After visiting the National Archives countless times I thought I would share some ideas for those of you who may be not that familiar with the process.
The current hours are now from 9-5 Monday through Saturday with no pulls being allowed on Saturdays. You can however make pulls on Friday as an example and view them on Saturday. They are not open on holidays.
Parking: There are two parking garages directly on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue on either 7th or 9th street where you can park all day for $28.00 and they close at midnight and open at 8:00 am.
Overnight: If you decide to spend the night or two or more days at the Archives I would recommend the Americana Hotel, their address is 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway near the Reagan Airport. The rooms are very nice and clean and the least expensive in the DC area that I've found. Rooms are $60.00 a night plus tax for one person. The subway is two short blocks away from the Hotel and they will allow you to park your vehicle there with no additional charge if your staying there. (Interestingly some motels will charge you for parking even though your a guest, make sure they will not charge you if you make a reservation) When taking the subway at Crystal City the archives will be the 4th stop and takes about 20 minutes and $6.00 should get you to and from the archives and back to the Hotel. The Hotel also has breakfast and their soda machine is only $1.00 for a twenty ounce soda. They also have washers and dryers for $1.00 each. Many airline pilots stay at this Hotel to give you an idea of the cliental staying there.
Food: While the archives does have a lunch room in their basement the prices are high and the variety is not that good in my opinion and they are closed on Saturdays. If you stay at the Hotel then the subway will be just off of the Marriott Hotel and they have a subway sandwich shop just down the hall way from the Marriott. I usually buy my subs there and take them to the archives and leave them in a locker until lunch. While there are some restaurants across from the archives they are expensive. McDonald's is perhaps 6 or 7 long blocks away.
Items to take with you: Be sure and take some quarters with you. The National Archives does have lockers to store your belongings in. They take one quarter and the quarter is returned once you leave the locker. I have saw countless times researchers trading one quarter for a dollar bill. Don't forget your quarters. Cameras are allowed at the National Archives as well as lap tops. However you are not allowed to use your flash on your camera. They do have camera stations in Room 203 where you will be viewing your material once it has been pulled. There is a camera reservation book in room 203 and you can make an appointment for 1 hour at a time for each camera station. Be sure to take an extra battery for your camera should you elect to take it. My camera is not expensive and can hold 1,000 photographs. Compare that to making a xeroxed copy at .25 cents a piece. Once the camera has been download to a flash drive you can blow up the photographs and make them larger or darker on your computer. In my opinion it's the only way to go.
The archives does have a helping aid room off to the right once you through the double doors. If your not sure where to find your research material they will help you find it. The last pull of the day is usually about 3:30. If your going to stay there two days or more make sure you take some pull slips with you and fill them out at night thus allowing you to place them in the pull box the first thing the next morning. Pens are never allowing in room 203 on the 2nd floor. Also do not take any extra pieces of paper with you or your camera case or they will ask you to place them in you locker thus causing an extra trip downstairs.
Using the subway: Be sure to take at least $5.00 in cash with you. The subway charges will depend on what time your traveling. High volume times cost a little more. Be sure to stay to the right on the escalator unless your running. It's an unwritten rule that DC residents run on the left side of the escalator. If your just standing on the left you may receive some rude remarks.
If you do not have a National Archives research card one will be made for you but this will take about 30 minutes. You can load money on your card if you want to use the xerox machine as an example. Try and never read your research while at the archives as time is very valuable. You will have time enough to read your material later on at night. Just some ideas to save fellow researchers some time and money.