Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2004 [Paperback]

Elise H. Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2003 | Series: Frommer's Complete Guides

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Thoroughly updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Washington, D.C. features gorgeous color photos of the monuments and memorials, sights and experiences that await you. Our expert author, a longtime resident, hits all the highlights, from the Smithsonian to springtime's glorious cherry blossoms. She's checked out all the city's best hotels and restaurants in person, and will help you find the choices that suit your tastes and budget. Her honest and opinionated dining reviews encompass everything from the best power lunch spots to family-friendly choices, from affordable ethnic spots to trendy bistros opened by D.C.'s hottest new chefs.

Our complete sightseeing guide offers fascinating background stories and practical logistical tips. Look for up-to-the-minute coverage of shopping and nightlife; detailed walking tours; accurate neighborhood maps; and side trips to Mount Vernon and Alexandria. You'll even get a color fold-out map and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer’s, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices. Frommer’s. Your guide to a world of travel experience.

Choose the Only Guide That Gives You:

• Side trips to Alexandria & Mt. Vernon.
• Outspoken opinions on what’s worth your time and what’s not.
• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
• The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.

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; the London-based Bradman's North America Guide, The Essential Guide to Business Travel; Ladies' Home Journal, and other national, regional, and trade publications. In addition to this guide, she is the author of Frommer's Washington, D.C., from $80 a Day, Frommer's Memorable Walks in Washington, D.C., and Unique Meeting, Wedding, and Party Places in Greater Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 1 edition (October 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764538896
• ISBN-13: 978-0764538896
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,127,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can make a good trip to the nation's capitol great!, July 28, 2004

By 

Winter's Icy Grip - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2004 (Paperback)

I picked up this guide for our trip to Washington DC, and was very happy that I did.

We spent 5 days in the city, and ate in the inexpensive to moderate restaurants recommended in the book and did not have a bad meal, and several great meals. We ate at Ethiopian, Thai, Southwestern, and American restaurants.

Our hotel, The Churchill, was recommended in the book, and we booked it on The Churchill's website (mentioned in the book as well) and were able to get a giant room (huge bedroom, even bigger living room, nice size kitchen area with table, and a small bathroom) with a kitchenette for $149 a night. The on-line booking web sites didn't list any rooms with a kitchenette. (The rack rate on the door of our room listed it as $450 a night).

The Frommers guide listed itineraries for staying for one to several days, so we picked and chose some of the activities mentioned. And the info on the galleries and museums were more than sufficient to plan our days and nights.

The Metro-rail info and map were right on the money.

The included full-size map of Washington DC was indispensable.

The only thing that I noticed was incorrect in the book was that the shuttle between Dupont Circle to Georgetown was $1 (not $.50).

I would have also liked to know how far the zones were for the taxi cabs (Is a cab from Georgetown to our hotel in one zone? Or did it cross into a second).

I bought a couple of guidebooks, but all but abandoned the others since this one was so comprehensive. Highly recommended!!!!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KFBoehme, August 7, 2005

By 

K. F. Boehme - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2005 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

I always rely on Frommer's guides when I travel. This book does not disappoint. Frommer's D.C. guide makes it easy to navigate through the city and helps me to make good use of my limited time. The restaurant & lodging reviews are very accurate and dependable.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frommers Washington D.C., July 8, 2005

By 

Craig Mcwilliams "cmcwill" (minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2005 (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

This book is pretty helpful for a tourist in D.C. I referred to it several times during the course of my 7 day visit. What it doesn't make clear is that Tourmobile tours can be very frustrating. They are portrayed as easy on easy off shuttles, but in reality they overbook their capacity and cannot accomodate people waiting, thus prolong the wait and waste valuable vacation time for their customers. Other than not informing customers about the inefficiency of Tourmobile I'd say this publication is pretty good.