Customer Reviews:
 Useful guide, even with the quirks October 5, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Back in '96 I deployed my first Lonely Planet in the Pacific Northwest United States. Later that same year I had a meeting in Washington DC and managed a whirlwind tour of the monuments around the National Mall and a very short visit to the Air and Space Museum. I was so knocked out I swore I'd go back, and when I finally did I was equipped with the obligatory LP.
This book, in fact, helped me cover more ground than I could reasonably have expected in two days. This timetable unfortunately prohibited any experimentation with the beguiling night attractions described - maybe next time! - but it helped me do justice to the splendour of the Mall at last, and to find my way round efficiently (also aided, I will admit, by MapEasy's excellent plan), even locating The World Bank's Information Centre, (thanks for the tip-off, LP!) which is exceptional for specialist development economics publications, if that's your thing.
LP's special section on the National Mall is particularly useful, detailing most of the major points of interest. One puzzling omission was the Aquarium (shown on the MapEasy plan). Granted, the one at Baltimore (which gets a mention in the Excursions section) is special, but I'd have liked to have known what the one in DC was like.
Also strange is the book's treatment of the Natural History Museum, implying that it's not much more than a shopping opportunity. In fact it's excellent: well laid out, informative and comprehensive. In fairness, the Museum's website isn't much help either.
Maybe the problem is that the authors are relying overmuch on childhood memories for the museums and instead hanging out in the cool diners, being hip and right on, gay friendly and Bush hostile. Still, that's the LP way, I guess, and there are worse things to be.
One thing I found that the authors don't comment on is how hard it is to find decent accommodation at short notice. I'd have preferred to stay closer to the Mall but ended up in a sub-par Best Western in Arlington, which did at least have a shuttle to the Metro, for which the authors give good tips, and which is superb, even in rush hour. The shuttle drops customers off at Pentagon City station, adjacent one of the shopping malls described in the book. I don't know how it compares with others in the city, but if shopping is on your itinerary then this is one to try. It's enormous, particularly for an inner city location.
However, there's a whole rack of sights and attractions I wasn't able to tick off this time round, including the "giant" Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, the Shakespeare Theatre (there's a new one opening soon, according to The Economist, so be careful) and a specialist stationery store in Dupont Circle. And did I mention the cool diners?
So as usual for an LP guide, this book is mostly useful, marginally cranky, and already partially out of date, despite publication and my visit both being 2007. But hey, that's the way of the world! You can bet your life my Pacific Northwest edition needs replacing!
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