Lonely Planet Washington, DC [Paperback]

Aaron Anderson (Author), Becca Blond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Tradition and innovation are twin pillars in America's captial city, where grand monuments beckon, memorials inspire and power browkers cut deals in Downtown bistros and Georgetown bars. Washington, DC appeals with attractions as diverse as the nation's population. Our savvy authors scour the city, pinpointing the best experiences in DC.

Explore The National Mall - experience America's front yard your own way with our special full-color National Mall chapter.

Tour The City - sample the corridors of power before savoring daily life in DC's energetic, vibrant neighborhoods.

Eat Out - indulge in Ethiopian pancakes, olive martinis, overstuffed Tex-Mex, oysters and mimosas, and all-American ice cream.

Go All Night - cut loose like the locals in DC's relentless nightlife scene by downing rooftop drinks, catching shows at the 9:30 Club or clubbing in Dupont till dawn.

Hit The Road - see the best of the Capital Region's varied attractions, from Atlantic beaches to Civil War battlegrounds to the full pallet of colors at Shenandoah National Park.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 3rd edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740597990
• ISBN-13: 978-1740597999
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,013,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Travel > United States > Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very serviceable guidebook, June 5, 2007

By 

TeddyN "GenBanks" "teddyn" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Washington, DC (Paperback)

This is a good guide to Washington D.C. and it is very recent to, having been published in April 2007. I went to D.C. in May and was not disappointed. I would have liked more tips aimed at those on a 'shoestring' budget, but there was plenty here to keep me busy for a week. (I especially recommend you check out the cafe in the American Indian museum-- delicious!)

I didn't think there were too many left leaning comments as a previous reviewer said. Some people are too sensitive to that sort of thing. It would definitely be extreme to avoid buying it because of supposed 'left wing commentary' and it's highly unfair to give a low star rating just because ones feelings were hurt by a comment which was perceived as being partisan. Anyway, this book isn't just aimed at Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians, Irish... The whiff of anti-Bush sentiment that might be noticed in the 'background' chapters is just normal to most people. And why do you need to read the background to 'American politics' if you're American??

This guide also has some nice suggestions on excursions, such as to Baltimore or to some of the Civil War sites of Virginia. The book is compact and well laid-out, so overall very pleasing for that Lonely Planet collection!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lonely Planet DC, CITY GUIDE, May 5, 2004

By 

Craig Schulz "uncle_pennybags" (Iowa, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Washington, DC (Paperback)

Just so no one else gets confused...this is a city guide of Washington DC, not a 'traditonal' Lonely Planet guide book. That having been said, I do love the small size of the book makes it a lot more handy to carry around. The content however is a little more heavy on the history of the town and little usless tidbits then on the what to do & where to go. Single paragraph discriptions of the various museums & attractions are good for an on the fly type book, but not so much for doing resarch on planning a trip.

Of course there is so much in DC that I can understand the smallish descriptions, all in all, good to keep in the pocket when in town. 3 stars for not identifing it's self as a City Guide other then in the picture.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good guide as always, but not LP's best for sure..., April 9, 2002

By 

"mateo73" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Washington, DC (Paperback)

I've been fortunate enough to have used Lonely Planet books throughout Europe, Australia and parts of North America and have always found them reliable and accurate. However, the Washington DC edition falls quite short of the LP standard that I have become used to.

First of all, of course the information on attractions and especially security is vastly out of date, but more importantly, there were more than a couple recommendations that I followed in the guide that led me to a closed bar (twice), a bad place to eat (three times), and a REALLY BAD hostel recommendation. What was said in the guide to be the best hostel around turned out to be the worst one I've ever stayed in.

There were far more popular guides with the people I met, the Let's Go being the guide of choice. Having used the LP to some frustration, I would recommend using an alternate source of info for your trip to the Capital.