We are planning a trip to Washington D.C. and have heard that there are certain area that we do not want to be/stay in. Can anyone tell me what areas those are? Thanks for the help!

Anywhere from the White House area out to the northwest is fine. The area around Dupont Circle or in the vicinity of the JW Marriot or up to the Sheraton are good examples of good spots. Don't get near northeast or anywhere from the center of town to the east for that matter. You could also stay over in Rosslyn or Alexandria. D.C. is a terrific place to visit but you are right to inquire about where to stay. Relax and have fun.

Stay out of Southeast at all costs. It is a very dangerous place at night.

Good Hotels in the City include: The JW Marriott, One Washington Circle, The Grand Hyatt, Sheraton, Ritz Carlton, The Willard ($$$$$).

A good bet also, may be to stay in Old Town Alexandria or in Arlington/Rosslyn. Both give easy access by METRO (the subway) to the city.

The best way to get around in DC is most definately the METRO. It is probably the cleanest and safest subway system in the country.

You can get all day tourist passes for $5 at the Metro Center Sales Office, and maybe from some of the hotels.

If you are near any major tourist attraction, you will be fine. To make broad generalizations about the safety of certain quadrants of the city can be misleading. For example, the post that said don't go into northeast. I am writing this from my desk in northeast Washington, and feel perfectly safe when I leave my office. I am a half a block from Union Station which is also located in the northeast region and would recommend that you don't miss visiting it. It has good shops and restaurants, and the architecture is outstanding. The Supreme Court is northeast as are parts of the Capitol. As with any big city, you must take precautions, but don't get alarmist about it. If you have any questions about any sights to see or specific hotels you may be thinking of, feel free to email me. Have fun!

I certainly disagree with the opinion that if you are near to a major tourist destination, you are quite safe in Washington! What about RFK stadium??? I would hate to see any unsuspecting tourist stay near it! In general, if you don't know DC, try to stay in the NW, Alexandria or Arlington. The Metro is great and you can easily visit all the major attractions. If one really knows the District, as the previous poster certainly does, it's possible to expand these boundaries, but if you are a tourist, better to play it safe.

There is no place to stay near RFK stadium, which is safe anyway if you are going to a soccer match there, which I do often, or a concert. Otherwise, why would anyone go there?

Just came back from D.C. Stayed at a delightful Embassy suites (Summerfield Square) 2 blcoks from DuPont Circle and the Metro. Had senior rates for bedroom, bath, kitchen L.r.&d.r. Pool and continental breakfast included. Had good dinner at Le Tomate -block or so above Dupont Circle.

The suggestion about Embassy Suites is an excellent one. There is an excellent one at Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase at the Friendship Heights Metro stop.

Marriott is a good bet because they control more hotel rooms in the Metro area than any other hotel chain.

Hotel rooms are very difficult to reserve at the moment because the tourism market is so good. Marriott have a good reasonably priced Courtyard hotel at the 2000 block of Connecticut Avenue.

Have fun. You will enjoy it.

The suggestion about Embassy Suites is an excellent one. There is an excellent one at Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase at the Friendship Heights Metro stop.

Marriott is a good bet because they control more hotel rooms in the Metro area than any other hotel chain.

Hotel rooms are very difficult to reserve at the moment because the tourism market is so good. Marriott have a good reasonably priced Courtyard hotel at the 2000 block of Connecticut Avenue.

Bethesda is also a good place to stay with good access to downtown and excellent restaurants.

Have fun. You will enjoy it.

I stayed at the Howard Johnson's in Alexandria. It was reasonable and clean (and had an extra sink/vanity outside the bathroom which was very convenient). I had heard that you had to be leary in some parts of DC and I wanted to be able to go out at night. I felt very safe to do that in Alexandria. The Metro station was a short walk away and a short ride into DC.