Ford - Frommers Washington, D.C. 2010

Washington, D.C. 2010

by Elise Hartman Ford

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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

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ISBN 978-0-470-47546-1

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Back cover photo: Giant Panda at the National Zoo Ken Ross / Viestiphoto.com

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5 4 3 2 1

List of Maps

On This Spot...

D.C. Metropolitan Area

Washington, D.C., at a Glance

Suggested Itineraries: Day 1

Suggested Itineraries: Day 2

Suggested Itineraries: Day 3

Washington, D.C., Accommodations

Adams-Morgan, Dupont Circle & West End Accommodations

Capitol Hill, Downtown & Foggy Bottom Dining

Adams-Morgan & Dupont Circle Dining

Georgetown Dining

Washington, D.C., Attractions

Capitol Hill

The White House Area

Arlington National Cemetery

Northern Rock Creek Park Area

Old Town Alexandria

Note About Maps

This guide contains dozens of maps of varying sizes and complexity. If you find it hard to read a map on your device, use the zoom function to enlarge. You can also download and/or printout PDFs of all of the maps in this guide. Go to www.frommers.com/go/ebookmaps and click on the title of your guide.

How to Contact Us

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful placeshotels, restaurants, shops, and more. Were sure youll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, wed love to know that, too. Please write to:

Frommers Washington, D.C. 2010
Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

An Additional Note

Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any timeand this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.

About the Author

Elise Hartman Ford has been a freelance writer in the Washington, D.C., area since 1985. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Ladies Home Journal, National Parks magazine, National Geographic Traveler, the travel website Home & Abroad, the London-based Bradmans North America Guide, The Essential Guide to Business Travel, and in other online and in-print national, regional, and trade publications. In addition to this guide, she is the author of Night + Day D.C., a guidebook in the Cool Cities series published by ASDavis Media Group/PulseGuides.

Frommers Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

Special findsthose places only insiders know about

Fun factsdetails that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

Best bets for kids, and advice for the whole family

Special momentsthose experiences that memories are made of

Places or experiences not worth your time or money

Insider tipsgreat ways to save time and money

Great valueswhere to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:
AE American Express
DISC Discover
V Visa
DC Diners Club
MC MasterCard

Travel Resources at Frommers.com

Frommers travel resources dont end with this guide. Frommers website, www.frommers.com, has travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly, giving you access to the most current trip-planning information and the best airfare, lodging, and car-rental bargains. You can also listen to podcasts, connect with other Frommers.com members through our active-reader forums, share your travel photos, read blogs from guidebook editors and fellow travelers, and much more.

Whats New in Washington, D.C.

OK, so let me ask you something, and I want you to be honest: Do you think Washington is cool? And now let me give you the correct answer: Washington is cool. And since were both being straight with each other, Ill confess that, much as Id like to think otherwise about my beloved city, this is something new. The signs are everywhere.

The numbers of hip hotels and restaurants in the capital have reached a tipping point. Among the latest: The Four Seasons Hotel (not new, but remodeled, and always D.C.s very best, ), in Georgetown, debuted a Michael Mina Bourbon Steak restaurant in 2009 and it is now the hottest place in town. Gawkers, be gone. (So there I was, sipping a glass of wine in the Lounge at Bourbon Steak on a recent Sunday evening, when I glanced over and saw Brad Pitt quietly enjoying cocktails with his buds. We did the polite nod. Yeah, man, were cool.)