It’s more neighborhoods as opposed to cities.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Dupont Circle – great for restaurants, hotels, lively area

Capitol Hill – The “historic” part of the DC. Generally, you don’t want to stay in hotels in SE or SW, but if you have a specific hotel in mind, let me know and I can tell you. Capitol Hill is where you’ll find all the museums, monuments, etc.

Georgetown – good restaurants, shopping, nightlife.

Adams Morgan – nightlife

Areas I would avoid: Anacostia, Berry Patch, deep NE quadrant.

The Metro system here is pretty good, if you want to stay in areas around DC, you can and should look into Alexandria VA, Arlington VA, Bethesda MD, Silver Spring MD, and a few other areas.

If I were to come here as a tourist, I’d recommend staying in Dupont. Feel free to run your hotel or neighborhood choices by me though.

I second the Dupont recommendation for hotels. There are also some great (if pricey) places in Penn Quarter which is walking distance from some great food. In general, my family has always enjoyed staying just about anywhere in NW DC close to a Metro stop. I’d also be willing to help if you have specifics and need a vote on whether they’re good/ convenient/ etc. places to stay/ things to do.

When I went,I stayed a little ways outside of DC in Ballston. My mother and I would walk from the hotel to the Metro, which takes you basically everywhere. It’s not a very scenic neighborhood or anything, but it’s safe and a bit cheaper than staying inside of DC.

I third the Dupont suggestion. Google “Jurys.”

One other thing to consider is staying @ the Holiday Inn Friendship Heights. It’s out of the hustle and bustle but it’s a quick metro ride to the sights.

I agree with the people who recommend staying in either Virginia or Maryland for hotels and I agree with the cities suggested already. Old Town Alexandria may have pretty decent hotels which are also in a scenic and historic area near the river. It is very family friendly. You could even get a hotel close to a metro stop and then ride the metro into DC. As far as DC goes, stick to the tourist areas and you will be pretty safe. Georgetown and Dupont Circle are also nice areas and less touristic. Georgetown is pretty busy though and has pricy shopping. Dupont Circle is very nice too, but it is also a place where you might see lots of same gender couples. However, this is true almost anywhere you go, but more so in Dupont. If you are open-minded about that, it is a really great place, filled with restaurants, coffee shops and shopping. My husband and I go there a lot. I hope this helps!

Get the trolly pass that takes you all over the city. It is well worth the money if you want to see all of the site. But, most importantly, you can get on and off at any stop, so you can go where you would like, when you would like, for however long you would like. In my opinion, the trolly made my trip. :)

The timing of this question is impeccable—I just booked a room in DC about 12 hours ago (after several hours of research). I’m planning a visit in June to catch a Nationals game. I’m on a strict budget, but I wanted to be fairly close to the attractions and I really wanted to be sure I was staying in a safe neighborhood.

I read a lot of reviews and ended up booking a room at The Harrington (about $100/night)—it’s in the NW quarter, which seems to be the safest area according to the other posts on this page, it’s pretty close to the monuments, and it also got fairly good reviews on TripAdvisor. It’s not an upscale hotel by any means, but it should fill a need.

All these 43 folks are so helpful… I’m sure you’ll be able to find a good place for your family. Enjoy your trip!

I’ve been told that everywhere on the WMATA (Washington Metro) Red Line is relatively innocuous. The outer reaches of Orange, Blue, and Green lines I have been told you should avoid.
I’ve been down to some of the areas right by the waterfront (near L’Enfant Plaza), it seemed pretty seedy—but I was off the beaten track too. Designated “waterfront” areas should be OK.
Farragut, Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, Tenleytown, Union Sta were relatively nice.
For transit information go to www.wmata.com

I didn’t find myself uncomfortable in any part of DC or the surrounding areas. I stayed just off the Columbia Heights stop on the Green Line, but I had friends staying all over the city. We were tromping through “bad parts” of towm (which I find usually is code for “poor” or “filled with black people”) in the middle of the night with no issue. It’s a safe city, for the most part, as most cities are. This fear of crime is a media construction – not that people don’t get mugged, but personal crime rates (with the exception of rape) have been plumetting in the last ten years.

As for things to do, I would skip a lot of the sight-seeing. You can do it in about a day, anyway. DC has amazing food, if you’re gastromically-adventurous, and I would HIGHLY suggest anyplace that you can eat Ethiopian food (there’s a fabulous place near the Mall). Music and art events are also all over the area and the Dupont Neighborhood is good for wandering. Have fun!

I love this city so much, and some of the places people have recommended are great, but I want to take up for SE, Anacostia, etc. for a second. It’s not super touristy, sure, but that’s what’s so important about going there. DC has the highest rate of post-graduate education in the country AND the highest rate of illiteracy. Within a mile of our president signing No Child Left Behind Bills are some of the worst public schools in the country. There’s this ritzy city where diplomats play and then there’s a city where people live, and I think it would be sad if you avoided acknowledging that. I’m not saying take your kid on a walking tour of the projects and teach him about inequality. I’m saying, if you see something to do in a “sketchy” neighborhood, don’t skip it cause you’re scared you might see a little truth.

On a totally different note: no trip to DC is complete without a sticky bun at Sticky Fingers Bakery (google it, its near dupont). It just happens to be 100% cruelty free and cholestoral free, but don’t go there for some kind of diet food. It’s also absolutely the best bakery in the city. :)

I lived in DC all my life. I was raised in
N.E. and as I write this i’m in worst quadrant(SE Anacostia MLK). This area has about 50 gangs alone. But mind you…DC is a checkerboard…And I say stick with the NW quad, its safer. But if your looking for a true experience of DC get a city paper…The evets span through the quads.And most places are relatively safe during the daytime. I know. I am 19 and employed by the DC goverment to train them on gangs etc. So please experience the sites. But if you consiously avoid certain quads like SE, you’ll miss Fredrick Douglas’s house and other historically black places.But by all means travel in groups and during the day. But enjoy the stars on the mall at night. Things are really safe up there.They have secret service strolling in regualr clothing ALL THE TIME…Your safe….Enjoy

Mike

It’s pricey, but if you’re game I’d recommend the Wardman Park Mariott for you. First, it’s walking distance to the zoo, which is a must-do for anyone with a 2 year old. Baby panda, baby sloth. Second, it’s literally steps to the red line, which is a straight shot downtown to monuments/museums. Third, the hotel has a pool, which I think they keep open until October (check on this). Lastly, there’s a CVS on the corner in case you run out of diapers. It’s a little big and corporate but it also has a lot of history. Many politicos lived there when it was the Wardman Park apartments.

One word of caution about Woodley Park, though: most of the restaurants on Connecticut are spotty. You’re better off taking the Metro one stop up to Cleveland Park (Indique, Ardeo, Sorriso & Spices are all great) or a quick taxi up to Wisconsin Ave to two very good kid friendly restaurants: Two Amys, the best pizza in the city, and Cafe Deluxe, which does the impossible: adult food, adult atmosphere, friendly to kids. You’ll love it. All that said, go to Open City for lunch/brunch or quick dinner, on Calvert. It’s new, big, fun.

Welcome!

You should take her to the zoo. It’s right in the middle of the city and it’s so clean and there isn’t to much walking. It’s free to get in but you have to pay for parking. We took a 3 and 4 year old there and they had a blast.