Where can I stay and how do I get around?

Plenty of places in the suburbs of DC that are close to the Metro (subway) stations.

I think there's a Comfort Inn near Alexandria...near the Van Dorn Street Metro station (about half-mile from the metro). Go online to one of the travel sites and look. Be sure to book your room early to get the best price! If you wait till late, the prices go up (just like airfares).

They have a shuttle van that will take you to the Metro an also pick you up when you call them to return to the hotel.

Right now the rates are about $140 a night for a group of up to 4 people.

The DC subway, called the Metro, is excellent - very clean, very safe, and very easy to navigate (http://wmata.com/).

I would suggest staying outside the District in Arlington. Check for hotels in the Crystal City neighborhood (on the yellow and blue lines of the Metro) and the Rosslyn and Ballston neighborhoods (on the Orange line of the Metro). I live in Ballston and there are hotels of all price points within walking distance of the Metro. It is about a fifteen-minute ride to downtown.

As far as sites, you can get to all the Smithsonian museums and the monuments from the Metro. Get off at the Smithsonian Metro station - you'll exit onto the National Mall and you can get to the Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery (art), and others. All of the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery are free! Also in that area is the National Archives (free!), where you can see the original copies of the Magna Carta (I guess we borrowed it from England), the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.

From the National Mall, you can also walk up towards the Capitol and walk around. Capitol tours are free, but you need to get tickets from your Congressperson BEFORE you leave for your trip.

If you walk away from the Capitol, you will get to the Washington Monument and (just past that) the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial (around the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossom trees are planted), the FDR Memorial, and the monuments for the Korean and Vietnam wars. The White House is a couple blocks from the Washington Monument - again, ask your Congressperson for tickets for a free tour.

The National Zoo is free and accessible by Metro on the red line.

A family-friendly lunch/dinner place downtown is the Capitol City Brewing Company (there are locations on H street close to Chinatown and by Union Station). The menu is classic American fare and not too expensive. A good place for sandwiches is Potbelly - they are cheap and they are everywhere!

DC has an excellent subway system called the Metro. It isn't as extensive as the NYC subway, but it's clean, safe, and comfortable.

Here's a link:

http://www.wmata.com/

You'll notice that there's a station right underneath Washington Union Station.

If you get a hotel near a Metro station, you can use Metro to get downtown to the National Mall, where most of the landmarks and museums are clustered, and then stroll around for the day.

What's your price range for a hotel? In general, the hotels in the nearby suburbs are priced much better than those in DC proper, plus they often include swimming pools and the like.

If you are looking for cheap accommodations, you may want to look into hostels. I don't know how many there are around DC, but most hostels provide an option for private rooms. I think there is a Comfort Inn just outside the northern corner of the city, and they have room rates in the $50-60 range. Also, try sites like kayak.com and venere.com and be sure to read the reviews!