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Post by tripper on Aug 18, 2016 10:36:06 GMT -5
In case you haven't seen it, one of our forward-thinking members emailed OPM and got the location of the SI interview: aljdiscussion.proboards.com/post/111099/threadFrom the post: "Applicants who received the 2016 ALJ Examination Scheduling Invitation in August 2016 and self-scheduled their Written Demonstration/Logic Based Measurement Test on-line will participate in the Structured Interviews at the Embassy Suites – Old Town, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, VA 22314." It's about 10 miles south of OPM, but close to Reagan National. Wow, that sure makes leaving your bag at the hotel near OPM inconvenient.
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Post by deltalaw on Aug 18, 2016 11:17:51 GMT -5
In case you haven't seen it, one of our forward-thinking members emailed OPM and got the location of the SI interview: aljdiscussion.proboards.com/post/111099/threadFrom the post: "Applicants who received the 2016 ALJ Examination Scheduling Invitation in August 2016 and self-scheduled their Written Demonstration/Logic Based Measurement Test on-line will participate in the Structured Interviews at the Embassy Suites – Old Town, 1900 Diagonal Road, Alexandria, VA 22314." It's about 10 miles south of OPM, but close to Reagan National. Wow, that sure makes leaving your bag at the hotel near OPM inconvenient. Anyone know if there will be a place to store bags at the Embassy Suites during the SI?
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Post by pubdef on Aug 18, 2016 11:33:04 GMT -5
Wow, that sure makes leaving your bag at the hotel near OPM inconvenient. Anyone know if there will be a place to store bags at the Embassy Suites during the SI? I called that specific Embassy Suites. They will check bags whether you are a guest or not. It's available at no cost just let them know you're there for the OPM testing.
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Post by Pixie on Aug 18, 2016 12:43:24 GMT -5
Anyone know if there will be a place to store bags at the Embassy Suites during the SI? I called that specific Embassy Suites. They will check bags whether you are a guest or not. It's available at no cost just let them know you're there for the OPM testing. Good job, pubdef. This will be helpful information. Pixie
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Post by dragon on Oct 23, 2016 18:51:32 GMT -5
For anyone still looking for rooms, the Courtyard Marriott Foggy Bottom on 20th street is about a block from OPM. It is surrounded by George Washington University buildings, close to sight seeing and I felt safe. If you are a federal employee it is cheaper (about $100/night cheaper the night I stayed).
Embassy Suites in Alexandria (SI location) also offers a federal government rate. It was $350/night normally but $208/night for insiders. Nice hotel, and price includes a great breakfast and happy hour drinks/snacks. It was a 2 room suite with a microwave and refrigerator. A Whole Foods is down the street and Metro across the street.
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Post by peanutfancy on Oct 24, 2016 16:28:01 GMT -5
I call mine a homing beacon. If we were separated too long, I just dropped everything and went home. It's tough to be separated from little ones.
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Post by 71stretch on Oct 24, 2016 19:58:17 GMT -5
These prices are killing me. So, I've broken down and reserved an Airbnb apartment. I found one in foggy bottom for $167 a night v the $250 up I'm finding for hotels. It is beautiful! Full living room kitchen one room apartment. It's a 6 minute taxi or 20 minute walk to OPM. It's also within a block of Trader Joes so I can save money on not eating out. The guy has an apartment building with 4 one bedroom apartments recently renovated that he's put on there. He has great reviews. If you want to check it out its called "Brand New Foggy Bottom Apartment # [1-3]". There are also detailed parking options and included gym access for those interested. Just don't count out Airbnb. Some really nice places on there with good solid reviews! Good luck to all! You can find places like that on TripAdvisor, too. That's what I used the last time I came for testing.
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Post by benchslap on Oct 27, 2016 10:16:43 GMT -5
I found a great Air BnB in Georgetown and loved it. I took an Uber to both locations and had no problems whatsoever.
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Post by rp on Oct 27, 2016 10:32:00 GMT -5
I found a great Air BnB in Georgetown and loved it. I took an Uber to both locations and had no problems whatsoever. Agreed. Uber may be the best way to get around in D.C. these days with all the Metro refit going on.
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Post by paddlingon on Oct 27, 2016 15:57:45 GMT -5
Anybody who's got an overnight stay after their SI and is willing to wait for a great experience, go for dinner at Bad Saint. It's ridiculously good Filipino food. No reservations taken, opens at 5:30, and people start lining up before 4. Might be the best meal I've ever had.
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Post by peanutfancy on Oct 27, 2016 17:10:00 GMT -5
An overnight stay at the Embassy Suites for the SI netted a free appetizers and open bar on several (cheap) brands of wine and spirits. So there's that savings...
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Post by judgymcjudgypants on Oct 29, 2016 7:56:42 GMT -5
To answer my own questions, I stayed at the Foggy bottom Courtyard Marriott, one and a half blocks from OPM. The hotel adjoins a university building. If you walk out the front and make 3 left turns around the building, you will find yourself at a well-appointed 7-11 which is set up to serve college students, so it's more like a deli, in addition to being a 7-11, very easy to grab food stuffs for the room. I do wish the hotel had a microwave in the room but you can get by, if you prefer to grab food and decompress in your room instead of seeking out a cafe. The hotel does have a cafe, btw. The hotel was wonderfully quiet, which helps with adjusting your sleep schedule. And the bathroom was nicer than the norm. There was actually enough light to do a good job with the war paint!
