Washington, D.C. For Dummies, Second Edition [Paperback]

Tom Price (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dummies Travel | Publication Date: February 3, 2003

From the White House to the Smithsonian, from the Washington Monument to the Jefferson Memorial, there’s more than enough to see and do in the nation’s capital. If you want to the best of the district — nightlife, culture, and historical sites included — this handy, friendly guide will help you enjoy everything Washington has to offer. Inside you’ll find:

• The very best free attractions
• A calendar of events for every season
• Tips for travelers with special needs or interests
• Metro maps and bus routes for getting around
• A special shoppers guide to great bargains
• Family itineraries and great day trips

Like every For Dummies travel guide, Washington D.C. For Dummies includes:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip
• The best restaurants and hotels for every budget
• Lots of detailed maps

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your insider’s guide to the best places and prices

Have a great time in the nation’s capital

From the White House to the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. is jam-packed with historic sites and great museums. Where should you begin? Relax! This friendly guide points you to all the top sights – so that you can plan a smooth, memorable trip.

Discover:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn’t miss – and what you can skip
• The best restaurants and hotels for every budget
• Lots of detailed maps

About the Author

Tom Price has lived in and written about Washington for more than two decades. As a journalist who focuses on government and politics, he knows the ins and outs of official Washington. As the parent of a Washington native who is making the transition from high school to college, he’s discovered the best Washington places for kids of all ages. As a long-time D.C. resident, he’s found fun and interesting Washington experiences for adults of all ages as well, having repeatedly explored the city with his family and visiting friends. From late 1982 through 1995, Tom was a correspondent in the Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau. Since then, he has been a freelance writer whose work has appeared in books, magazines, and newspapers and on Internet sites. With his wife, Susan Crites Price, Tom is coauthor of The Working Parents Help Book: Practical Advice for Dealing with the Day-to-Day Challenges of Kids and Careers, which won a Parents’ Choice Award, was a Scholastic Book Club selection, and has been featured by “Today,” “Oprah,” and other broadcast and print media. Previously, Tom, a Pittsburgh native, reported for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (February 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764554654
• ISBN-13: 978-0764554650
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,437,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Travel > United States > Washington, D.C.

More About the Author

Tom Price is a veteran newspaper reporter, Washington correspondent and freelance writer whose work focuses on government, politics, business, technology, education and travel.

Between two stints as a freelancer -- the current stretch beginning in 1996 -- Tom worked as a correspondent in the Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau and as chief politics writer for the Cox newspapers in Dayton, Ohio.

Tom is co-author of Changing the Face of Hunger: One Man's Story of How Liberals, Conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, and People of Faith are Joining Forces to Help the Hungry, the Poor, and the Oppressed (Thomas Nelson, 2006, soft-cover edition 2007). It was written with Tony Hall, former U.S. representative and ambassador, whom Tom covered during his newspaper career.

Tom is the author of three major studies of politics and the Internet, all published by the Foundation for Public Affairs: "Creating a Digital Democracy: The Impact of the Internet on Public Policy Making" (1999); "Cyber Activism: Advocacy Groups and the Internet" (2000); and "Public Affairs Strategies in the Internet Age" (2002), a look at how businesses are using the Internet to influence public policy and public opinion. He wrote four other studies for the foundation: "Activists in the Boardroom: How Advocacy Groups Seek to Shape Corporate Behavior" (2006;) "Promoting CEO Engagement in Public Affairs" (2007); and "When Disaster Strikes: A New Guide to Crisis Management" (2008); and "Managing Risk: Public Affairs and Enterprise Risk Management."

Tom is a contributing writer for Congressional Quarterly's CQ Researcher and a guest writer for the Miller-McCune.com online magazine. He writes a public policy column for the science magazine Optics and Photonics News. He is the author of three Frommer's travel guides: Washington, D.C., for Dummies (Wiley Publishing, 2003, 2005 and 2007), and, with his wife Susan Crites Price, The Irreverent Guide to Washington, D.C. (Wiley, 2005 and 2007) and Washington, D.C., Free and Dirt Cheap (Wiley, 2010).

Tom's work also has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Rolling Stone, Inter@ctive Week, Business Education Forum, The Year in Computing, The Year in Defense, The Year in Energy and Public Affairs Review. He has written for online services such as ChamberBiz.com and The Family Education Network. His clients also have included the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Kettering Foundation and publications at Georgetown and American universities.

With Susan, Tom is coauthor of The Working Parents Help Book: Practical Advice for Dealing with the Day-to-Day Challenges of Kids and Careers (Peterson's 1994, rev. ed. 1996). The book won a Parents' Choice Award, was a selection of the Scholastic Book Club, and has been featured by "Today," "Oprah" and other broadcast and print media. The Prices wrote the weekly "Working Parents Lifeline" column, which was published in more than 60 newspapers, and the weekly "Working Solutions" column, which appeared first on the Family Planet Internet site and now is archived on Disney's Family.com.

Tom has spoken around the country about politics and the Internet and has been interviewed on numerous national and local television and radio broadcasts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That May Put Me Out Of Work, June 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Washington D.C. for Dummies (Paperback)

As a concierge at one of D.C.'s finest hotels, I was shocked and humbled by the wealth of knowledge in this book that I should have already known, but didn't. While there have been some minor changes in regards to some restaurants and hotels, the book was remarkably accurate with its information. I have two copies; one at home for visiting friends and one at my desk for quick reference. Anyone working in the travel industry should keep this nearby for an essential job tool.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Be A Dummy. Pick A Better Travel Guide., June 30, 2004

By 

Winter's Icy Grip - See all my reviews

This review is from: Washington, D.C. For Dummies, Second Edition (Paperback)

I've read through several Washington DC. travel guides, and this one was, by far, the worst. It's very far from comprehensive, and spent far too much time on things like "How to get to Washington, DC", and very little time talking about hotels (a negligently small listing), restaurants and nightlife (a few paragraphs). Book is black and white with no color photos, no color maps (so no different colors for each of the metro lines), actually very little in the way of maps, and no photos to speak of either. Poor. Frommers Washington DC guide is a far better investment. Even Fodors is better. Possibly the weekend section of the Washington Post would be more useful than this paperweight.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Useful, July 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Washington, D.C. For Dummies, Second Edition (Paperback)

I guess this book is useful if you want to know such insightful things as it gets hot in the summer in Washington DC and kids are not in school, or, that it gets very cold in the winter (imagine that). Other gems include that you can take a cab from the airport to your hotel, and to wear comfortable shoes if you plan to do a lot of walking. I picked this up before a trip to the nation's capitol, and was underwhelmed with the information. Luckily one of my buddies had a different much more comprehensive guide to the Washington DC, so we opted to use that.