Hotels By City: Cheap Hotels, Hotel Guides & Hotel Blogs

For this blog posting, I'm not going to tell you about any of DC's gems or goings-on.  Instead, I'd like you to send me your favorite things to do and see in the Washington area, places to visit, eat, shop and sleep here, as well as any other local gems you've discovered in your peripatetic forays into our nation's capital.  I call this approach "Interactive Blogging."

This call for input is motivated not ...

Although not newly opened, Montmartre Restaurant, located adjacent to the iconic Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, is a newly discovered favorite for this long-time Washingtonian.  With a warm, unpretentious atmosphere that belies its haute cuisine, Montmartre offers a true gout de Paris.  The restaurant is small and a tad crowded, with a large window facing the street, an open kitchen, cheerful yellow walls reminiscent of Van Gogh's sunflowers.  Outdoor patio seating available ...

Sleek and hip, with an urbane, minimalist atmosphere and a discreet wait staff, dining at Zola, in Washington, DC's, Penn Quarter, just makes you feel cool. Maybe it's the location--next to the International Spy Museum and across the street from the majestic National Portrait Gallery--or maybe it's the impression when you walk in that you could be seated at a table next to Barak Obama just ...

One of the best perks of living in the multi-cultural city of Washington, DC, is the wide selection of authentic ethnic foods available. Just the other day, for example, my coworkers and I decided to play hooky for a couple of hours and popped over to the Lebanese Taverna restaurant for lunch. Ahh, what delightful taste sensations we met! The hummus! The meat! The spices! ...

Shaw neighborhood residents and fans of Chef Robert Wiedmaier's Foggy Bottom French fine dining homebase Marcel's have eagerly awaited the opening of his latest venture, Beck's. The brand new Belgian/French spot offers a large, ambitious --- yet moderately priced --- menu with 60 or so Belgian beers. Early favorites include pork belly, moules n' frites and other dishes somewhat unfamiliar to the American palate. For now, come ...

If you ever need a tasty meal to go, try Baja Fresh.  They're all over the DC area (MD, DC, and VA), and they offer no MSG added, fresh food daily (nothing frozen at all).  I usually frequent the Baja Fresh in Wheaton, MD, because we ...

 Take a turn south on New Hampshire from Dupont Circle and you'll run into The Front Page. The restaurant and bar have plenty of seating and serve up brunch until 3 on weekends. The sandwiches are excellent, and they even make their own "Front Page Ale" amber beer while having ...

The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel is a non-smoking, luxury hotel located in the heart of downtown DC. Just four blocks from the White House, the hotel is dubbed “Washington's second best address.” Since opening its doors in 1925, there has been little doubt it’s one of DC's premier hotels.

The Mayflower has served as a backdrop for ...

When President Grover Cleveland built a summer retreat in the woods northwest of the city he undoubtedly didn't think of himself as a trensetter.  Nevertheless, he was soon followed by other government officials and civil servants who named the area Cleveland Park after its original ...

If you're alone or with company, eating at the bar of an upscale restaurant is a great way to sample great dishes without a reservation or an expense account. Try the truffled frites in a newspaper cone at Poste in the Hotel Monaco and wash it down with a lavender martini. In Foggy Bottom, Marcel's often has a jazz duo playing background music to match your ...