The DC Traveler

Save 5.75% in retail sales tax by shopping in Washington, DC during the annual pre-holiday sales tax exemption week.
The sales tax exemption starts the morning of Friday, November 28 and expires Sunday, December 7, 2008 at midnight.  
The Sales Tax holiday grants shoppers a tax exemption on shoes, clothing and clothing accessories priced less than $100.00 per item.
So check out two of Washington, DC’s favorite shopping malls, Mazza Gallerie Mall and the Shops At Georgetown Park in Georgetown.
For more details on the exemption, check out the DC Office of Tax page.
Image – Flickr – burning money ________________________________________________

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“Ballot 4 Beer“, what’s being called the biggest roaming election night party in Washington, DC, lets you cheer on your candidate to victory or drown your sorrows when your candidate throws in the towel.  
The roving party will be held at four different bars and restaurants in the heart of Washington’s political scene – Capital Hill. 
At each stop, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a highlighted drink and food specials, many with the red/blue theme, plus non-stop to-wall election coverage. Plus, there’ll be election-themed polls, games and raffles for great prizes.
Participating bars and restaurants include:

Tortilla Coast – 400 1st Street, SE
Bullfeathers …read more

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Over 20 million tourists visit Washington DC each year, and it’s a safe and tourist-friendly city.  Most local people will go out of their way to assist tourists, provide directions, take your photo in front of the White House or offer recommendations for dining, nightclubs and more. 
But you might just be approached by a scam artist offering you anything from tickets to “designer” products. 
So when visiting Washington, DC, you know you are getting ripped off if…

Anyone offers you discounted tickets to the National Zoo (it’s free).
You get approached to buy a Smithsonian Museum Pass, good at all …read more

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In Washington, DC, when you are outside in public, you have to believe you are being monitored or at least will be at some point.
With over 5,200 surveillance cameras operational in the District, not including the ones in and around private and public schools, cameras run by news organizations, hotels, tourist attractions and even the public, you can assume you will at some point, be under someone’s watchful eye.
There’s even a live National Park Service Cherry Blossom cam and a dozen or so at the National Zoo, spying on the pandas and tigers, 24 hours-a-day.
But the most notable cameras …read more

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There are over 40 Washington, DC radio stations within listening distance to downtown.  Most DC-based radio transmitter towers are shorter than in most cities, since most are located on shorter buildings or in the suburbs. This causes reception to be poor. It is partially because Washington, DC allows no buildings to be built that are taller than the tip of the statute on the Capitol Building (228 feet), other than the Washington Monument (555 feet).
The tallest radio/TV tower (also the tallest structure) in the District is located at 6001 Georgia Ave., at 9th and Peabody Streets, NW. At 761 feet …read more

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On a warm night on August 28 in 1963, the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom rally in Washington, DC drew over 250,000 people to the National Mall.
After the march, which ended at the Lincoln Memorial, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic 11-minute “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps. 
This march was initiated by the vice president of the AFL-CIO, A. Philip Randolph.  Other groups supported the march, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, the National Urban League and other civil rights organizations. Yet the march was not totally supported by all …read more

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A friend who sends me all kinds of funny e-mails, just passed this one on.  It’s been around for a while, but so true.
It’s a perfect intro for first-time drivers to the Washington, DC area.
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  For those who plan to visit our area…

All directions start with "The Beltway"…which has no beginning and no end, just one continuous loop that locals believe is somehow clarified by an "inner" and "outer loop" designation, which makes no sense to ANYONE outside the area.
The morning rush hour is from 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. The evening rush hour is from 1:00 to 8:00 …read more

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Before the 1872, Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC was a small creek and later, it was turned into a shipping canal, as part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal system.

The original Tiber Creek was widened during the initial construction of the Capital City between 1810 and 1815, when it was converted into part of the the Washington City Canal. The canal ran almost the length of Constitution Avenue, coming within a coupe blocks of the Capitol Building. (See map for original path.)
Since Washington had no public sewer system at the time, the Washington City Canal was used by many residents …read more

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Believe it or not, there’s a club called the HighPointers Club, who’s mission is to encourage people to climb to the highest point in every state in America. Additionally, the club aids in the preservation and conservation of all 50 highpoints across the nation and educating the public about preserving these landmarks.

Last year, the District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors formally surveyed Washington, DC’s highpoint, located at Fort Reno, and discovered the marker was not positioned at the correct location. In April, a rededication ceremony placed the marker at the exact high point in Washington, DC, at an …read more

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Time again for Comments on Controversy, the ongoing series where Starked DC’s J-Michael and I look at controversial news-making issues in Washington, DC.  This time, the new police checkpoints that were set up in NE, after a recent slew of murders last weekend.
The checkpoints established over the weekend in Washington DC’s Trinidad neighborhood 5th Police District, near the National Arboretum, accomplished their goal.  DC Police stated no violent crimes or murders were committed in the area being targeted. 
Six shooting murders in just 7 hours, and eight shooting deaths, plus three others wounded in 8 unrelated incidents, all within a two-mile …read more

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