The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C.

by Eve Zibart

Overview

The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. by Eve Zibart and Bob Sehlinger is the insider's guide to Washington at its best, with more than 75 restaurant reviews and hotels ranked for value and quality. With advice that is direct, prescriptive, and detailed, this guide takes the guesswork out of travel by unambiguously rating and ranking everything from hotels, restaurants, and attractions to rental car companies and guided tours. This indispensable travel companion lets readers know what’s available in every category, from the best to the worst, and includes detailed step-by-step plans for making the most of time in the nation’s capital.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628090161
Publisher:	Unofficial Guides
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Edition description:	12th Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.13(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Eve Zibart is the author of several books in the Unofficial Guides series. A contributor to Washingtonian and other magazines, she lives in Washington, D.C. Bob Sehlinger, a Lowell Thomas Award–winning journalist, lives in Birmingham, AL.

Read an Excerpt

Part Two: Accommodations

Deciding Where to Stay

BECAUSE THE BEST WAY TO GET AROUND Washington is on the Metro, and since most of the major attractions are also Metro-accessible, we highly recommend a hotel within walking distance of a Metro station. Penn Quarter, which is within a stroll of perhaps two dozen major attractions and many popular restaurants, is served by a handful of stations giving you plenty of options to come in from farther out: Crystal City, for example, has its own Metro station in between Washington National Airport and D.C. itself-m-cutting commute time in both directions-m-and is home to a bevy of name-brand hotels and an impressive restaurant strip.

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If you expect to stay for an extended period, check the B&B websites; some list furnished apartments that are “homier” than hotel suites and in more residential areas.

Although we have not rated bed and breakfast lodgings here, they can be pleasant options, offering more of a “neighborhood” experience-m-ideally with a subway stop, which generally means dining and services nearby-m-and with a built-in source of information in the hosts. However, there a few questions you should ask before making a reservation at a B&B. Find out payment options-m-credit cards, cash, and/or personal or traveler’s checks; whether young children (or pets) are allowed; whether all rooms have private baths or showers; what sort of “breakfast” is included and whether there is a refrigerator, microwave, etc. in the room; whether the entire establishment is non-smoking; whether it has free wi-fi and laundry service; and whether the facilities are wheelchair-accessible, if applicable. Also ask about the cancellation policy, which because B&Bs typically operate on a tighter budget than a big hotel, may be more stringent. Among websites with information on Washington area B&Bs are abba.com, the site of the American Bed and Breakfast Association; bedandbreakfastdc.com, or iloveinns.com.

In addition to the quoted room rates, the District of Columbia imposes a 14.5% hotel tax (including sales tax); hotels in the suburbs, once town and state taxes are figured in, can be almost as high, so add that into your budget.

Getting a Good Deal on a Room

HOTEL PRICING IN WASHINGTON IS DRIVEN NOT by tourism but by business, government, and convention trade, which translates to high “rack rates’’ (a hotel’s published room rate). Even in the suburbs, where you might expect lower rates to be the trade-off for commuting into town, there are few bargains, because no matter how far you are from the Capitol, you are apt to be close to some agency, airport, university, or research complex. The Bethesda Marriott near Grosvenor/Strathmore, for example, is 30 to 40 minutes away from the Mall but stays full because it’s close to the National Institutes of Health.

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Always use your friendliest voice when asking for favors, and don’t call between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., typical check-in and checkout times; the staff may be too busy to coddle you.

Nevertheless, there are a few tricks that may help you secure a better deal. Even if you are considering a chain hotel rather than an independent establishment, call the specific Washington location, not the toll-free number, which is likely to be located in some other city. While the central operator may not even be aware of local specials, the in-town reservations desk may be able to offer a few incentives. He or she will have computer access to your account if you are a member of the chain’s rewards club, and is likely to want to make you welcome. Ask about specials or added benefits (if you’re really nice, you might get a massage or bottle of wine). If you are staying for several days, ask whether you might stay for any additional nights at a reduced rate or even free. Find out whether the clientele is mostly business travelers or families with children (whichever suits you better). And if you’re talking to the on-site staff, you can get more specific information about quiet rooms, good views, the nearest bar if the hotel doesn’t have its own, etc.

