Blue Guide Washington D.C. (Blue Guides)

This is _the_ guidebook if you want to delve deeply into the City's history. It is chock full of interesting tidbits and historical information that bring the city alive. This is _not_ the guidebook for you if you are looking for the most updated information on museum hours and the like, if you are planning a quick trip the D.C. and want to hit just the main attractions, or if you need detailed maps (and metro information) for getting around the city. In other words, this book will satisfy your desire to really experience and get to know D.C. but it is not the best book to flip through when you suddenly realize that you are lost and need to figure out where to go. For better maps and more succinct descriptions of sites and restaurants, seek out Access Washington, D.C. by Richard Saul Wurman.

In the Blue Guide style, this guidebook divides much of the city into sectors (about 5 blocks by 5 blocks in the downtown region) and suggests guided walks in each of these sectors--but with careful attention to the history and architecture of the landmarks and buildings in each region it discusses. It really tells you what to notice about the places you walk by. There is also plentiful information about logistics (e.g., closest subway stations and bus lines, hours, etc.). It's simply a wonderful book and reaches beyond merely comprising a 'greatest hits' list of the obvious things to do in Washington. It's also not a 'picture book', which I'm not too fond of because it's nice to actually see something for oneself!

The one qualm about the book is that it is 11 years old, so some things have moved (like the Newseum) and no doubt the restaurant listings are out of date. But if you have a smartphone, or supplement with Internet research beforehand, I can't imagine you...Read more