The DC Traveler

This week I checked the several of the travel websites, such as Expedia for hotels on the night before (or week of) the historic inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama. 
If you are planning on attending the inauguration from out of town, start your planning now.  In fact, start planning two weeks ago, because most, if not all of the 95,000 area hotel rooms are already booked.  And expect to look hard for alternatives.  An estimated million and a half people are currently expected to attend what may be one of the largest events, and the largest inauguration, on the …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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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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