2 comments about Fodor's Around Washington, D.C. with Kids, 5th Edition (Around the City with Kids).

1. I purchased this book after getting a great deal on a hotel in a posh DC neighborhood. While I was excited about the hotel, I was quite concerned about finding affordable, child-friendly places to eat in the area. I chose this guide because along with descriptions of kid appropriate attractions, it recommends nearby eateries. The recommended places to eat were just what I needed to keep our daytime food expenses reasonable. Be warned that many of the recommended attractions are either seasonal or too far from public transportation to reach on foot (we traveled pre-Memorial Day and swore not to drive in DC traffic after parking our car at our hotel). Also, you'll need a separate map because only street addresses are provided. Otherwise, it was a helpful, compact travel book that paid for itself in meal money saved.



2. My 10 year old son loves this book and so do I! It tells us the important stuff, location, contact info, prices, ages & hours. It also gives us little things like places to eat and fun other thing to notice and do while we are at each place. We LOVE this book!

4 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Washington, DC Including Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland.

1. If you are relocating to DC, don't do it until you've read (or at least skimmed) this book. I haven't even moved yet and it's been helpful. First it explains different neighborhoods and why you may or may not want to move to that location. It also gives you helpful hints and good questions to ask regarding a place to rent or buying a home. Included are the daily life information such as where to buy a couch, find a veternarian, or the location of the closest park. All in all the book covers many issues that I would not have thought about before moving to a new place.



2. This book is devoid of any of the information I really needed, like where to get my car inspetected (and the whole process of getting a DC driver license) or even where the good playgrounds are.



3. THE NEWCOMER'S HANDBOOK FOR MOVING TO AND LIVING IN WASHINGTON DC is a great book for people relocating to the area, but even people who are not moving there can enjoy it. It talks about where the best neighborhoods and schools are in the District itself, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, mentions where the shopping malls and other stores are, and it even goes into detail about the town of Columbia, Maryland, which other books about the Baltimore-Washington DC area fail to do. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is proud to say "I'm an American."



4. For all you hear about the benefit of living near a metro, I expected the metro locations to be shown on street maps. They weren't, and the other maps were of little use as well. For guidance on finding a safe area, they suggest asking local police.
   
   If you don't care about either of those, most of the other info was okay.

No comments about Zagat 2008 Washington, DC Baltimore Restaurants.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Washington, DC.

1. An easily portable and thoroughly user friendly compendium of invaluable information on America's capital, "Washington, DC: City Guide" offers more than maps, but provides a complete introduction to the city in terms of its nightlife, arts, history, sights, and memorials. Of special note is the section on the 'National Mall'. Whether the traveler is in Washington for business or pleasure, this outstanding and very highly recommended guide offers descriptive recommendations for walking and biking tours, dining establishments, bars, entertainment, activities, shopping, sleeping, and excursions. Enhanced with the inclusion of a directory, an index, and maps, "Washington, DC: City Guide" is the ideal companion when planning a stay in one of the most dynamic of America's major cities.



2. Good book, lots of detail, good maps, good details of accomodation (though this is a bit pointless in the internet age I think), food options... just a standard, good LP. If you like format of LP you'll like this.



3. I took this book with me on a one week trip to DC. I was mightily disappointed. It started with the trip from the airport. I had to pre-plan on the internet, which took awhile, because the book offers no advice for getting from BWI or Dulles into DC.
   
   There is no useful information on how to get around DC, most notably to the Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR Memorials. It wasn't until the end of the trip that I figured out what options there were for public transportation to this end of the mall and the Tidal Basin. A good guidebook should guide you, not make you search all week for the answer.
   
   The authors apparently used a car to get around. Lots of info on parking spaces. So if you're traveling by car (fat chance at hotel parking being $41 a night), this book might be for you.
   
   The restaurant listings dwell excessively on expensive places to eat. Mostly with bad food. I guess if you can afford to park in DC, you can afford to spend $50 on a bad dinner.
   
   Contrary to another reviewer below, the book seemed to be entirely without opinion, at least where it was needed. But this has been a pattern at LP lately. The Air and Space Museum? Feels like walking into a museum that hasn't been changed since 1986. All the guys walking around with sub-machine guns strapped over their shoulders? Makes you feel like you're visiting El Salvador. And the 'bag checks' at the Smithsonians, one after another, each making you hold your bag in a specific way unique to each security guard. Those would be useful opinions.
   
   You can get just as much useful information as contained in this book (actually more) from the DC's visitors websites.



