Guide to Washington, D.C.

Digital City: Washington, D.C.   AOL's guide to the Nation's Capital.

Restaurants

Restaurant Guide   Microsoft (a.k.a. the Evil Empire) has a great guide to restaurants throughout the Washington, D.C. area.

Transportation

Metrorail is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get around the city.  The Washington Post has put together a guide to getting around on DC's subway system.  They also reproduce a map of the system.  The "missing link" of the Green Line is expected to be completed before the end of 1999.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, better known as Metro, runs buses as well as the famously clean and efficient subway system.  This site includes bus and rail timetables.

Traffic Updates courtesy of the Washington Post can help you avoid our region's unfortunately heavy traffic.  Any bets on of the Cabin John Bridge or I-66 will be backed up?

Dr. Gridlock  This Washington Post columnist writes about traffic and answers letters from readers about traffic problems in the area.  Sort of a Miss Manners for commuters.

Ride-On is Montgomery County's bus system.  Surprisingly comprehensive, the system intersects well with Metrobus and Metrorail.

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and MARC (Maryland Rail Commuter Service) provide commuter rail service from Union Station to locations in the outer suburbs of Maryland and Virginia, and even Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

CUE buses provide transport between the Vienna Metro Station and George Mason University as well as other points nearby Fairfax.

Weather

Weather Forecast courtesy of the Washington Post..  It even includes an AccuWeather satellite photo of the region.

Entertainment

Guide  courtesy of the City Paper of events around the region, including theater, dance, museums, music, film, and more.

Theaters

Arena Stage
Folger Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Kennedy Center is Washington's premiere performing arts space.  It is home to the National Symphony Orchestra as well as the Washington Opera.  Plays are performed in the Eisenhower Theatre.
National Theatre
Signature Theatre
Warner Theatre
Wolf Trap is an amazing outdoor park and center for the performing arts run by the National Park Service.

Museums and Historical Sites

Smithsonian Institution  Information about all of the many museums that are a part of this incredible Washington network.
The National Mall  Links to information about all of the monuments in America's federal park.
National Parks in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
National Archives
National Gallery of Art
Corcoran Museum of Art
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Newseum
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Mount Vernon was the home of George Washington.
National Zoo

Shopping

Bookstores

This listing includes only local independents on the net:

Politics and Prose is located on upper Connecticut Ave. (just below Nebraska Ave.) and is a great place to browse or have a late-night nosh.
Kramerbooks & afterwords is the ultimate Washington bookstore.  Located in Dupont Circle, Ken Starr subpoened Kramers to find out what Monica was reading.  It's a combination bookstore, cafe, and bar.  Open all night on weekends.
Atticus Used Books and Music
Olsson's Records and Books is a local chain that has a good selection.  They have a discount program.  Service ranges from attitude to excellent.
Second Story Books sells used books in several locations.  Unfortunately, many of their staff could be a little more friendly...  ok, a lot more friendly.  Don't shop there.

Doing the Mall thing... 

Ballston Common (Ballston Metro)
Montgomery Mall
The Old Post Office Pavillion
Reston Town Center
Tysons Corner Center
REALMalls has information about Georgetown Park, National Place (Metro Center), Frederick Towne Center, Lakeforest Mall, Potomac Mills, Fair Oaks, and Beltway Plaza among others.

More on Malls and Metro: There is a shuttle from White Flint Metro to White Flint Mall.   Pentagon City Mall is located right at the Pentagon City Metro stop.

Outlets

Potomac Mills  You love it or you hate it (put me in category B).  IKEA is the anchor store.
Blue Ridge Outlet Center is located in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Getting Out of Town

Daytrips from Washington

Annapolis
Visitors and Convention Bureau has a nice and easy to use guide to Maryland's capital and all of Anne Arundel County.
Maryland Seafood Festival
 
Baltimore
Digital City: Baltimore  AOL's guide to Maryland's largest city.
Convention and Visitors Association  Lots of good info courtesy of Maryland's government.
Transportation within Bawlmer and to and from the city.
 
Harper's Ferry
Harper's Ferry National Historic Park Bookshop

Airports

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority runs both National (locals NEVER call DCA "Reagan National") and Dulles (IAD) Airports.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport, better known as BWI, is in range of Washington.  It is Southwest's hub on the east coast.  USAirways is running many of its Metrojet flights out of BWI, as well as Dulles, in order to compete.

The Beach

After Memorial Day, it sometimes seems as if everyone is . . . sitting on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge trying to get to the beach.  Seriously though, since Governor Schaefer's "Reach the Beach" program, it is much easier to, well, reach the beach.  The Kent Narrows bridge is no longer a drawbridge and Denton has a bypass.   Don't speed, particular in Delaware, particularly in Bridgeville, Delaware (when the signs say 25 mph, you go 25 mph).  This state has no sales or income tax and has to get revenue somewhere.  And woe unto you should you fail to properly fill a parking meter or violate some other unknown ordinance.

Bethany Beach is a lot larger than when I first started going there, but it is still relatively small and the family beach.  Rehoboth Beach is perhaps the most diverse of the beach towns, attracting just about everyone.  The boardwalk and Rehoboth Avenue are a good fun mix of old and new tacky Americana.  Off the boardwalk are a surprising number of non-t-shirt stores and non-pizza restaurants.  Dewey Beach was the last beach to ban drinking on the beach on Atlantic Coast and still attracts the young, fun crowd.

Some quick tips: Nicola's Pizza, located just off Rehoboth Ave. across from the McDonald's, sells Nic-o-boli's, a great tasting ancient beach tradition.  Browseabout books, located a fair walk up Rehoboth Ave., has a surprisingly good selection of books.

Directions to Rehoboth Beach "The Nation's Summer Capital."
Guide to Delaware Beaches and Ocean City, Maryland includes street maps, information about real estate, and shopping.
Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach Guide
Rehoboth Beach Guide #1
Rehoboth Beach Guide #2
Guide to Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island
Guide to Bethany Beach

Universities and Colleges

American University
School of Public Affairs
Department of Government
Library  Check out their collection of electronic journals.
ALADIN is the online catalog of the Washington Research Library Consortium.
Courses and Calendars
Courses Using the Web
Catholic University of America
Gallaudet University serves deaf students from around the world.
George Mason University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Howard University is one of the nation's premiere African-American universities.
Montgomery College is Montgomery County's excellent community college.
University of the District of Columbia
University of Maryland, College Park

Internet Resources

Digital City

 

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The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by American University. If you have any questions about this page or any of the links are outdated, please email David Lublin at dlublin@american.edu. This page was last updated on February 19, 1999.