Customer Reviews

Not For Tourists Guide To Washington D.C. 2005 (Not for Tourists)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

this book is essentially a series of maps. each neighborhood gets two maps, one showing things like banks and atms, the other with restaurants and bars, etc. both maps show the metro stops and street names very clearly. i'm currently looking for an apartment in dc (from out of town) and it has been extremely useful in figuring out where buildings are, and if they are in fact "walk to metro!" or whether that walk is a hike. there are a brief (2 sentences) descriptions of the neighborhoods but nothing in depth. there are lists of important numbers, maps of airports, and other handy tidbits i'm sure will be appreciated when i actually move in. my one HUGE complaint keeping this book from 5 stars is that the maps aren't marked with a scale! a 5th grade basic, scale is extremely important in determining how far things are from eachother. obviously. especially since the maps are clearly different scales depending on the size of the neighborhood or locale (ie: reagan airport vs. georgetown). while still useful, having a simple scale on each map would make this book perfect.

The maps are very good and easy to navigate, and their overviews of the main attractions in the D.C. area are about as good as one can hope for in a 1-2 page space for each. They also have good maps of the local transit system. One limitation that potential buyers should be aware of is that this book only deals with D.C. proper and a little bit of Fairfax County - Prince George's County (everything east of the Anacostia River) and Montgomery County (everything north & west of Bethesda) are ignored. If you need information on those areas, you will need to seek out other sources.

If you're moving to a new major city or just spending more than a few days in one and you want to really get to know the locale, this guide's for you. It's easy to decipher, offers invaluable information complete with legible, detailed area maps, and the bars, restaurants, shops, schools, churches, sites and more in each neighborhood. I, who am admittedly direction-challenged (even as to left and right), managed to find my way easily around San Francisco for the 4 mos. I was there and was so impressed I purchased one for DC where I've lived for almost 20 yrs. If you want to know where you're going and what's there when you arrive--buy this guide!

This is a good, useful basic guide for residents and tourists who want to see the real D.C. behind the museums and the White House. I was born in D.C. and this book has provided me with a great deal of information that I will use. I also recommend "The Shopper's Guide to Washington, D.C." by Karen Ertel and "Washington from A to Z" by Paul Wasserman.