Your Guide to Washington, D.C.

We are so excited to welcome you to the 20th Annual Family Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. While you are here, we want to make your stay as easy and enjoyable as possible. In this packet, you will find food options, tourism information, transportation tips, and other helpful insights to make the most of your time in our nation’s capital.

Accommodations, food, and activities are at the Westin D.C. Downtown at 999 9th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. All relevant areas and rooms will feature Family Advocacy Day signage. We also will provide a detailed schedule leading up to Family Advocacy Day with meal times, activities, and more. Please note—there is another Westin in the vicinity.

D.C. weather tends to be hot and humid in June. Consider dressing in light and comfortable fabrics. Comfortable shoes are strongly recommended. Meeting with Members of Congress will call for a more professional dress code; however, your time with CHA at the hotel and exploring the city will be casual.

If you have questions or need assistance, please text or email Paige Mihalik at (727) 631-8740 or paige.mihalik@ childrenshospitals.org. All on-site staff will be in pink shirts!

• Car or booster seat, if necessary
• Professional and casual clothes for the family
• Medications, if necessary
• Comfortable walking shoes

If you need an elevator in the event of an emergency, please notify the front desk when you check in. This will ensure your room shows in the staff’s emergency report.

In the event of an emergency alarm:

• If in a guest room: Stay put until someone from the hotel comes to the door. Hotel staff receives a daily report that lists out who needs elevator access. The emergency team will go to those rooms individually and bring individuals in need to an elevator.
• If in the meeting space: Go into the pre-function space (hallway) to be seen/identified quickly. Hotel staff has override keys for the elevator.

As a reminder, a fire alarm doesn’t always mean there’s a fire—it could be a sprinkler malfunction, overheating equipment, or similar issue. The hotel’s emergency team first checks the alarm site to confirm the situation before evacuating guests, starting near the activation point and expanding outward.

Family Advocacy Day check-in tables will be outside the Rock Creek Ballroom on the Ballroom Level at the Westin D.C. Downtown and open during the following times:

• Wednesday, June 11th from 2:00 PM to 8:30 PM
• Thursday, June 12th from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Getting to D.C.

Washington, D.C. has three airports in the surrounding area—Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI. Below, please find information about each.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, Reagan, or National)

• 5 miles from the hotel
• Recommended transportation: Taxi, Uber, or Lyft
• The D.C. Metro is available for $3 to get into downtown D.C.
  • Take the Yellow line to the Gallery Pl-Chinatown Stop. (approx. 20 minutes)
• Accessibility information can be found here.  

Dulles International Airport (IAD or Dulles)

• 28 miles from the hotel
• Recommended transportation: Taxi, Uber, or Lyft
• The D.C. Metro is available for $6 to get into downtown D.C.
  • Take the Silver line to the Metro Center Stop. (approx. 1 hour)
• Accessibility information can be found here 

To reserve a wheelchair-accessible taxi at IAD or DCA, call one of the following companies ahead of your arrival:

• Royal Taxi: 202-398-0500
• Yellow Paratransit: 202-544-1213

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI or Baltimore Airport)

• 34 miles from the hotel
• Recommended transportation: Taxi, Uber, or Lyft
• Accessibility information can be found here. 

To reserve a wheelchair-accessible taxi at BWI, call the following company before your arrival:

• BWI Airport Taxi: 410-859-1100

Getting around D.C.

For families needing ADA-accessible vehicles, we will have taxis available to transport you between the hotel and various Capitol Hill office buildings each day.

The Washington Metro is available for your use.

• If you use the Metro, you will need a reloadable metro card. Metro cards can be purchased at the station OR through the SmarTrip app and can easily be added to your phone’s wallet.
• The closest Metro station to the hotel is Gallery Place, which services the Green, Yellow, and Red lines, or Mt. Vernon Square, which services the Green and Yellow lines.
• There are many metro stations near Capitol Hill. Capitol South services the Blue, Silver, and Orange lines, and Union Station services the Red line. Both lines require walking a few blocks to the U.S. Capitol.

Nearby Westin D.C. Downtown Pharmacies & Urgent Care

CVS Pharmacy

• 675 K St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
• +1(202)-682-0170
• Pharmacy hours: 8:00AM – 6:00PM

Walgreens Pharmacy

• 801 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
• +1(202)-789-5345
• Pharmacy hours: 10:00AM – 6:00PM

Metro Health

• Click here to book online
• 1012 14th St NW, Unit 700, Washington, D.C. 20005
• +1(202) 638-0750

• Hours:
• Wednesday 9:30AM – 7:00PM
• Thursday 8:30AM – 5:00PM
• Friday 9:30AM – 5:00PM

AllCare Primary & Immediate Care

• Click here to book online
• 1710 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
• +1(202) 787-1979
• Hours: 8:00AM – 8:00PM

GW Immediate and Primary Care

• 1101 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
• +1(202)-798-0100
• Hours: 7:00AM – 7:00PM

Other Area Hospitals & Care Centers

George Washington University Hospital (1900 23rd St NW, Washington, D.C. 20037)

Children’s National Hospital (111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20010)

PM Pediatric Urgent Care (USA Building, 3100 14th St NW, Irving St NW Entrance Suite 125 Washington, D.C. 20010)

In case of an emergency, please call 911

Shopping

Forget something at home? Here are some stores near the hotel:

• TJ Maxx (601 13th St NW)
• Macy’s (1201 G St NW)
• Nordstrom Rack (555 12th St NW, Ste C 120)
• Target (1515 New York Ave NE)
• Sephora (1000 F St NW)
• CityCenterDC (825 10th St NW)

Food and Beverage

Team CHA will provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks at the hotel and on Capitol Hill. However, here are additional eateries near the Westin D.C. Downtown.