4. I went for a vacation in Washington DC for a week. This book kept me going. I had a little problem with their updates (the walking tour for Embassy Row still lists a certain mansion as the Pakistani Embassy, but it turns out that the embassy moved somewhere else back in 2005, a good two years ago). But aside from that, things were still well-covered.
   
   I disagree with the previous reviewer saying that there were no directions from BWI or IAD, but p. 263 gives the information about this. Regarding public transportation in the National Mall and Tidal Basin, there aren't a lot of options, but all the available options were given in the extensive maps at the back of the book. One really should prepare for large amounts of walking for this area of the city. And regarding the parking spaces, the book also gives information about how to get to places using public transportation, for every time that they give information about parking spaces. So I do not see why it can be concluded that the authors researched this using a car.
   
   A travel guide is just that, just a guide. It shouldn't be mistaken for a tour operator. One should not rely on it a hundred percent. It simply gives suggestions on where to go and what to visit. For my purposes, it served its purpose well.



5. Being a travel junky I found this guidebook very valuable. Some points:
   
   1. It has color maps all located in the same place (back of the book). On the backside of each map is an index with a page reference! So you see the map, you flip and find the attraction/restaurant/whatever, and you go to the referenced page for more info. This is invaluable since the last thing I like doing is flipping through maps embedded throughout a book only to not get any information on what's around me.
   
   2. Did I mention the maps? There is also a subway map overlay on each map so you can plan getting there and getting back. There's also a complete map at the very back.
   
   3. It's a compact book. This is a BIG deal. Lug around a monstrous book for a day and you'll be ripping out unneeded pages later that night (which is a good idea anyway, really). This guide was slim and fit nicely in an outside pocket. Just enough history to occupy the time on the subway, not so much as to displace Washington's biography.
   
   4. It's a well built book. Bend it, fold it, get it wet. It's going to stay together and readable. While weathered guide books held together with rubber bands show some flair, it's no good when you're standing there on a corner with pages falling all over.
   
   Overall a highly recommended guide book. I try and find the best overall guide book for whatever my destination and keep coming back to the Lonely Planet.

1 comments about We're There! Washington, DC.

1. Recently I was planning a trip to Washington with my wife and seven year old son. I was looking for a book that would teach me a bit about D.C. so I could seem like I knew what I was talking about when my son asked me about this monument and that historical event. In my search, I came across Elizabeth Skinner's "We're There! Washington, D.C." and thought it would be a good way for my son to mix fun with learning. And it was! This book is engaging, educational, and fun. My son would not put it down and made sure he had it in his hand wherever we went. What a great find! I notice that Ms. Skinner has written similar books for New York, Boston, and Rhode Island and when I visit those places with my son, I will definitely get them. If Ms. Skinner reads this review, I just want to say great job! And thank you.

2 comments about Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This was the first guidebook I purchased when planning a trip to Washington, DC. Frommers always covers the bases and this book is no exception. Hotels, restaurants, local attractions, and more are all covered here. I also found the "Best" lists that Frommers always includes to be useful. It helps me zoom in on the best of the best experiences when time is short on a trip.
   
   The problem I had with the book is that the level of detail for many of these entries was lacking. Hotels get a nice write up but the vast majority of those covered are above the budget for a typical traveler. The information on the tourist attractions also seems fairly comprehensive... until you compare it to the The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. (Unofficial Guides) and realize how much more clear and complete that guide is. While I used this guide for the early stages of planning, it was my frustration with it that prompted me to look at other books and I ultimately stopped using this one and didn't even bring it with me on the trip. The Unofficial Guide has roughly 100 pages of additional content and none of it is filler.
   
   In closing, this is not a bad guidebook for Washington, DC. Most of the basics are covered competently and I'm sure a lot of people have used it and been satisfied. Once you read the Unofficial Guide, however, you'll realize just how much useful information is left out of the Frommers Guide.



2. Excellantly laid out with invaluable "tips". Could not have planned my 6-day vacation without it.

5 comments about Washington, D.C. (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. A very clear guide book. Well organized with helpful facts and photos to help identify buildings and key contents. It proved most useful.



2. Another success for the DK Eyewitness series. Well thought out, with the excellent graphics that are DK's hallmark. Well indexed, user friendly, and pocket sized. As a DC resident I own a lot of DC guidebooks; this is the one I'd recommend first, to both visitors and new arrivals alike.



3. For the first time visitor to Washington, D.C., this book is invaluable. With it's excellent descriptions and insights, grasping a sense of the city's many offerings is easy and fun. But what truly sets this book apart from other travel guides, are the unique and informative full color layouts of the city streets, complete with 2-D images of the buildings for reference. It's nearly impossible to 'get lost' with this guide in your hands!