Find out how old the hotel is, how recently the rooms-m-and the bathrooms-m-have been renovated, and whether photos on the hotel’s web site are up to date. Be sure to ask whether there is any ongoing construction, either inside the hotel itself or nearby. Just because the work isn’t being done on your floor, it may start before you want to get up in the morning, and if you’re sensitive to dust or paint smells, which tend to work their way around through the elevators, etc., you may have trouble.

If you are going to drive to Washington, find out whether, and for how much, the hotel provides parking; valet and overnight fees can be substantial. (A parking voucher might be another freebie to request.) If you are likely to need to ship reports or samples in or out, find out what business services the hotel provides.

If your visit to Washington coincides with a major convention or trade show, hotel rooms are likely to be scarcer and more expensive than if you can avoid the big-business traffic. Check the convention and trade-show calendar at dcconvention.com.

Look into weekend rates, and corporate rates. Many hotels that cater to business travelers, who tend to come in during the week and go home on Friday, offer weekend discounts that may be 15 to 40% lower. Others offer “corporate rates” of 5 to 20% off-rack, and you may not have to work for a large company to qualify: Just ask. Some hotels will guarantee you the discounted rate when you make your reservation; others may make the rate conditional on your providing a fax on your company’s letterhead requesting the rate, or a company credit card or business card on check-in. But requirements are generally loose.

The Internet Advantage

ALTHOUGH THE PERSONAL TOUCH is the best idea once you get to the point of making your reservation, it’s worth understanding how the Internet affects hotel rates.

Months in advance, hotels establish rates for each day of the coming year, taking into consideration weekend versus weekday demand; holidays, major conventions, trade shows, and sporting events; and the effect of weather on occupancy. If demand is greater than forecast, the rate may rise; if demand is less than expected, the hotel will begin “nudging,” incrementally decreasing the rate for the days in question until bookings rebound to the desired level. This sort of rate manipulation isn’t new, but at Internet speed, a hotel can adjust website rates almost hourly. Consequently, major Internet travel sellers such as Travelocity, Hotels.com, and Expedia, among others, can advertise special deals and rates almost instantaneously. Lower rates and deals are also communicated by e-mail to preferred travel agents, and sometimes directly to consumers via e-mail, print advertisements, or direct-mail promotions.

The easiest way to scout room deals is on kayak.com, which scans not only Internet sellers but also national hotel chain websites and some individual hotel websites. You can organize your search by price, location, star rating, brand, and amenities; and see detailed descriptions of each property, photos, customer reviews, and maps. Kayak provides a direct link to the lowest-price sellers.

Also consider priceline.com, where you can bid for a room-m-not at a specific hotel, but within a neighborhood and quality level. If your bid is accepted, you will be assigned to a hotel and your credit card charged (transactions are nonrefundable). Notification of acceptance usually takes less than an hour. Here again, it would be worthwhile to check the convention schedule; a busy time means you can’t lowball your offer. Reduce your bid for off-season periods.

“Reservation services” are live versions of Kayak or Priceline, so to speak, wholesalers and consolidators who deal directly with the public. When you call, you can ask for a rate quote for a particular hotel, or ask for the best available deal in the area where you prefer to stay. You can give them a maximum budget, too; chances are, the service will find you something, even if it means shaving a dollar or two off its profit.

If you are coming into town for a convention or trade show, and the sponsoring agency has negotiated a special rate with area hotels for a “block” of rooms, you can use some of these same techniques to figure out whether it really is a good deal. (After all, a lot of travelers simply take for granted the block rate is a bargain, but you are part of a captive audience.) Check the rate offered on the Internet sites; if you think you can do better, book it on the Internet, call one of the (preferably local) reservation services, or try your luck with the hotel directly. Or avoid the crowd altogether; look through our guide for something that suits you better. The earlier you book, the broader your options. Just remember, stay near the Metro.

Travel Agents And/Or Vacation Packages

FIRST, FIND OUT WHETHER YOUR TRAVEL AGENT has actually been to Washington. If not, you should do a little research on your own, because an agent who doesn’t know the territory may turn to a tour operator or wholesaler and then pass that package along to you. That allows the travel agent to set up your whole trip with a single phone call and still collect an 8 to 10% commission; but it may not be the best bargain for you.

