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Washington dc travel in August?

Travel Info
Very crowded? Hotel suggestions? Crime?

Travel Tips

August won't be as crowded as July - a lot of locals are away on vacation and there's less going on. (Most crowded seasons are March/April with the cherry blossoms and spring break groups, and July with summer tourists). But there still could be lots of tourists. It WILL be very hot and humid. DC in August rivals much of the deep south at that time of year for heat and humidity - chances are it will be in the low-mid 90s and feel even hotter with excessive humidity, and probably poor air quality. It's worse than many coastal areas because it gets almost no breeze. It WAS built on drained swamp, after all. Also be prepeared for bugs.

Unfortunately I don't know too much about hotels because I am from the DC area originally and usually when I go back to visit I stay with family. When I do go for business I usually stay in one of the chain hotels in Crystal City, VA (right across the river and on the Metro line). There's a Marriott and a couple other big chain hotels there which are mostly geared towards business travel - meaning they're comfortable and safe but have no charm or character. So if you happen to get a good deal and are just looking for a place to sleep, then it's a fine place to stay but it's not ideal if you're looking for a place with more character. Sorry I can't be of more help with hotels.

Crime: Yes, DC is one of the more dangerous cities in the country, statistically, but the good thing is that most of the tourist stuff is right near the Metro (subway) and that part of the city is safe. The Smithsonian is definitely worth seeing - all of the museums are terrific. And all of the monuments and memorials as well - they're all right near the Mall and are safe. Keep an eye on your valuables, and especially at night, but it's generally safe around the Mall.

You can check out the Smithsonian's website - there's tons of great info. on there, at www.si.edu. Unfortunately my favorite museum, the American History Museum, is closed for renovations for the next year or two, but there are still plenty of other good ones.
Others

August is the worst summer month in DC. It is terribly hot, humid, and hazy. The air quality index will be close to the lethal range. The humidity is around 90%. The temps will be in the mid 90's.

It will be very crowded due to families traveling with school age kids.

Best hotel suggestion is the JW Marriott downtown. It is close to tourist sites and is a very nice hotel.

Crime is not a big thing. Avoid going out after dark. Stay in the tourist part of the city. Stay with a group. Most of the crime is petty crime but now and then (average 3 per day) are murders. These are usually not among tourists but drug related.
August is hot, like the first answerer said, but otherwise a decent time to visit. And there are some crowds because it's people on their summer vacations but it's not as bad as April.

Jan/Feb/early March are the absolute best times to go to DC if you want to avoid crowds.

I strongly suggest staying in a hotel just outside of DC for the best bargains. The nice hotels downtown are infamously expensive (like the Marriot). There are lots of great hotels in Alexandria, VA if you don't have a car and want to use the Metro (the subway).

There are even better hotel deals in Springfield, VA. They are still Metro accessible, but some can be far from the Springfield Metro. Look at www.wmata.com for Metro Maps to make sure you're nearby.

Crime isn't so bad on the Mall, but you want to keep your wits about you. If you venture further from the Mall, you will want to be careful. Some neighborhoods are better than others, but the predominantly touristy ones are, well, predominantly tourists.

DC has a lot to offer for tourists traveling on the cheap :)
See the links for more people who can tell you what is going on :)

And welcome to our city in August!
www.livejournal.com/~washingto...
www.dcist.com
Hot as hell!! Why do you think Congress recesses for the month and everyone gets out of town?
I'm not being melodramatic, but unless you're from a Southern state (I'm not), you will be so hot in August that you will want to die. I've lived here for three years now, and I'm still not used to the area's brutal summers. My recommendation? Come in September or October. Less crowding, lower temps, cheaper prices. You can still hit up everything you want to see in a long weekend (fly into DCA). By the way, if you plan on going inside the White House during the summer months, you might well be out of luck. You have to set that up weeks/months in advance, and the available "tickets" go quickly. So look into that stat.