Has anyone stayed at either of these 2 hotels? Any comments? Both are in Foggy Bottom., and both get good and comparable reviews on most websites.

Is Foggy Bottom a good location for walking to many attractions, nearby restaurants, and the best Cherry blossom viewing? I've seen Fodorites' recos for Dupont Circle as a good central location. Where is it in relation to Foggy Bottom?

I'm going for 3 days at the end of March, mainly for the Cherry Blossoms. I don't mind taking the metro but really prefer to walk. The only other must see on my list is the Holocaust Museum, which I have not yet been to, but I'll probably do some random exploring on foot.

TIA.

Depending on how MUCH you want to walk, you can walk from Foggy Bottom down to the Lincoln Memorial and a lot of the cherry trees are just beyond that. You can walk to the Metro which from the River Inn is only a couple of blocks and take that to a station closer to the central part of the Mall.

You can EASILY walk into Georgetown along M Street from the River Inn section of Foggy Bottom.

In some ways you will be closer to the cherry trees and the Potomac than if you were staying at Dupont.

Thanks, Dukey. Foggy Bottom sounds like a good location. I usually walk several miles a day when exploring a city so it should be no problem.

Does anyone have any comments on either of these hotels?

The River Inn is on a leafy residential street in Foggy Bottom. The Lombardy is on Pennsylvania Ave which is a busier street location. Both are a five minute walk to the Foggy Bottom Metro station.

Dupont Circle gets a lot of rec's b/c of its close proximity to a metro along with a dense concentration of good hotels and restaurants & nightlife. It's part embassy, part residential, part commercial/retail.

Foggy Bottom is less commercial, more residential plus Geo Washington University and the Kennedy Center. I like it. It's a 10-15 minute walk into the heart of Georgetown. There are plenty of restaurants nearby though not as many as Dupont Circle. You won't lack for eating. FB has a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle are equidistant walking distance to the National Mall, maybe 30 minutes. I don't think either has an advantage in terms of walking the Cherry Blossoms along the Potomac River and the memorials.

Foggy Bottom is south and west of Dupont Circle. Look for Washington Circle on a DC map and your two hotels are on either side of it, west and east.

Thanks for the info, obxgirl.

Sounds like both areas are fine, but I think Foggy Bottom it is. I was leaning toward the River Inn and I like the idea of a more quiet location, so I'll just book it and be done with it.