Needs some help picking a hotel in Washington DC?

Hi all! Me and my boyfriend are looking for a hotel in DC for mid-March. We're just looking for a hotel in a nice area (not a lot of crime) and looking for as cheap as possible, as then we can stay an extra day or so :). We're willing to not be right in the city if there is a subway or some form of transportation. I was also wondering about some of the top/favorite things people like to do when they visit. I've only been there once a very long time ago,l and he has never been there. We're hoping to hit up the zoo and visit the Holocaust museum, but other than that we're not too sure. Also, if you have any adive as to waht neighborhoods to avoid at night, or anything like that, let me know! Thanks!

I have a couple of ideas on hotels - you can think about. There are several places to stay in the city that won't break the bank the way most hotels do.

The Red Roof Inn Chinatown is a standard chain motel type hotel right in one of the most active evening neighborhoods, a place with great food from all over the world (there is a Tapas restaurant in Chinatown, and an Irish Pub and a bar next to the Goethe institute that serves all kinds of beer from all over the world.) It usually runs around $120 a night.

Right near Metro Center, in a very safe area of the city is the Hotel Harrington. This is an independent hotel and it is very basic, but rooms start around $100 a night, unheard of in DC. It's quirky but the people are friendly, and the location can't be beat! Only steps from the Metro Center Station, it's less than 3 blocks from the mall and only a few blocks from the White House.

If $120 and $100 gives you sticker shock, you can halve that cost by staying in a hostel. There are at least two in DC, and the one I think has the best location is the Hosteling International hostel, which is also near Chinatown. This will cost about $26 a night each, for dorm-based place to sleep and breakfast. So it is definitely worth it, if money is tight. It does lack privacy, and the ability for you and your boyfriend to be together (dorms are gender specific).

You want to use Metro to get around while in DC. That is the transit system and the trains are great for getting around to the various sights.

On what to do, I always present my answer in five parts. I agree with your plans to see the Holocaust Memorial and the Zoo - they are both great.

1. See the Monuments and Memorials. This is what makes DC unique, so you should spend the time to see them. On the mall you can find the Washington, WWII, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War and Lincoln, on the tidal basin, Jefferson, FDR, and eventually Martin Luther King. But don't miss out on memorials throughout town, like the Grant Memorial on the Capitol Grounds, the NAvy Memorial on PA Avenue and the African American Civil War Memorial on U-Street.

2. Visit the Halls of Government. If you plan ahead you can take the White House tour if your congressperson will help, but also the Capitol, Supreme Court (weekdays only) National Archives, Library of Congress, and Bureau of Engraving and Printing (also only open weekdays) are worth visiting.

3. Catch the many museums. The Smithsonian goes without saying, with 16 museums and facilities in the DC area. But also the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Spy Museum (fee), the Corcoran Museum (fee), The national museum of women in the arts (fee), the building Museum, the Phillips Collection (fee) and of course the National Gallery of Art. There are tons of museums!

4. Visit a neighborhood. See DC as is really is in Adams Morgan, Shaw, Anacostia, Southwest Waterfront, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Chinatown. or even Old Town Alexandria or the city of Fairfax, VA.

5. Catch some nightlife. After New York, DC is the cultural mecca of the US, and much is free, like the daily 6 PM concert at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage and the Service Band Concerts all over the city. There are 80 some theatres, including Arena Stage, Wooley Mammoth and The Shakespeare Theatre (with two stages!) National Theatre hosts visiting Broadway and a great variety of entertainment from theatre to opera to ballet to jazz to orchestral happens at the Kennedy Center. Or visit a Jazz club in former black broadway, a folk club in Adams Morgan or Old Town, an irish bar on capitol hill, or a hip-hop club all over town!