DC Washington Books

Now in an updated sixth edition, Irreverent Guide to Washington D.C. is a travel and tourism guide that cuts through useless promotion to give the straight scoop on Washington D.C.'s attractions, accommodations, dining, shopping, night life, and much more. Maps, memorials, directions, radio stations, tip recommendations, an index for quick lookup, and much more fill this no-nonsense, accessible and easy-to-read guide. Of especial interest is the "You Probably Didn't Know" section filled with advice about how the locals handle things - from the strict efficiency with which parking violations are prosecuted to the D.C. etiquette of standing only on the right side of an escalator so that those who wish to walk may climb up the left side. A "must-have" for anyone visiting D.C., whether for business or pleasure.

If you don't have a cousin living in D.C. this guide is the next best thing. It's good scoop from a native. I enjoy visiting the District and this book has helped me get beyond the mall to new places of interests. I especially appreciate the info on safety, given that other guides are squeamish about this subject.

I've only briefly skimmed through this book, basically because I didn't see any information that would be particularly helpful. Granted, that could be because I already own and have read "The Insider's Guide to Washington, D.C." and "Frommer's Washington, D.C." I would recommend both of those books over "The Irreverent Guide." I bought this book thinking it might provide me with a more honest, less deferential review of things, letting me know what really was and wasn't worth my time. However, I haven't seen anything new or particularly different about this book. This book would do the job, but the other books are much more thorough, and I would recommend either one of them instead.

This book has few of the hallmarks that make Moon guidebooks useful and worthwhile: there is extremely little historical information, and--even though I have spent some time in D.C.--the book manages to make the place seem uncommonly dull (shopping? Who goes to Washington D.C. for the shopping?). While the maps of the individual areas are good, the overall shape and size of the book is awkward and unappealing. I will continue to buy the generally excellent Moon Handbooks for travel, but I will avoid their Metro guides.

I am a frequent visitor to the Washington, DC area. I've been through a lot of guides and this is the best. First, it has maps of each neighborhood in the front, which is extremely useful. The layout of the book is as follows: there are eight neighborhoods. There are six chapters: Sights, Restaurants, nightlife, shops, arts and leisure, and hotels. In the chapters it lists each location under its neighborhood name. It is very easy to look up something. For example if you want to look up a restaurant you can look on the maps in the front, or in the restaurant chapter. The book describes everything great, and has a lot of color photos. In the back it also has a subway map. The only negative thing is that it doesn't have info on any thing outside of DC like in Northern Virginia, or Maryland, so if you're planning on visiting those places this may not be the best book for you. I really love the book and the size is perfect to hold or put in a pocket or bag. For more info visit [...]

I wanted a guide that would really guide and this is it. Neighborhood maps, sights, and just enough description to be helpful not tedious. I thought the shopping suggestions were unique and the maps that fold-out saved me from looking like a lost tourist.

This is yet another piece of beautiful work from the writers/publishers of the alphabet series based on each state in the United States, including Washington D.C. I have several different editions and love them all. This is a wonderful introduction to our nation's capitol.

I highly recommend this book for guests coming to D.C. for the first time especially! It always gets high marks from the recipients and their families. It's also a great baby gift where parents once lived and/or worked in D.C. Beautifully illustrated and full of wonderful facts. I give it five stars -- although my computer won't cooperate and it seems to only be getting two from me!

I purchased this book for a friend's child. It turned out to be a beautiful book and perfect for reading to your child. (Make sure they're sitting on your lap so they can learn the alphabet and enjoy the pictures.)

City Packs are simply the best. Fodor makes these little CityPack guides for dozens of cities and I've used several with great satisfaction.

Each guide only includes the top 25 sites. They don't give a lot of detail but they give you the essentials. They are designed not for in depth research but as a true pocket guide that you can take with you. Their choice of locations is always right on the money. If you're going to be in DC for less than a week, you can't go wrong by sticking with the sites in the guide. It's very well organized with a map included. It has its own plastic cover. Make use of that by picking up a metro map the first time you take the metro and insert in so you can see the map on the back cover.

I've used these in Paris, Rome, London, DC and Tokyo. They work. Especially if you use "The Insiders Guide" or DK's "Eyewitness Guide" for planning and then take the CityPack in your back pocket. You can't go wrong.

I really don't like this citypack, it has a nice map, and nice pictures, but the "Itinaries" are only two, and of two hours each one, so I dont think for "Itinaries" it can be usefull, it has a really good size, and the Top 25 is excelent

Excellantly laid out with invaluable "tips". Could not have planned my 6-day vacation without it.

