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Hey Guys,

I'll be visiting Washington for a few days to be exact in Maryland. Just wondering whats the attraction out there... whats the best place to eat and shop. I am thinking of buying some good shoes for myself and my little girl who is about 15 months. I need something in Maryland in particular. Is there a good shoes warehouse like the best deals to get Nikes, addidas???

Thanks,

I grew up in Prince George's County. If you feel like you aren't safe there, trust your instincts. Better safe than sorry, Moon Walk.

Moon Walk wrote:Hey Guys,

I'll be visiting Washington for a few days to be exact in Maryland. Just wondering whats the attraction out there... whats the best place to eat and shop. I am thinking of buying some good shoes for myself and my little girl who is about 15 months. I need something in Maryland in particular. Is there a good shoes warehouse like the best deals to get Nikes, addidas???

Thanks,

Where in Maryland?

Greenbelt

By car or by Metro, Greenbelt's near College Park/University of Maryland (huge university), with restaurants, nightlife and shopping more in tune with college aged public. You're also not too far from downtown DC, so you might as well just get on the Red Line at the Greenbelt Metro Station and come on into town. If it interests you at all, the federally owned museums in DC (all the Smithsonians, National Gallary of Art, etc) have free admission.

Downtown DC during the day and evening is pretty safe. As far as I know, so is College Park, but I'll second CCJ's caution about trusting your instincts wherever you are. Sorry, I can't help you with where the good shoe warehouses are.

PS: If you do drive, remember, the quality of driving around DC isn't quite up to Toronto standards.

Please stay out of PG County the most South Eastern part of D.C. Hang out in Northern VA may cost you more but you will not regret it. Greenbelt an Montgomery Co. North of D.C. are good options too. Just be willing to spend good money.

Thanks for all the replies and warnings. Its great to talk to you guys.... I was doing some research... please give me your opinion on this store:
Sports Zone Elite Beltway Plaza
6000 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20770, United States
+1 301-474-9010

How is the store above. Is it expensive or there is a good sale in that store. The only reason I want to shop in US is that it is cheaper and I dont have to pay much taxes.

Moon Walk wrote:Thanks for all the replies and warnings. Its great to talk to you guys.... I was doing some research... please give me your opinion on this store:
Sports Zone Elite Beltway Plaza
6000 Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20770, United States
+1 301-474-9010

How is the store above. Is it expensive or there is a good sale in that store. The only reason I want to shop in US is that it is cheaper and I dont have to pay much taxes.

That place is okay with pricing. Beltway Plaza has some chain stores which are pretty standard.

You could try going to National Harbour, Maryland. They have some outlet stores down there. Just take the Beltway around to the Wilson Bridge.

Beltway plaza is GHETTO.
I have not been there for a long time.
Be careful. Go to PG Plaza instead.

Moon Walk wrote:Greenbelt

There's a little sandwich/sub shop in downtown Old Greenbelt called Generous Joe's. They make really good meatball subs.

I'd avoid Beltway Plaza. If you want to find a nice place to eat, go out towards College Park, or up 95 towards Laurel. Laurel isn't exactly the center of modern culture or anything, but there's a nice Italian restaurant in Laurel called Pasta Plus. It's in a strip mall and you won't even notice it on the outside, but they have great food.

For attractions, you really want to go to DC. There's a ton of great museums, and most are free. The zoo is excellent too.

montestewart wrote:By car or by Metro, Greenbelt's near College Park/University of Maryland (huge university), with restaurants, nightlife and shopping more in tune with college aged public. You're also not too far from downtown DC, so you might as well just get on the Red Line at the Greenbelt Metro Station and come on into town. If it interests you at all, the federally owned museums in DC (all the Smithsonians, National Gallary of Art, etc) have free admission.

Downtown DC during the day and evening is pretty safe. As far as I know, so is College Park, but I'll second CCJ's caution about trusting your instincts wherever you are. Sorry, I can't help you with where the good shoe warehouses are.

PS: If you do drive, remember, the quality of driving around DC isn't quite up to Toronto standards.

College Park has a bit of those things. However in comparison to other large universities towns, CP could possibly have the least to offer for a university town. So expectations should be tempered. At least DC is only about 20-30 minutes down the street.

As the other folks mentioned, please stay out of Southeast D.C. Greenbelt is an okay area as you are near College Park. As far as shopping goes, if you want some decent deals I'd suggest the Tanger Outlets which is near the National Harbor and or Arundel Mills. Of course, you'd need a car to get to them so it may be best to Rent a vehicle. If you prefer to stay in the D.C. corridor and will not have access to a car, then you also have a few options for shopping. You can take the newly opened silver line metro over to Tysons Corner which is located in Vienna. Also, there is Pentagon City Mall in Arlington (blue and yellow lines) but it is not as nice as Tysons Corner. I am not sure what kind of foods you are into but the DMV has a lot to offer, google is your best friend. If you do by chance have a car available and enjoy Seafood, then you definately have to hit up Baltimore for some crab cakes!

Anyhow, just hit up the boards you need any more information or tips as I'm pretty sure the others may have more insight. By the way, I miss Toronto it's my favorite city in the world! Loved riding the TTC whenever I visited my girl (now my wife) in Toronto and strolling the busy downtown corridor near Lakeshore/Yonge streets. However, I don't miss the negative -20 c temps in the Winter and the high sales tax with GST/HST!

evolushunize wrote:As the other folks mentioned, please stay out of Southeast D.C.

Most of South East is bad, but around the Nationals stadium is actually pretty nice. Especially Navy Yard. There is a brand new brewery there and a few other restaurants. If you are new to the area, you probably shouldn't go to play it safe. Personally, I would rather go there than hang at College Park or anywhere in the surrounding areas.

At night, if you want to go out, have drinks, eat at cool places, or even hit a bar/club, you can't go wrong with the U St./14th St. area. It can get a little crowded on weekend nights at times. That area is probably your best bet for just about anything that you can do at night.