Washington, DC

the Metro in DC is as fast and efficient as anywhere I've been. And zillions of taxis cruising around if the Metro's not handy. I like staying in the area north of the White House, but you have to consider what you want to pay for convenience.

Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Cleveland Park, Georgetown are all safe and close to tourist sights. Georgetown is not Metro accessible however. When you are in town take Metro and/or Uber/Lyft, Metrobus. Outside of DC proper there are plenty of hotel options that are Metro accessible in Friendship Heights, Bethesda, North Bethesda/Rockville, Arlington, Alexandria, Crystal City, and Rosslyn.

If you don't regularly use ride share, I'd add an app to your phone for times when you don't want to deal with Metro or are not close to one. I personally use taxis when leaving my home in Arlington (just across the river), but I don't count on being able to flag one at any time. The Metro works best when trips are planned--they have improved the system technology so you can see wait times, etc.
Arlington is as convenient as some DC locations--there are many hotels on the Metro lines plus it's close enough that taxis are not going to break the bank.
Safety is as in any large city, just mind your surroundings. But I really only worry about car jacking, and you won't have to worry about that.

If you mainly want to see museums and monuments on the National Mall, any of the hotels within walking distance of the mall, or of one of your target sights, would be fine. You can use the metro trip planner to see best metro and bus routes. You can also use Uber or Lyft to get between some sights if you don't want to walk. However, you might want to factor in where the funeral is and how you will get there.

I lived in Northern VA for five years in the 90s and it was safe in the tourist areas.
However, I understand from friends that still live in Northern VA that much of the city is very unsafe at night.
https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-washington-dc/

I read a couple of weeks ago that it was one of the worst in the country. They did some defunding a few years ago and it wasn't pretty.

Still, in the daytime in the tourist areas around the Mall and White House you should be OK.

Recommend staying to the west of the central tourist areas.

As someone who lives in the area, unless you are in a bad neighborhood, it is as safe as any city at night. I've taken Metro all over as a single female and for the most part it has been fine.

Where you stay, generally depends on how much money you have to spend on a hotel. There are hotels in Alexandria where you can catch a shuttle to the Metro.

Can recommend this hotel in nice area and close to metro https://www.hotelmadera.com/

Add a Smartrip card to your google/apple wallet and top up as needed to get around

https://www.wmata.com/fares/MobilePay/

We stayed here in the Navy Dockyards in Fall 2023. The primary purpose of our trip was baseball as the Nationals Stadium was 2 block away. It was perfectly safe and the subway is a block away to get to the National Mall which is 1 or 2 stops away. https://www.placemakr.com/locations/washington-dc/coda-on-half/

As everyone has said, stay near a metro stop. I’m partial to Foggy Bottom area.

If you fly in/out of National or Dulles, they both have metro stops now.
Condolences to you and your family/friends. Hope you can enjoy some sightseeing while there!

Was in DC in September and stayed in my favorite neighborhood, Dupont Circle. It is close to the metro and is a vibrant neighborhood. Prices of hotels vary on how close you stay to the Metro, we stayed at the Royal Sonesta which has large rooms, in a very safe area with nice coffee shops, sandwich, pizza places, etc. nearby.

In September, we stayed where Rhode Island Ave, 16th St NW and Mass Ave. all converge. This was about 5/8 mile north of the White House, 3/8 of a mile from DuPont Circle and a mile or so from Penn Sq., which is just a few blocks from the National Archives and National Gallery.

Walked all over in the evenings. Felt fine. Lots of people on the streets. Very comfortable.

Took buses and Metro. Got a couple of $10 or so Metro Cards; had to pay an extra $1.50 or $2 for the card. Card worked on both Metro and bus.

DC has no shortage of hotels; you just need to figure the neighborhood where you want to stay - and price point. We stayed at a place called The Darcy; there’s a Holiday Inn next door and several other hotels a couple of blocks away, down Mass Ave toward the Capitol and Penn Sq.

I would suggest staying near the Convention Center. I stayed in the Washington Plaza Hotel, good area and convenient. Went to the usaul historical sites and museums, as much as time allowed. I got around by walking and public transport, ie, taking the Metro.

I went to DC mainly to see the museums on the Mall, and stayed at the Phoenix Park Hotel, very close to Union Station (I’d gone up on the train). I liked the Hotel quite well, it was reasonably priced, and it was only a 1/2 hour walk to the Mall.

I live in Adams Morgan, just north of DuPont Circle. Lots of good restaurants nearby and not a bad walk to the zoo and the DuPont Circle station of the red line. The Line Hotel is a newish boutique hotel that was once a church. Also nearby is the Washington Hilton, the Churchill, the Generator and the American Guest House. All are close to the Phillips Collection.

Don’t forget about the bus system. The buses get you can get you closer than the Metro in many cases and use the same card. Trip planner on the WMATA website is a useful tool for figuring out your route for the Metro and/or bus.