This was the first guidebook I purchased when planning a trip to Washington, DC. Frommers always covers the bases and this book is no exception. Hotels, restaurants, local attractions, and more are all covered here. I also found the "Best" lists that Frommers always includes to be useful. It helps me zoom in on the best of the best experiences when time is short on a trip.

The problem I had with the book is that the level of detail for many of these entries was lacking. Hotels get a nice write up but the vast majority of those covered are above the budget for a typical traveler. The information on the tourist attractions also seems fairly comprehensive... until you compare it to the The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. (Unofficial Guides) and realize how much more clear and complete that guide is. While I used this guide for the early stages of planning, it was my frustration with it that prompted me to look at other books and I ultimately stopped using this one and didn't even bring it with me on the trip. The Unofficial Guide has roughly 100 pages of additional content and none of it is filler.

In closing, this is not a bad guidebook for Washington, DC. Most of the basics are covered competently and I'm sure a lot of people have used it and been satisfied. Once you read the Unofficial Guide, however, you'll realize just how much useful information is left out of the Frommers Guide.

While this book was a good idea for youngsters, it left out a number of important places in D.C., so wasn't as useful as I had hoped in helping my little one get ready or remember our trip.

My son is 5 and has become very interested in the buildings of Washington D.C. I had a hard time finding a book that had a lot of pictures without all the verbage. This book is the best that I have found! Delightful pictures will hold the interest of the very young. Recommended for the pre-book-report set!

I highly recommend this wonderful presentation of the story of Washington's Jewish community. I was fortunate enough to see the exhibition that culminated in the publication of this book, and reading the book is like another visit to the exhibit, with the added advantage of being able to read the fascinating essays at my leisure. The story of a community is many stories, and the editors present a compelling overview of a 350 year saga.

SInce I grew up in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a grocer whose family lived above the store at first, I was expecting something more like what I saw at the 350 years of Judaism exhibit- lots of picture of the grocery stores, the dances on the JCC roof, fraternities and sororities, the large percentage of jewish students at Roosevelt and Coolidge High Schools, the Gallatin St. Hot Shoppe, etc. It seemed to me this book, although it had some of that, focused on those families who became very wealthy, built big projects, etc., not on the folks who made a living and more, but were still simple family folks who struggled so their kids could go to college, gave them simple bar mitzvahs and really nice weddings and were very proud of those accomplishments.

I really enjoy the Let's Go series, and have used them as a college student traveling overseas, through graduation and during my work experience in eastern Europe.
I was tranferred back to Washington, D.C., and thought of no better reference book for cool, interesting, and affordable (!) sightseeing and entertainment options in the area than Let's Go.

This book, like all other books I've read in the Let's Go series, displays standard characterisitics:

Strengths: lyrical, entertaining prose, wide range of places and things described, in both tastes and prices. Sometimes when I'm feeling a little "wanderlust," I'll glance over my Let's Go books from overseas trips and just enjoy the write-ups of local history and sights!

Weaknesses: some things are out of date by the time the book is published, and I've found the indexes in the Let's Go books to be weak for the most part. You often can't find very common things in the index based on how you expect them to be listed. They are either in the index under an obscure heading, or simply not indexed. Minor qualm.

Another nice feature of this book is that it is written with interns or recent graduates who are moving to the area for their first jobs in mind.

So whether you're coming for a few days and want a guide book, moving for the summer as an intern, or perhaps taking up residence for an extended stay, I'd highly recommend this book.

I've always been a faithful Lonely Planet user, but my old standard didn't stack up to this Let's Go. Since it is the 2004 edition, it has much more updated info than LP, and I've only found one mistake so far (that being that a camping store supposedly located downtown is not there because it looks like they're turning that block into a parking garage). It's only other downfall that I've noticed is that it's a little heavy on the nightlife side, and I'd like to see more of the suggested walking tours that they have in the front of the book. Otherwise, it has my reccommendation!

The most interesting thing about this collection is that the author writes in a variety of different voices in a convincing way. Anyone who's toiled at a daily newspaper will appreciate the one about the sad reporter. There's a lot of sadness here, the kind of short stories that kind of put you in a funk! But in a good way.
I bumped into the author in an unlikely setting and immediately ordered this book, and I'm glad I did.

This book contains wonderful photographs and brief descriptions of many of Washington's well known and lesser known sites. However, it is already out of date since the WWII Memorial is not included. The book also lacks photos of some of the sites it discusses. However, this doesn't detract from the book's impact. I look forward to it being updated and expanded.