belladonna

So if Congress is not in session next week, does that help with crowds at restaurants? Or will the tourist level be so high that it'll be crowded everywhere anyway? Can I expect awful crowds at the usual attractions next week , or will the August heat keep some away? Thank you!

fyi

I am not from Washington, but I thought you might want to repost with "crowds in DC" in the title. I think you'll get more replies that way.

fyi

I am not from Washington, but I thought you might want to repost with "crowds in DC" in the title. I think you'll get more replies that way.

belladonna

Thanks, will do!

Michael

Crowds should be less, except at the Air and Space, which is always a nightmare. The locals leave town in August and with Congress gone, it should be a pretty good. Great time to check out nice hotels, restaurants because they are desperae for business with Congress gone.

gail

I'lllet you know in a week - we are soon leaving for DC. But if hotels are any indication, it will still be mobbed - many are fully booked, especially suite-type hotels attractive to families.

Jason

I'm a D.C. resident and I would say that the crowds are a little bigger in July than August, but that you should still expect a lot of tourists in August. That being said, traffic and Metro crowds should be a little less because Congress is out of session and a lot of locals are on vacation. You should be OK with restaurants if you make reservations (at least for the nicer ones). Count on it being brutally hot. You'll have fun though, a lot to see.

belladonna

Well, we're back! Stayed at Crowne Plaza at a bargain price. It was perfectly adequate, clean, comfortable and good service, if a bit spartan (no minibar or bathrobe), but just a block from the Metro and walkable to lots of good restaurants. Contrary to expectations, except for Monday, weather was fantastic--probably the one decent week of the whole summer. Crowds were not a problem. The only nasty line was for tickets to the pathetic Bureau of Engraving and Printing "tour", which I foolishly thought might have improved over the past 20 years! We were able to eat wherever we wanted without reservations. Because my son is a steak lover, we ate at Mortons one night (we have one at home and knew what to expect). A long time elapsed between appetizers and main courses, but we were involved in conversation and didn't care nor complain. The maitre d' suddenly came over, apologizing profusely, said they were shorthanded because they had expected fewer people with Congress out of town and had mistakenly given our food to another party, but that he would "take care of" our bill. We assumed a free dessert or the like, but instead got a $125 bill with "COMP" written across the top--yup, they charged us nothing! Of course I left a generous tip. This was definitely the greatest bargain of the trip! I can only guess that other patrons were agitated and management appreciated our relaxed attitude. Anyway, kudos to Mortons for treating their customers so well. Especially since we were clearly tourists who were unlikely to offer repeat business.