, and then after our time at the zoo, ride the rest of the green line route to get back to the orange line and back to Union Station. The green line, I think, is awesome. It takes passengers past the less popular DC destinations, and of course it was those destinations I really wanted to see, like Georgetown and Embassy Row. Overall, the trolley tour was enjoyable. Yes, I am surprising myself by saying that. But with so much to see, it really is the only way to get a glimpse of everything – unless you’ve got an unlimited amount of days to spend in DC. I’m glad we did this tour on the first day because it gave Mom and me an idea of what we wanted to see the most, and those places we would return to at a later time. My only regret is that we didn’t get off the trolley in Georgetown and walk around the area. It is the oldest section of DC and I love the old buildings and rowhouses and all of the history there. I guess I’ll have to spend most of my time in Georgetown on my next trip to DC.
Posted by Francesca
Tags: Old Town Trolley Tours, Washington D.C.
