Which neighborhood should we stay in?

My husband and I are in our late 20s and will coming to DC for a 4-day weekend. Its his first time so we will be visiting the major attractions, but we will also want to go out in the evenings. I%26#39;ve heard that downtown and Capital Hill aren%26#39;t very safe in the evenings.

Any suggestions on where we should stay?

Which neighborhood should we stay in?

Well downtown is safe. And the whole crime wave with the Capitol area was a group of youg teenage thugs who decided they were bored with their summer and didn%26#39;t have anything better to do. And they have since been arrested (about 6 of them from 12-19 years of age) Since they have been arrested I haven%26#39;t heard of any more robberies in the Capitol area so now back to normal (or not as televised or mediarized (not a word) as before)

For your age range you can stay in a number of places that are good for shopping, dining, nightlife, entertainment, etc. Also remember, this is an ';Urban City'; so there is always a chance that something could happen anywhere in the city and on the outskirts of the city and even in the suburbs

-Georgetown

-Adams Morgan

-Dupont Circle

-Woodley Park/Zoo

-Georgetown isn%26#39;t metro accessible but everything you need other than the museums and monuments is there. You only have to get a short cab ride to any of the museums and you can walk the rest of the way. Or you can use the Circulator bus to take you down in that area.

-Adams Morgan is ';the place'; for your age group for nightlife. M-F after about 6:30 pm and all weekend you can find every type of culture, race, ethnicity, sexual gender/orientation,. a lot of nice friendly faces and everything is in Adams Morgan. So you whatever your liking, it%26#39;s there. All types of clubs (jazz, blues, country, rock and roll, hip hop, gay, etc.) all there in Adams Morgan. Dining is also wonderful there as well. You have Ethiopian, Mexican, Soul Food, American, Italian, French, etc.etc.etc......... Nice hotels on the outskirts of the Adams Morgan district as well. It is metro accessible so you can just hop on Metro to get to the museums and monuments.

-Dupont Circle was once the Adams Morgan until about 5-8 years ago. Nice hotels in this area. Nice people. Pretty quiet in some areas. Metro accessible. Nice restaurants. Walking distance to the ';Downtown area of K Street and the surrounding areas';. It still has a pretty decent nightlife and nice evenings you will see everyone walking up and down the streets so follow the crowd.

-Woodley Park area is metro accessible. A few nice hotels, nice restaurants, nice people, zoo is there. A little more laid back than say Adams Morgan but they still have some nightlife things to do.

Take Your Pick!!!!!

Which neighborhood should we stay in?

Hi:

I really wouldn%26#39;t worry about safety (other than the usual urban precautions) in any of the areas where you%26#39;d likely be staying.

Personally, I think Dupont or Chinatown/Penn Quarter/Convention Center would be good options.

Dupont is a nice neighborhood, close to metro, a close walk to Adams Morgan, but has a few more hotel choices than AM. It also has several decent restaurants and bars in it%26#39;s own right.

Chinatown/PQ/CC is better for it%26#39;s proximity to the National Mall. There are definitely enough restaurants to fill 4 nights, but you may want to mix it up and go elsewhere at night for a night or two, depending on what kind of atmosphere and price range you%26#39;re looking for at night.

If you indicate your budget, we can probably help narrow down your hotel choices if you wish. Also, what types of nightlife do you enjoy? Do you like grungy bars or more upscale lounges. I%26#39;d be happy to make some suggestions depending on your tastes.

Rule of thumb: The more the lodging costs in the city, the safer it is.

Capitol Hill can be safe, depending on which part of Capitol Hill you are in. I would recommend Dupont, Adams Morgan, Kalorama, Woodley Park, Gerogetown.

Thanks for the advice!

Mopsydog- We%26#39;re looking for a hotel in the $100-150 range. As for nightlife - we like live music.....jazz, rock, cover bands, just about anything!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

By ';neighborhood,'; are you using Priceline%26#39;s definitions? Most of the major hotels they list are in safe neighborhoods, even those on Capitol Hill (make sure the addresses are in the NW quadrant, unless you%26#39;re talking about the hotels in SW, but those aren%26#39;t convenient walks for the kinds of activities you%26#39;re looking for).

If you are interested in jazz clubs, there are many along the U Street NW corridor. U Street is a vibrant, multi-ethnic neighborhood with great new restaurants, bars, and jazz clubs. This area pulses well into the morning.

Hotel rates in DC fluctuate wildly, more so than most other cities. So what may fall within your price range one week may be appreciably out of reach for another time.

May I suggest this: plug your dates into a couple of different reservation sites such as quikbook.com (known to offer availability %26amp; lower prices not found elsewhere) and Expedia -- and one of the mega-search engines for travel -- sidestep or kayak.com -- which don%26#39;t take bookings, but ';mine'; a lot of data bases (including a number of hotels themselves) to find the best prices; the search results come up with hot links for easy, direct booking.

Then read the posted reviews here of those which sound most appealing %26amp; are within your price range. After you%26#39;ve narrowed the possibilities down (we hope you have lots of choices), then post back to get more focused feedback on which particular ones might be best for you :-)

Also, here%26#39;s a thread from earlier this summer with some non-hotel suggestions you might find helpful:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28970-i40-k697966鈥?/a>

I agree with Cocklecove, it really depends when you%26#39;re coming. Let us know what you can find for your dates and we can help you narrow it down. In early October, for example, you may have trouble finding a hotel in your price range in a great neighborhood (like Dupont Circle) but in say, mid-November, you may find something.

If you have trouble finding a traditional hotel, I%26#39;d try the Woodley Park Guest House, the Kalorama Guest House or the William Lewis House. All of those are well-located, especially for evening activities. (Read the reviews.)

Alternatively, you may consider a hotel in Crystal City or Rosslyn (parts of Arlington, VA). They%26#39;re just over the river in VA so they%26#39;re conveniently located to the tourist activities by metro, but tend to be slightly less expensive than some places in DC. Crystal City has some decent restaurants and Rosslyn is very convenient to Georgetown (for nightlife). Both are safe areas. The Americana Hotel in Crystal City is a very basic motel, but it may suit your needs if you have trouble finding something nicer.

Finally, consider the Red Roof Inn or Hampton Inn Convention Center in Chinatown. That area (Chinatown/Penn Quarter) is very conveniently located to the tourist activities and has some great restaurants and bars as well.

Good luck!