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Although on-line hotel “reviews” by purported guests might seem useful, it’s increasingly clear that a large number, good and bad, are bogus; be skeptical.

Here’s why: Package vacations seem like win-win deals for buyers and sellers. The buyer makes one phone call to set up the whole trip: transportation, lodging, meals, tours, attraction tickets, perhaps even golf or spa services. Similarly, by settling everything in a single conversation, the seller avoids multiple sales calls, confirmations, and billing. In addition, some packagers benefit by buying airfares and hotel rooms in bulk at significant savings, bargains theoretically passed along to the buyer.

In practice, however, the seller may be the only one who benefits. Wholesalers typically work with specific airlines or chains rather than looking for deals. Many packages are padded with extras that cost the bundler next to nothing but grossly inflate the retail price, like a “loaded” new automobile. Many of the extras in the package sound enticing but won’t get used (most people overestimate how much can be crammed into a single day) or may not be as advertised (we’ve all had a “hot” hotel breakfast that wasn’t). It’s the classic question: What’s a sale worth if you don’t need the suit?

So you should present your agent with some information up front. Choose a neighborhood, and maybe a second choice, you prefer; if possible, specify a hotel. (Check our ratings, use the Internet sites above, etc.; also see the local Web site listings in the ”Gathering Information” section of Part One.) If you see a good package advertised on line or in a travel publication, follow up by calling the hotels or package operator for more information-m-but don’t make the reservation yourself. Even if it seems as if you’re doing all the work yourself, you should still let the agent do the actual booking. He or she might still get a commission (free to you); and is more likely to know whether the deal is too good to be true. And you should always give your agent a chance to match or better the package once you have a baseline to go by.

If you are considering booking a package yourself, choose one that includes at least some features you are sure to use; you’ll pay for them all, anyway. Unless time is money in your life, spend an hour surfing and estimate what the major components of your trip-m-airfare, lodging, transportation, museum tickets-m-would actually cost. If the package cost is less, or even close, go for the convenience factor. Remember local factors: If offered a choice of rental car or transportation to and from the airport, for example, free transportation would be more useful in Washington

Table of Contents

Introduction
Welcome to Washington
About This Guide

Part One: Planning Your Visit to Washington
When to Go
Gathering Information
Where to Stay
What to Pack
Traveling with Children (and perhaps Grandparents)
Tips for International Travelers
Travelers with Special Needs
Picking a Flight Plan (or Not)

Part Two: Accommodations
Deciding Where to Stay
Getting a Good Deal on a Room
Tips for Business Travelers
Accommodations: Rated and Ranked

Part Three: Visiting Washington on Business
Not All Visitors Are Headed for the Mall
The Washington COnvention Center
Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center

Part Four: Getting In and Getting Around
Coming into the City
Getting Around Washington
Taking the Metro: Just Do It
Taxis
Things the Natives Already Know
How to Avoid Crime and Keep Safe

Part Five: Sightseeing Tips, Tours, and Attractions
So Much to See, So Little Time
Happy Hours (The Sightseeing Kind)
Sign Up for a Group Tour of Fly Solo?
Taking an Orientation Tour
The Best Inside Tours in Town
First-Timers' Tips and FAQs
Washington's Attractions
Maryland Suburbs
Virginia Suburbs
Excursions beyond the Beltway

Part Six: Dining and Restaurants
The Washington Cuisine Scene
The Restaurants
Bubbling Under the Hot 100
The Best....
Restaurant Profiles

Part Seven: Shopping in Washington
Mall Shopping
Museum Shops
Great Neighborhoods for Window-Shopping
Specialty Shopping

Part Eight: Entertainment and Nightlife
Washington Nightlife: More Than Lit-up Monuments
Profiles of Clubs and Nightspots

Part Nine: Exercise and Recreation
Working a Workout into Your Visit
The Basic Drills
Recreational Sports
Spectator Sports

Editorial Reviews

" The author, Eve Zibart, grabbed my attention from the first page of the preface." - Chris Christensen, Amateur Traveler

"This is a very informative and well laid out guide book and because it is quick to read and light to carry, it is indispensable for anyone visiting Washington, D.C." - David H. Traveling Tales

From the Publisher