Some guidebooks worth consulting:

• Washington D.C. (Eyewitness Travel Guides) from DK Publishing. ISBN: 0789495767
• Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2005 (Frommer's Complete) ISBN: 0764572903
• The Official Guide to the Smithsonian (Paperback) ISBN: 1588340031
• Frommer's Washington, D.C., With Kids (Frommers Family Travel Guides) ISBN: 0028620658

If you're going to order from amazon, don't forget to use the link from WG's home page!

StationMasters, a great little book, is not available from amazon, but a great tool for DC's Metro system (especially if you are going to do some exploring on your own, or return to DC in the future) is available here. The online version is just as informative, and links to individual Metro stations throughout this website are from the StationMasters site.

Using DC's Metro system like a native

• Planning your route

  Crystal City is served by two Metro lines, the Yellow and the Blue. Most of your travel will probably be easiest along the Blue, since you'll have to change lines if you take the Yellow into DC for most tourist destinations. The Yellow line crosses over the Potomac, and provides a brief but pretty view of the river, Jefferson Memorial, and Washington Monument.

  To plan your trip you will need to figure out the name at the end of the line in the direction you are heading. The final stations on the Blue line are Largo (in MD) and Franconia/Springfield (in VA); on the Yellow they are Huntington (VA) and Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center (DC). From the hotel to go to DC, you will want either Largo or Mt. Vernon. To get back to the hotel, you will want to find Franconia/Springfield or Huntington.

  Metro's trip planner gives detailed directions, prices, and times.

  
  

• Prices & buying your ticket

  Don't plan trying to buy a ticket for each trip. Instead, buy a ticket for $10 or $20, and run off of that. Metro rail fares are based on distance travelled, and the proper amount will be deducted from your ticket at the end of your trip. One way to the Smithsonian from the hotel is $1.35, for example. Rather than racing to buy a ticket before each trip, keep some value on your ticket and avoid panicing to buy a ticket before your train leaves.

  Each passenger must have their own ticket. A family of four must have four separate tickets, and cannot run one ticket four times.

  If your trip costs more than you have on your ticket, you will be directed to an ExitFare machine to up the value on your ticket. ExitFare machines take cash or coins. If you have exactly the price of your fare on your ticket, the machine will eat your ticket.

  If you'd like, Xine will be willing to buy your leftover tickets from you (they can be combined onto a commuter's card for free) for face value.

  The ticket machines sometimes have problems with very marked georges. In Xine's experience, the more marks in the middle of the bill, the more likely it will be rejected. In a pinch, there are machines that will accept plastic...but who'd want to do that???

  
  

• Using your ticket, or, fun at the turnstyles

  With the arrow pointing forward, stick your ticket in the slot on the front of the turnstyle, and pick it up again on the top as you pass through.

  If you're in an extra wide gate (handicap and luggage accessible), your ticket will come out at the same place where you inserted it.

  
  

• Courtesy of the natives

  Repeat after me: Stand to the right, walk to the left. Nothing will irritate the natives worse than a blocked up escalator. Except maybe people who stand in the doorways of trains at stations. If you're on a crowded train and are stuck at the doors, please step out to help speed things up. Trust me, there will be more room when they're gone. And please be ready to go through the ticket gates when you get there--have your ticket out and ready and keep traffic flowing.

  
  

• Other stuff

  DC's Metro system is serious when they say do not eat or drink on the trains. Surely you all heard about the woman who was arrested for finishing her candy bar as she entered the station?

  Since we'll be working from a hotel directly at the Metro station, there won't be need to park in a Metro station parking lot. However, if folks are thinking about driving to a Metro station and parking to meet the group at an event, please be aware that Metro parking lots now require a SmarTrip card (with at least $3.75 on it (prices vary, based on station)) to exit parking lots.

  Photography is not allowed at the Pentagon station. Expect more security than you are used to.

  The stations are kinda dim, the signage can be hard to see if you have a full train. There are announcements, but they can be garbled. It's best to count the number of stations between your start and your stop, and keep track that way.

When in doubt, ask the Station Manager in the booth for help. They're there to answer questions and make the ticket gates work when they break.

