Providing a sensible, objective, consumer's guide to travel, these easy-to-use travel handbooks provide useful evaluations of local hotels, attractions, and restaurants in all price ranges, honest advice on local attractions that are worth the time and money, detailed maps, tips on special events and festivals, and extensive information on local shopping, sports, nightlife, and other activities.
List of Maps.
About the Author and Contributors.
Preface.
Introduction.
Welcome to Washington.
About This Guide.
Why “Unofficial”?
Creating a Guidebook.
How Unofficial Guides Are Different.
Special Features.
How This Guide Was Researched and Written.
Letters, Comments, and Questions from Readers.
How Information Is Organized: By Subject and by Location.
PART ONE Planning Your Visit to Washington.
When to Go.
Going When the Weather Is Good.
Avoiding Crowds.
Trying to Reason with the Tourist Season.
A CALENDAR OF FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.
What to Pack.
People with Special Needs.
Getting to Washington.
Driving.
Taking the Train.
Flying.
PART TWO Accommodations.
Deciding Where to Stay.
Some Considerations.
Getting a Good Deal on a Room.
Where the Hotel Discounts Are.
Helping Your Travel Agent Help You.
If You Make Your Own Reservation.
How to Evaluate a Travel Package.
Tips for Business Travelers.
Lodging Convenient to Washington Convention Center.
Convention Rates: How They Work and How to Do Better.
Hotel and Motel Toll-free Numbers.
Accommodations: Rated and Ranked.
What’s in a Room?
Room Ratings.
How the Accommodations Compare.
Good Deals and Bad Deals.
HOTEL INFORMATION CHART.
PART THREE Visiting Washington on Business.
Not All Visitors Are Headed for the Mall.
The Washington Convention Center.
Lodging within Walking Distance of the Convention Center.
Parking at the Convention Center.
Cabs and Shuttles to the the Convention Center.
Lunch Alternatives for Convention and Trade-show Attendees.
A CONVENTION CALENDAR.
PART FOUR Arriving and Getting Oriented.
Coming into the City.
By Car.
By Plane.
By Train.
A Geographic Overview of Washington.
City and Two States.
D.C.’s Street Plan.
Finding Your Way.
Things the Natives Already Know.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s the Feds.
The Metro: An Introduction.
Taxis.
Traffic.
The Neighborhoods.
Customs and Protocol.
Tips for the Disabled.
Telephones.
Restrooms.
How to Avoid Crime and Keep Safe in Public Places.
Crime in Washington.
Having a Plan.
Personal Attitude.
Self-defense.
Carjackings.
Ripoffs and Scams.
More Things to Avoid.
Help May Be Closer Than You Think.
The Homeless.
PART FIVE Getting around Washington.
Driving Your Car: A Really Bad Idea.
Traffic Hot Spots.
Parking.
Riding the Metro: A Really Good Idea.
A Clean, Safe Alternative.
How to Ride the Metro.
Metro Foibles and How to Cope.
Discounts and Special Deals.
Metrobus and Other Bus Systems.
Taxis.
PART SIX Sightseeing Tips and Tours.
Plan Before You Leave Home.
Thinking in Categories.
Putting Your Congressperson to Work.
Operating Hours.
Rhythms of the City.
If You Visit During Peak Tourist Season.
Washington with Children.
The Best Inside Tours in Town.
Taking an Orientation Tour.
Get on the Bus, Gus.
Get Your Feet Wet.
Wheeling around Washington.
Wheels with Horsepower.
Hoofing It Yourself.
Get Up Close and Personal.
Optimum Adult Touring Plan.
Touring Strategies.
Attractions Grouped by Metro Station.
Seeing Washington on a Tight Schedule.
One-day Touring.
Excursions beyond the Beltway.
Helpful Hints.
A Worst-case Touring Scenario.
Travel Tips for Tourists.
PART SEVEN Washington’s Attractions.
Where to Go.
Time-saving Charts.
ATTRACTIONS BY TYPE.
ATTRACTIONS BY LOCATION.
Attraction Profiles.
PART EIGHT Dining and Restaurants.
Experiencing Washington Cuisine.
The New Washington Cookery.
Places to See Faces.
The New Downtown Dining.
The Restaurants.
Our Favorite Washington Restaurants.
Up and Coming at Press Time.
The Best
RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE, THEN BY STAR RATINGS.
RESTAURANTS BY LOCATION.
Restaurant Profiles.
PART NINE Shopping in Washington.
Mall Shopping.
Suburban Malls.
Malls in D.C.
Flea Markets.
Great Neighborhoods for Window-Shopping.
Georgetown.
Adams-Morgan, U Street, and Logan Circle.
Chevy Chase.
Dupont Circle.
Bethesda.
Capitol Hill.
Old Town Alexandria.
Specialty Shops.
PART TEN Entertainment and Nightlife.
Washington Nightlife: More Than Lit-up Monuments.
Legitimate Theater.
Comedy in Washington.
Live Pop, Rock, and Jazz.
Swing Your Partner.
Espresso and Eight-ball.
True Brews.
The Sex Thing.
More on the Safety Thing.
Profiles of Clubs and Nightspots.
PART ELEVEN Exercise and Recreation.
Working Out.
Walking.
Running.
Swimming.
Fitness Centers and Aerobics.
Tennis.
Rock Climbing.
Recreational Sports: Biking, Hiking, Kayaking, and So On.
Bicycling.
Hiking.
Canoeing and Kayaking.
Ice Skating.
Skiing.
Horseback Riding.
Golf.
Spectator Sports.
Appendixes.
Accommodations Index.
Restaurant Index.
Subject Index.
Unofficial Guide Reader Survey.