Wondering how long the ride is, if the hotel shuttle was reasonably convenient (and how to arrange for it), safety, etc.
Thanks to all in advance for any info.

--Daniel

The Metro is clean and safe. I don't know much more about it in relationship to the hotel. Emailed you about possible ride share.

It appears that the hotel shuttle runs a circuit from the hotel to the Dunn Loring Metro station and will be there at 8:30. 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on weekends. You can download the schedule from Pencentral.com (the link says "New…Sheraton Flier with local restaurants and mall shuttle schedule"). I got shunted around and put on hold a lot when I called today, but you can call the Sheraton at 703/932-2674 to confirm that.

The hotel is quite a ways out there. I think you can enter Metro stations in the "trip planner" at wmata.com to get the approximate transit time from Union Station to Dunn Loring. You could also enter the hotel's address to get public transportation options from the West Falls Church Metro, but the hotel shuttle seems to the less complicated way to go. You would need to take the Metro from Union Station to Metro Center, and then switch to the Orange line going toward Vienna. Dunn Loring is the stop before the last one (Vienna).

The Metro is clean and safe and usually a pleasant ride (barring crowded rush hours and delays due to 100-degree-plus days). There can sometimes be weekend delays, because of the weekend track work and because of the summer crowds. Moatly because of any scheduled track work.

I myself am daunted by the length of the commute -- but I would have an additional hunk of time first to get to the Metro and then to travel to the Metro Center station.