Understanding DC's street addresses

F St. NE.
Eye and 18th NW.
Sixth Street SW

16th & Penn, NW
You've probably seen addresses for place in DC, but the NW/SW/NE/SE at the end never made much sense. Here's a guide to help clear things up.

Lettered streets are east-west.
Numbered streets are north-south.
Streets named for states are on diagonals.

The four areas of DC are bounded by the Mall and North, South, and East Capitol Streets. Most DC attractions you may want to visit will probably be in NW DC, but the BEP is in SW, and Union Station is NE.

Lettered streets run in "alphabets"--that is, the first street on either side of the East Capitol is A, next is B, next is C, etc. **There are no J, X, or Z streets, and I Street is frequently called "Eye Street" to avoid confusion with 1st St.** After running through the letters, streets are given (still in alphabetical order) two-syllable names. And then the process starts again with three syllables. There are even some four-syllable names in far northern NW DC.

It can make a major difference if you're referring to 9th & G...there are four possible (and very, very different) intersections of "9th & G" so please be sure to keep track of NW, NE, SW, and SE when dealing with addresses.

Taxis in DC

DC's taxis don't run on meters, but on a zone system. There is a complicated pattern involved in pricing, made up of the number of zones you cross, number of passengers, extra fees for rush hour, and any fuel surcharge that might be in effect. The genius (?) of the system is that it can add more than a few georges to your cab ride if you choose to be let out on one sid of the street or the other.

It's a mystery to most locals, too, so your best bet is to ask the driver for an estimate before taking a seat to prevent the driver from changing his or her mind. Or call the rider-oriented D.C. Taxicab Commission at (202) 645-6018 and ask for a price quote. Most of the sites you may want to visit are in Zone 1. All zone pricing is irrelevant if your destination if you ride out of DC to VA or MD.

Most events planned for this gathering will be Metro accessible OR we will be carpooling.

Taxicab companies:
• Barwood Taxicab (202) 829-4222
• Best Cab (202) 265-7834
• Capitol Cab (202) 546-1974
• Diamond Cab (202) 387-2221
• Dulles Cab (202) 333-3385
• Globe Cab (202) 232-3700

We've received a note that says that the DC Taxi Commission has raised fares, so the prices listed here are now out of date, and should be viewed as a "less than the minimum" estimate for the fare. Best bet is to ask the driver for a price before starting to move.

Virginia taxicab companies:
• Yellow Cab (703) 527-2222
• Red Top Cab (703)522-3333

Parking

Parking is available at the hotel for $16/day--and $22/day for valet! Sorry. However, there are underground parking lots for the offices and shops around Crystal City that are free after 4PM on Fridays, and all day Saturday & Sunday. Crystal City website with vaguely useful addresses. The parking garages we recommed are off Crystal Drive, and the hotel in the 1700 block of Jefferson Davis Hwy.

Parking in DC can be very expensive and scarce. Street parking is limited. Many garages, especially in areas with lots of government offices, fill up early. If you think you'd prefer to drive to events to alleviate mobility concerns, please contact us and we will work with you to find parking options for events. Otherwise, please plan on taking the Metro.

Security

Welcome to DC! Please empty your pockets, place your bags on the conveyor belt, and walk through the metal detector. You will do this often, unfortuantely--every time you go into a Smithsoanian Museum or government building, for certain. Plan ahead and carry as little extra stuff as possible. Some places may even ask for a photo ID...to prove that you have a picture of yourself encased in plastic, apparently.

While DC is one of the more security-intense cities in the world, it is a big city with all the joys and troubles that accompany city status. Please be aware of your personal security, and your personal possessions. If you're not comfortable in a situation, take yourself somewhere secure such as into a store or restaurant, change cars on the train (the driver is in the first car, you may prefer to sit there) or hail a cab to make a quick exit.

DC offers the distinction of having more police agencies than anywhere on the planet, possibly. Metropolitan Police, Secret Service, Metro Police, National Park Police, Capitol Police, Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police....you get the idea. Help, if you need it (and you really probably won't) is rarely far away.

Weather in late June

June, especially late June, can be warm. The Weather Channel says that the average high is 87, average low is 64. DC can be very, very, very humid. Most museums and indoor attractions are usually air conditioned.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please contact us.