Woohoo!
At last there are not just one but
two concerts near me!
. Even though these concerts are drivable, I'm probably going to opt to take the train. This far in advance the prices are very low, even less in some cases than the tolls I would be paying on the Interstate, and I'm not even factoring in fuel costs. So anyone living in the northeast corridor do take note of that! But even more importantly than that, both East Coast concerts are in downtown areas of large cities where driving and parking are going to be a major hassle unless you're willing to shell out big bucks for parking. So international travelers please be aware of that before falling for the temptation to rent a car! Even those who are driving into these cities from the local area, I do suggest you find somewhere to park, say at a train station, and then take the local train in.
With that said, here are some tips for anyone traveling to these cities. If anyone needs any other travel tips please let me know as I've been to each many times (particularly NYC). So while I'm not an expert, nor do I live in either city, I'm always happy to help fellow fans
Transportation in DC
Once you arrive in DC the best way to get around is to use the DC Metro. You'll need a
SmarTrip card which you can either purchase physically or, as per the link, you can install on your mobile device. You will have to set up an account if you use the mobile option. Please be aware that fares are calculated based on distance travelled so either purchase an unlimited pass or make sure that your balance is sufficient to cover any other trips you will be taking. The DC Metro will be able to get you around any sort of tourism plans you may have in the city.
For those within the US, you can buy the physical plastic card and have it mailed to you from the website; though I'm not sure if they will mail the card internationally. It also does not appear that they sell the physical cards at stations anymore; though I could be completely wrong about that. I've had mine for so long that I just don't remember anymore!
Further, Google Maps has a good understanding of the DC metro so you can use that to plan your trips without any real worry. There are several metro lines, each of them color-coded, with the Basilica not far from a Red Line metro station (Brookland-CUA)
Transportation from DC to New York
My suggestion for traveling between DC and New York City is to use
Amtrak. There are a variety of options and times between these two major cities (Washington Union Station to New York Penn Station – though the Amtrak website will display the New York station as “Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Sta”).
There are two main options on this route through Amtrak:
- Northeast Regional: 3.5 hours standard train journey.
- Acela: High-speed train, just under 3 hours train journey. No coach option for this train, all seats are business class.
Depending on what time of day you travel, and how far in advance you book, the difference in price could be negligible between the two options. In fact, the regular train might end up being more expensive!
. Amtrak has a very strange automated computer based system for determining rail fares so….yeah…
Driving between the two cities is also possible in maybe 4-6 hours (traffic can be highly variable as you go through some of the most populated cities on the US East Coast). But be aware that you will be charged a number of tolls along the way.
Transportation in New York
Like DC, Google Maps has a good understanding of the New York City subway. Though being a much larger city, there are quite a few subway lines (NYC uses numbers and letters to designate lines). The venue is located conveniently right off of a subway station for the 1 line (116 Street Station - Columbia University).
Unlike DC, the fares for the New York City subway are fixed at currently $2.75. So unless you exit a station and have to go back through a turnstile you can transfer between trains without any additional charge; nor is distance travelled taken into account for the fare. Better yet, the New York City subway accepts contactless credit cards, so you don't need to buy any special metro card or set up any kind of special mobile app. For international travelers, if you're worried that your contactless card may not work in the US, or you don't have one, you can set up a contactless payment through Google Wallet or Apple Pay. Though I believe you can still buy a magnetic MetroCard for $1 at a metro station and load a cash balance on that – though that system is being phased out.
Seems that it's $12k to sponsor a concert whose location is determined by Libera, rather than $12k in exchange for choosing the location.