4. I usually love the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, which may have raised my expectations of this one on Washington, DC. There could easily have been an extra twenty or thirty pages - or am I just being greedy?
   
   As I live in Australia, I thought Washington DC would mean the entire capital. The book mainly focuses on the areas along the Potomac, such as the Mall, Georgetown, and Foggy Bottom. Areas such as Dupont Circle and Kalorama have been relegated to the 'Further Afield' section, which I found disappointing.
   
   There's quite a good section on the White House and the beautiful buildings which surround it, but again I was left wanting more.
   
   It's still a beautiful book though, and the photographs are clear and crisp, but there just wasn't enough for this armchair traveller. I guess I'll have to get out of my armchair and experience Washington DC for myself. At least this travel guide has whet my appetite!



5. First Eyewitness guide and I love it. Wish it was a bit more up to date.

2 comments about Fodor's Washington, D.C. 2008: with Mount Vernon, Old Town Alexandria & Annapolis (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. FODOR'S WASHINGTON D.C. 2008 is a great book about the Washington D.C. area, covering both the city itself and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, including Annapolis, MD and Arlington and Alexandria, VA. Whether you're traveling to the area, or are simply proud of being an American, this book is for you.



2. This guide was very informative. It included all dimensions of the DC area in an organized fashion. The map was convenient to use. School chaperones used this book to gather the details they would need for the recent student tour of the city.

5 comments about The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. (Unofficial Guides).

1. Bought this book because I wouldn't go to Disney World without the Unofficial Guide. Several errors. Should have mentioned the Circulator. We took a family of 4. The review on several attractions - including the International Spy Musuem contained too much of the author's own political agenda. There were not enough family oriented and reasonably priced restaurants reviewed. I discovered I was only a couple blocks from a lot of good restaurants, but couldn't figure out, from this book how far they were. I would buy the other books before this one.



2. What I liked: the review and description of the museums and the breakdown of public and tour transportion options. Other than that I feel I was missing out on a true city experience. The restaurant reviews were all over the place (and I think it could use more selection; or perhaps a map for the walking tourist to find great places to chow). No sense/description of the neighborhoods. How about good places for music/culture? Not included here. I would have also appreciated some pictures. All in all, it helped with a trip but I was disappointed.



3. The first half of the book deals with background information, which is relatively unnecessary; while the second part is much more useful. You can plan which spots you are gonna visit and find out the hours and touring tips. If the book can focus on that, it will be much slimmer to carry.



4. I used this book on a recent visit to see some friends in D.C. They work during the day so I knew I'd need to entertain myself. This book was great for info on tourist sites. I love that it gives the closest metro stop and other things to do nearby. The restaurant reviews were also helpful. It gave a great explanation of the metro system so I felt quite confident buying tickets. The maps were adequate (not spectacular), and I can't comment on the lodging info since I stayed with friends. My friend was so impressed with my info that she kept the book. I guess I'll have to borrow it back the next time I visit.



5. This book proved itself utterly invaluable on our recent American History vacation in and around Washington DC. I can say that this small investment brought at least 50 times its value back in cost and time savings. If you are planning a trip to the DC area, you owe it to yourself to pick this resource up and buy it at least six months in advance or preferably sooner. The currency of this book seems perfect and I found no errors in it whatsoever.

5 comments about Streetwise Washington, DC Map - Laminated City Street Map of Washington, DC.

1. This map was a great help when we were in DC - the detail was fantastic and it was easy to tote around. The enlarged detail for the national mall was extremely helpful
   
   one small detraction - the print is small - so be warned



2. When I moved to DC I had only been there one additional time, my job interview! My friends got me a guide book for moving to DC and this map. It saved my life the first trip to DC on a weekend, and it helped me explore great dining since I knew how far it was to walk or Metro. I love this map so much I know have one for most cities I visit, like Manhattan!



3. Map is extremely small and difficult to read. It did help but, it was not easy to use, especially while driving when information is needed rapidly.



4. This was the best source for helping us maneuver through the maze of buildings, monuments, and memorials in Washington, DC. The map is very functional. Flip it one way and you see the Metro, flip it another way you see the mall, still another and you have a DC area map. Since it's laminated, I kept it in my pocket while walking around and didn't worry about it getting sweaty or damaged. I really like the detailed names of the buildings and monuments near and around the national mall. Metro stops and streets are well marked. The next best thing to GPS.



5. We used this guide everyday of our trip to Washington, DC. The subway guide was especially useful. I never felt lost, and didn't waste any time trying to figure out where to go. It was such an important thing to have each day, we double checked each time we left the hotel to make sure we had it. I highly recommend it.