Travel and Parking Overview

This page provides information on how to get to Katsucon 14. For information about the convention hotel, and the overflow hotel(s), please see the Katsucon 14 Hotel page. There are many ways to get to Katsucon 14. By far the best option is to take the Metro - parking is scarce and expensive, so check out Getting to Katsucon 14 by Metro for information on saving yourself alot of hassle and expense. If you are bringing alot of gear to Katsucon 14, this section also provides an alternative strategy for using Metro to avoid the hassle and expense of downtown parking while still getting your gear to the hotl. If you still want to drive to the convention and park downtown, you will want to read over the information in Getting to Katsucon 14 by Car for the skinny on how to get to the hotel and where to find parking. Finally, if you are coming in from out of town and don't want to drive, you will want to check out the information about Airports and Trains.

Return to Top of Page

Getting to Katsucon 14 by Metro

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR METRO USERS. During the weekend of Katsucon 14, there will be some major construction work being done by Metro operators along the Red, Orange, and Blue lines. If you are planning to ride the Metro to or from Katsucon anytime between 10p.m. Friday night, February 15th and the end of the day Monday, February 18th, you should add an extra 30 minutes to your estimated travel time. If you are arriving at the convention on Thursday or anytime Friday morning or afternoon, your arrival time should not be affected.

The Metro is the public transportation subway in the Washington, D.C. area. Katsucon highly, strongly, really recommends using Metro to get to the convention, as we are a short block away from a Metro stop.

The Omni Shoreham Hotel is located next to the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan station on Metro's Red Line. Take a quick look at a map of the station location and you can see that the hotel is just a short walk down 24th Street to the corner.

Parking is available at many Metro stations, and it is free on weekends and holidays. If you are coming to the convention on Thursday or Friday, and plan to leave on Sunday or Monday, you will not have to pay to park at a Metro stop. Many Metro stops have designated long-term parking spots, but as "local yokels," we have not had any problems with parking in the lots for a few days, even if the long-term spaces are full. Katsucon takes place over a federal holiday weekend, so the lots will not be very full over the weekend, and Metro generally does not check their lots that closely. The WMATA (Washinton Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) website provides directions to the end-of-the-line Metro stops which are probably best for out-of-town travelers; the website also has tips on parking in Metro lots. While this page does mention needing a SmarTrip card to pay for parking at all Metro lots, if you depart the lot over the weekend (Saturday, Sunday, or Monday), you will not pay for parking, therefore will not need a SmarTrip card.

For folks who take a lot of stuff to the convention, you can also drive to the hotel, drop off your gear, then drive to the closest Metro stop with a parking lot, park there, and then Metro back to the hotel. The closest stop to the convention with a parking lot is Grosvenor-Strathmore. We ran Mapquest directions to this station, from the hotel - the station is only 7 miles north of the hotel, and the ride back to the hotel will only take 16 minutes.

Return to Top of Page

Getting to Katsucon 14 by Car

PLEASE READ - IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT (THE LACK OF) PARKING

Did we mention that Katsucon highly, strongly, really recommends using Metro to get to the convention? This is not being said lightly or in jest - parking is extremely limited (and expensive) at and around the Omni Shoreham, and you will save yourself a great deal of pain and suffering if you plan now to use the Metro. However, if you really have to drive to the hotel and park downtown, here are your options:

For directions to the Omni Shoreham, we recommend using Mapquest, Google Maps or similar online mapping service. The address to use for the Omni Shoreham is 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC 20008.

Return to Top of Page

Parking at the National Zoo

UPDATE: Reservations for National Zoo parking have closed.

Katsucon has reserved an extremely limited number of parking spaces at the nearby National Zoo for Katsucon attendees. The Zoo lot is a 15-minute walk from the Omni Shoreham hotel, but it is a much less expensive alternative to the hotel's own parking. Parking in this lot requires a reservation, and all requests must be received by Monday, February 11, 2008 or before all spaces are filled, whichever happens first.

Parking for Katsucon attendees will be available at the National Zoo from Thursday through Monday, though you don't need to park for all of those days. The parking fee is $12 a day, less than half that of the Omni Shoreham. Here's how to count the days:

You can pay in cash or credit card (VISA/MC/AMEX/Discover) and pick up your parking pass and directions to the National Zoo lot when you arrive at the convention. If you arrive on Thursday, please go to Katsucon Operations to pay and get your pass. If you arrive on Friday or later, please stop by the Info Booth in the Omni Shoreham lobby to pay and get your pass. Once you have your parking pass, you will be able to park in the National Zoo lot for the days listed on your pass. Your pass also gives you in-and-out privileges for the days listed on your pass, but please note that vehicles may only enter and exit the lot between the hours of 6am and midnight.

UPDATE: Reservations for National Zoo parking have closed.

If you have any questions about the National Zoo parking, please ask them in this topic on the Katsucon forums. Remember, all National Zoo reservation requests must be received by Monday, February 11, 2008, but the number of spaces is extremely limited and may fill completely at any time.

Return to Top of Page

Airplanes and Trains

If you are coming in from way out of town, and aren't planning on driving, here are some useful links for airports and train systems serving the Washington, D.C. area:

Return to Top of Page