• Starbucks (999 9th St NW)
• Chick Fil A (707 G St NW)
• Smashburger (804 Seventh St NW)
• Potbelly Sandwich Shop (1050 K St NW)
• Sol Mexican Grill (655 K St NW)
• The Smith (901 F St NW)
• Sfoglina (1099 New York Ave NW)
• Tatte Bakery & Cafe (1090 I St NW)
• City Tap House Penn Quarter (901 9th St NW)
• Yard House (812 7th St NW)
• Founding Farmers and Distillers (600 Massachusetts Ave NW)

Hospitality Room

On the Hill Day, Thursday, June 12th, we will have two rooms available in the Rayburn House Office Building for downtime, including activities, lunch, and snacks. The room numbers are 2044 and 2045, and Rayburn’s address is 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C. 20515. Rooms 2044 and 2045 are located in the basement of Rayburn. We will have clear signage in the building.

If you need help finding anything, please ask Team CHA staff in Pink Shirts or Capitol Police. A map of the Capitol grounds is available online also, and below are resources to help guide your visit.

Food and Beverage

We will provide refreshments and snacks in Rayburn House Office Building Rooms 2044 and 2045. Additionally, cafeterias and food courts can be found in the basement of the Rayburn and Longworth House Office Buildings, the Dirksen Senate Office Building, and the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

Checking Out a Wheelchair on Capitol Hill

Visitors can borrow wheelchairs at the Capitol Visitor Center’s North Coat Check (First St SE, Washington, D.C. 20515). If you choose to borrow a wheelchair, you must present a valid, government-issued ID. Passports are not accepted. Wheelchairs must be returned by 4 p.m. and may be only used in the Capitol and Capitol Visitor Center.

For information about wheelchair accessible entrances to the Capitol, House, and Senate buildings, visit this link.

Capitol Hill Medical Services

Should the need arise for minor medical attention, there are services available on Capitol Hill:

• Cannon House Office Building – Room 110 – +1(202) 225-3470
• Longworth House Office Building – Room 1204 – +1(202) 225-2500
• Rayburn House Office Building – Room B344 – +1(202) 225-7131
• Capitol Visitor Center – Room HVC-100 – +1(202) 225-5442
• U.S. Capitol Building – Room H166 – +1(202) 225-5421

If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately.

CVS Pharmacy

• 645 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
• +1(202) 544-1878
• Pharmacy hours: 9:00AM – 1:30PM and 2:00PM – 8:00PM

CVS Pharmacy

• 661 Pennsylvania Ave SE Washington, D.C. 20003
• + 1(202) 543-3305
• Pharmacy hours: 9:00AM – 1:30PM and 2:00PM – 8:00PM

Kaiser Permanente Advanced Urgent Care

• 700 2nd St NE Washington, D.C. 20002
• +1(202)-346-3950
• Hours: 24/7

MedStar Health Urgent Care

• Click here to book online
• 228 Seventh St SE Washington, D.C. 20003
• +1(833) 955-0320
• Hours: 7:00AM – 5:30PM

There are endless activities in Washington, D.C. Below you will find some of our most popular sites and attractions.

Nearby monuments & sites

(Free and no reservations required)

• The White House
• The Washington Monument
• The Lincoln Memorial
• The Jefferson Memorial
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• World War II Veterans Memorial

Museums

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Museum of African American History and Culture (Free)
• Air & Space Museum (Free, but reservations required)
• National Museum of American History Museum (Free)
• National Portrait Gallery (Free)
• National Children’s Museum (Paid tickets required)
• The International Spy Museum (Paid tickets required)
• Planet Word Museum (Paid tickets required)
• Smithsonian Zoo (Free, but reservations required)

Playgrounds

• Kennedy Recreation Center Playground (1401 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001)
• Franklin Park (1332 I St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005)
• Stanton Park (6th Street NE &, 226 4th St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002)
• Marion Park (E St SE & 6th St SE, 401-479 E St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003)
• Garfield Park (1-299 South Carolina Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20003)

Splash parks

• City Center Fountain (825 10th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001)
• Kennedy Recreation Center Splash Park (1401 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001)
• Stead Park Recreation Center (1625 P St NW, Washington, D.C. 20036)
• Eastern Market Metro Park (701 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20003)

D.C. Public Library

• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001)

• Northwest One Neighborhood Library (155 L St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001)

The People’s House

• The People’s House (1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20006). Reserve tickets ahead of time. A brand-new White House Experience, created by the White House Historical Association, it’s an educational museum that showcases its history, residents, and staff through interactive exhibits, replicas, and immersive galleries.

Additional resources

You can find a detailed schedule, a story-telling guide, and more resources on the Family Advocacy Day website under the “Resources” page.