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| Introduction Washington D.C. is the nations capital. There is so much to see and do in this big city. Take a tour of the White House to see where the President lives. Find great museums, nightlife, dining, arts, culture, history, and amusement parks and just about everything else in a vacation getaway. There are a lot of museums, art galleries, monuments, historical landmarks, and all the government buildings right in Washington D.C. You'll never go hungry for excellent food or shopping Washington D.C. It offers lots of great restaurants that will please anyone's desire. Restaurants serving Italian, French, American, and Seafood can all be found close by. Washington D.C. has the whole thing from your department store chain to local gift shops. Shopping here is great for everyday items as well as the out of the ordinary gift items you are looking for. General Informations Geography Located midway along the eastern seaboard of the United States, south of Maryland, north of Virginia and 233 miles south of New York City, the Washington, DC metropolitan area refers to the District of Columbia, plus 7 Maryland counties (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's), 5 Virginia counties (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William and Stafford) and 5 Virginia cities (Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park). The District of Columbia is 67 square miles and divided into 4 quadrants: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast. The U.S. Capitol building marks the center where the quadrants meet. Numbered streets run north-south. Lettered streets run east-west (there are no J, X, Y or Z streets), becoming 2-syllable names, then 3-syllable names as you travel farther out from the center. Avenues named for U.S. states run diagonally, often meeting at traffic circles and squares. Elevation Highest is 420 feet; lowest is sea level. Population The population is approximately 572,000 in DC proper and 5.4 million for the entire metro area. Industry Washington DC's primary industry after the federal government is tourism. Other important industries include trade associations, as Washington, DC is home to more associations than any other U.S. city; law; higher education; medicine/medical research; government-related research and publishing. Washington, DC metropolitan area is also world headquarters for corporations such as USAirways, Marriott, Amtrak, Gannett News, Mobil Oil, MCI Telecommunications and the International Monetary Fund. Climate Experience the glory of all four seasons here in Washington, DC. Warm weather usually prevails from April until as late as October. Winters are short here, with more rain than snow. Monthly high and low average temperatures follow (Farenheit/Celsius): Parking Parking is restricted during rush hours and some weekend hours (check posted hours on street signs). If your vehicle is towed Friday after 7 p.m. or any time on weekends, you won't be able to retrieve it until Monday after 9 a.m. For details, contact the DC Dept. of Public Works, 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001; phone: (202)727-5000. International Travellers Washington is more than just the Nation's Capital - it is also home to more than 150 embassies, chancelleries and diplomatic residences where colors, cultures and languages mix like nowhere else. The following sections contain some tips and information to make international visitors feel more at home. Embassies Many embassies offer guided tours with prior notification. Arrangements can also be made by some embassies to host meeting functions and private parties, offering an unmatched asset for any meeting planner. Embassy phone numbers are available by calling directory assistance at (202) 555-1212. A comprehensive listing of embassies is also available online at www.embassy.org. Multilingual Services The White House, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress and other attractions offer brochures in several languages. The Smithsonian Institution provides multilingual information at the visitors center in the Castle building. Meridian International Center offers multilingual services at its information desk at Dulles International Airport, plus a telephone language bank. For details, call Meridian International Center at (202) 667-6800. www.meridian.org (See Interpreters & Translating Services section for more information.) Financial Services American Express 8330 Boone Blvd., Ste. 200 Vienna, VA 22182 800-609-8219, (703) 847-5631 Fax: (703) 442-9351 American Express is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company. It is a world leader in charge of credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking. SunTrust Bank 1445 New York Ave. NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 879-6000 Fax: 202-879-6397 Riggs National Bank 800 17th St., NW Washington, DC 20006 (301) 887-6000. Tipping Tipping is voluntary; gratuities are not automatically added to the bill. Here are a few tipping guidelines: Waiters are usually given 15% of the bill. For outstanding service, tip 20%. Taxi drivers usually receive 15% of the fare, and doormen, skycaps and porters are usually tipped $1 per bag. Electricity The electricity used in Washington, DC is standard electricity, which is 110 volts. European appliances brought here will require a voltage transformer. |
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