Questions: Travel

So my friends are planning a trip to DC. We live in Los Angeles and instead of flying there they wanted to take the Amtrak. I’ve never been to DC. My friend said she already booked me a flight and train ticket and it would be my Christmas gift from her. I would just need to bring spending money. I also think the train could be delayed/cancelled when we get to Chicago because it’s Chicago in January. Flights get cancelled in Chicago with snow. I also don’t know what to expect in DC weather wise. Our hotel is in foggy bottom? I would like to go to the museums but I don’t know what they have planned. They aren’t booking any tour bus things. They said we can walk or use the bird/Lyft scooters. Here’s the Amtrak schedule-

Monday December 30th
Flight from LAX-Reno 7:50am-12:55pm layover in Vegas
California Zephyr Amtrak departs 4:06pm
Tuesday
En route to Chicago all day
Wednesday -
Get into Chicago at 2:50pm
Get on Capitol limited train 6:40pm
Thursday-
Arrive in DC at 1:05pm

So we would have half a day Thursday, all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and half a day Tuesday. I’m not sure how much money I should bring? How much should I pack clothing wise?

Return trip:
Tuesday
train leaves DC at 4:05pm
Wednesday
Gets in Chicago at 8:45am and get on zephyr train at 11:47am
All day Thursday on train
Get into Reno at 8:36am Friday
Flight leaves Reno at 11:45am and gets back into lax at 1:20pm

***she also booked this without discussing it with me first, and I’m not even sure I can get all the days off of work to go.

Kapadokya

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I have a budget of spending $700 total of the two of us hotel plus flight/train to go somewhere in January. Friend was in DC in August for 8 days with her family and she went in May 2018 for 6 days. Friend loves watching planes/ going to airports. Friend has also been to nyc before. I’ve never been to dc or nyc.

Option 1- nice DC hotel for 3 nights + 10 hour Amtrak train ride. ($417 for 3 nights and $172 round trip train) about $590.

Option 2 - fly to Baltimore ( $464 for both round trip) and $149 total to stay at a 3 star hotel for two nights. Take the marc metro train into dc ($20 per person round trip) Around $650 total. The bonus is She gets to fly on a plane and we get there quicker. (An hour flight gets in at 9am)

Option 3- Atlanta. Super busy airport ($389 round trip for both) and $200 to stay at the airport hotel for two nights with runway view room. Flight gets in around 1pm. They have a delta plane museum too. Probably around $590 total. Neither of us have ever been here

Option 4- nyc. Amtrak ($264 for both round trip) 14 hours to penn station gets in around 5pm. Super nice hotel ($282 for 3 nights) $550 total. Get to walk around nyc.

Option 5- JFK

flight for both is $402 total (an hour flight) and TWA airport terminal hotel (they have ice skating on the tarmac and heated year round infinity pool) one night is $225. Around $630. Flight gets in early. Would only be staying one night.

Option 6 - Miami

Busy airport. $380 for both of us flight wise. $302 for one night at airport hotel. (Hotels all over Florida are expensive in January so it’s unlikely that we would stay multiple nights).

Option 7- Charleston

$480 for both round trip flight and $162 for two nights. Around $650. Gets to go on a plane and see Charleston although I don't know what there is to do.

Option 8- vegas. $572 round trip for both. Gets in at 11am, have all day to walk strip go back to airport, would leave next day at 9am flight, sleep in airport. Hotels too expensive.