The taxi fare between Reagan and the Marriott was $20, including a generous tip. The fare from the Marriott to Embassy Suites was $30 with tip. I didn’t change hotels. I did have an 8:15 interview, so I left the hotel at 6:15 to take no chances on rush hour traffic. I was an hour early but I was happy. The Marriott will order you a cab in advance or grab a passing cab for you. On the way back, there are cabs waiting at the Metro station across the street from the Embassy Suite.
My early interview gave me the rest of the day to play tourist so I was happy to go back to the Marriott, put on my play clothes, and go off to the National Mall, which is 2 and a half blocks from the Marriott.
Safe and successful travels to all!
J
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mojo
New Member
Posts: 14
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Post by mojo on Oct 29, 2016 8:31:04 GMT -5
I travel a ton for work. Stay mostly at LaQuinta. No LQ's within a comfortable distance to testing. Was able to use my points on a "luxury resort" which actually means a hotel with room service. Both were Kimpton owned. Point being, if you have points at a chain not convenient to testing, check to see if it has a point share program like LQ does. 2 nights cost me $22.00. Also, Uber is cheap.
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Post by numbersix on Oct 29, 2016 10:07:09 GMT -5
I was very happy with the Courtyard by Marriott Foggy Bottom. I took the metro to the hotel from the airport. I even went back to my room at the lunch break. I took a Lyft or Uber ride to the interview. It was all very easy.
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Post by katniss on Oct 30, 2016 16:02:13 GMT -5
I stayed at the State Plaza both nights. It seemed to be an older hotel, but was immaculately clean and I was surprised to find my room came with a full kitchen. I walked to and from OPM - 5-10 minutes and then ubered to the Embassy Suites the next day for an afternoon SI. It was a very smooth trip, but a gamble because of the unknown SI time. I would likely make the same arrangements if I had it to do over.
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Post by rp on Oct 30, 2016 16:28:45 GMT -5
I stayed at the State Plaza both nights. It seemed to be an older hotel, but was immaculately clean and I was surprised to find my room came with a full kitchen. I walked to and from OPM - 5-10 minutes and then ubered to the Embassy Suites the next day for an afternoon SI. It was a very smooth trip, but a gamble because of the unknown SI time. I would likely make the same arrangements if I had it to do over. Let's hope there is no do over for anyone!
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Post by kingnole on Oct 31, 2016 9:29:27 GMT -5
Just returned from testing Oct. 25 & 26. I want to recommend my hotel, the Comfort Inn Pentagon City. It's an excellent location and half the price of anything in Foggy Bottom or near OPM. It's equally distant between the testing and interview sites (4 Metro stops north for the exam, 4 Metro stops south to the SI), and has a FREE shuttle service to/from DCA airport and the Pentagon City Metro stop. Hence, I shelled out zero dollars for Uber/taxi rides during my stay. The hotel is clean, and has good service and a free breakfast. All great for that federal employee budget.
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Post by JudgeKnot on Oct 31, 2016 20:26:10 GMT -5
I just did the test today, and tomorrow I go for the interview. I decided to go the airbnb route, and it's worked out well. I drove to DC from Michigan, and I'm staying at a townhouse in Alexandria. The home is about a 20 minute drive from the OPM. I got there before 7:00 and was able to get a parking spot at the Marriott for $25 for the day. Tomorrow, I can walk to the interview since it's about 1/2 mile away. My room for the two nights, with whatever taxes and fees, was $106 total.
If you worry about traffic and related delays, you just need to plan your travel so you allow enough time. There are three routes to get from here to the OPM, so if something goes awry, you have options. Or, if you're up to using public transportation, the metro train is about 200 yards or so from where I'm staying. I didn't feel comfortable taking a train because I heard (but didn't confirm) that they're starting some improvements that were expected to cause delays. I felt more comfortable driving, so I could control my destiny. There are tradeoffs. The car gets you there and back at your pace, but finding parking can be hard and expensive, so be sure to build that into your morning trip.
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Post by denise on Nov 1, 2016 14:59:57 GMT -5
I just did the test today, and tomorrow I go for the interview. I decided to go the airbnb route, and it's worked out well. I drove to DC from Michigan, and I'm staying at a townhouse in Alexandria. The home is about a 20 minute drive from the OPM. I got there before 7:00 and was able to get a parking spot at the Marriott for $25 for the day. Tomorrow, I can walk to the interview since it's about 1/2 mile away. My room for the two nights, with whatever taxes and fees, was $106 total. If you worry about traffic and related delays, you just need to plan your travel so you allow enough time. There are three routes to get from here to the OPM, so if something goes awry, you have options. Or, if you're up to using public transportation, the metro train is about 200 yards or so from where I'm staying. I didn't feel comfortable taking a train because I heard (but didn't confirm) that they're starting some improvements that were expected to cause delays. I felt more comfortable driving, so I could control my destiny. There are tradeoffs. The car gets you there and back at your pace, but finding parking can be hard and expensive, so be sure to build that into your morning trip. Just curious as to what factors caused you to drive instead of flying? Isn't that a 9-10 hour drive at least (depending on where you are in Michigan). In selecting my interview dates, I checked the costs of flights and hotels and only selected the date after I knew I could obtain a cheap fare (less than $200 into D.C. from the Midwest) and reasonable hotel rates of less than $150 a night? Any thoughts?
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Post by hapi2balj on Nov 1, 2016 18:07:33 GMT -5
I stayed at State Plaza both nights. Easy walk to OPM and I also walked the several blocks to the SI the next day. Weather was good or I might have taken Uber. At any rate I strongly recommend the State Plaza - definitely the most reasonably priced in the area.
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