Customer Reviews

Washington, D.C. For Dummies, Second Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Washington D.C. for Dummies has repeatedly proven to be the unsurpassable reference guide for planning my first visit to our Nation's Capital. This book is packed with information about the city, the do's and don't's of the city, maps, tips for adults, kid friendly places, and how to make the most of your time and money in the Capital. I mostly enjoyed having an abundance of web site addresses at my fingertips for more information if needed. This book is a "must have" for anyone who wants to preplan an exciting, economic and fun trip to Washington D.C.

My family just returned from a wonderful trip to DC. As a mom who always researches our trips, I have bought a lot of books that help give info and advice on what to do and see on trips. This was one of the better ones I saw in the stores on DC. After purchasing it and reading through it, I found that the info was acurate and up to date. It gave a lot of tips that I wouldn't have known any other way. It saved us time and money. It was also a neat way to share info with my kids while we were at different monuments that didn't have tour guides available. I am a fan of the "Dummies" books!

I bought this book for my mom and thought I would do a quick read of it. I've been to Washington DC four or five times. This book has some interesting things in it if you have never traveled before. Like it talks about how to get a decent deal on a flight, rental car or train. It also explains what the Metro and the Metrobus is. It has a good selection of hotels and restaurants. I think the thing I was most disappointed about though was the reviews on the attractions. I was expecting more in-depth insights and coverages of the museums and other sites around Washington. Not paragraph blurbs. It was kinda sad and it definitely lowered the ranking for this book. I would recommend this book as a quick read in the bookstore or a library checkout book.

I'm the editor of this book (and hired Tom Price to write it) so I know it VERY well. Mr. Price is a longtime DC resident, and welcomes the reader into his home town in a way that is both informative and funny.

Price covers a lot of ground in a book that's not a long slog: he hits the high points like the new Spy Museum, compiles lists of attractons for people who love museums, architecture, the outdoors, and gives the pros and cons of visiting our nation's capital in each season.

DC is a momumental city, and it can be daunting to fit it into a short visit, but you CAN make the most of your time there with Price's expert guidance.