So you are coming to the 8/28 Glenn Beck March on Washington?

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Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge 3 hours ago

Actually the author is Bruce Major is gay and he put the bit about Dupont Circle in case people were interested. It was not as it has been described in the press as being an anti-gay point.

Comment by Pete the Carpenter 4 hours ago

Washington DC- advice from a conservative
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Karen Blackistone to me
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So I'm a conservative and I live in DC (Dupont Circle, actually) and was somewhat put off by your list. I grew up in DC and have lived in Maryland, VA and DC.

If people are going to come to the Nation's capital, they should take the time to visit the city and all that it has to offer. Go off the beaten path, do something most tourists won't. Second, if you're going to suggest food options, Silver Diner is no one's idea of a good idea unless it's 2 am, you're 22, drunk and want some pancakes before you head home. Not that I actually want 100,000 people flooding into all the local places, but seriously.... Silver Diner??? You may as well suggest the IHOP up the street- they're fundamentally the same thing. Liberty Tavern across the street is a much better option, or one of the Indian places in that neighborhood. Although, not open all night.

- Julia's empanadas in Dupont. they just have empanads, but they're cheap and good on the run food.
- Jaleo is a great place, I agree, but it can be a little of a wait to get in. La Tasca on 7th in Gallery Place (green/ yellow/ red line, I might add) is just as good, bigger, and less crowded.
- Ella's pizza, around the corner, is excellent. Good pizza, good entres, not too expensive or trendy.

Burgers and cupcakes are big in DC these days.... why don't you give people the locations of the best places- Georgetown cupcake, hello cupcake, buzz, baked and wired, red velvet. Rays Hellburger, Good Stuff Eaters, Burger Joint. That way people will get some actual DC flavor during their visit.

Safety/ Metro:

Please be considerate of the fact that this is a city, that real people live and work here and are trying to go about their lives. This is not Disneyworld. And before you snap back at me, yes... people treat this place like Disneyworld. When on the metro, stand to the right on the escalator. You will get run over of you don't. Seriously. When walking on the mall, or visiting a monument, please be aware of your surroundings. People are probably trying to jog or walk or get somewhere. There is no need for you to travel 15 abreast or take up the entire width of the sidewalk. Again, people actually do this, and it's rude.

You're much more likely to get in trouble with an angry, stressed out white person on their way somewhere in a hurry than a "refugee" taxi driver. Most taxi drivers are extremely friendly so long as you don't treat them like a second-class citizen. Just remember: "stand right, walk left" and you'll be safe.

There are many parts of DC that you've ruled out of hand that are perfectly safe. Yes, parts of Dupont are the "gay" area, but it's primarily the area east of Dupont. And I'll just throw it out there for the sake of argument... as a single woman, I actually feel safer in the "gay" neighborhood than in many others. After all, a gay man isn't going to bother me when I walk down the street.

I could go on and on. In any event, please be careful what you post and how it looks. I don't disagree with your message, but why give people the chance to argue with you on the process issues instead of engaging on the substance. They can't win an argument on issues. They know they're wrong, so they'll take you on the little things.

So with that in mind, please have fun this weekend, but be considerate of our town. I don't want to have to have yet another debate with my liberal friends that ends with someone making the argument that conservatives can't possibly be right because some guy with a sign accidentally hit me in the head while waving it, or I couldn't go for my morning run because of a stupid protest, etc.

And have fun this weekend!

Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge 10 hours ago

That is lie that is never proven and not even $100k from Breitbart could get proof.... the whole Health Care thing spitting/abuse etc. The person who smashed the Democrats offices was an anarchist who did it to frame the tea party movement. (http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=100345) If you are gonna hurl accusations at least produce some proof maybe?

Comment by Peter Griffin 10 hours ago

I'm not saying you cant voice your opinion. You know in your head what you really meant between the lines on this post. We're not all so naive you know.

Also, Democratic congressmen had their windows smashed a few months ago after Sarah Palin put crosshairs on a map of where theyre all located and posted it to facebook. Tea partiers spit on and verbally abused Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank around the time of the Health Care Bill. Want more examples?

Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge 10 hours ago

So Peter its racist to tell people how not to get mugged? This is ludicrous, on the thread over at HuffPo a black Democrat from DC couldn't see what the fuss is about. Oh yeah and it might be news to you, but there are black, Jewish, latino and other minority members of the tea party movement. Even better the guide was written by a gay man who has lived in DC since 1980.

Protests= rocks, maybe to far-left anarchists. There is not one example of tea partiers engaging in violence, there is however plenty from the left. What is wrong with a bit of protest outside the DC address of a politician? Or is that only ok for the left to do it to whomever they please, but its not for the right?

How does it stomp in the 1st amendment to encourage people to express their 1st amendment rights to protest? Considering your criticism of the guide you are the one who wishes to trample first amendment rights to opinion.

Comment by Peter Griffin 10 hours ago

Way to put the home addresses of US Congressmen and women on here. Fucking classy. "Feel free to protest!" = "Feel free to throw rocks through their windows." It sickens me that you would stomp on our 1st Amendment rights to post such vile and hateful crap as this "guide" to avoiding non-white people and to harass our politicians. You are all terribly misinformed sheep.

Comment by Mark Hem 1 day ago

I wanted to add a few thoughts....In terms of mores:

Two important ones to those of us who live here, and I've always thought they were simple courtesy things, but so few tourists seem have that courtesy, it boggles my mind.

On the metro escalators, stand on the right side, allow people to walk up the left side. Some people are running late for work, some in a hurry to get home or to catch the next train, or get to the ball park. Be polite, let them have the left "lane."

Boarding the metro cars: Don't have a large group all board through one door. There are three doors per train, spread out and everyone gets on faster and safer. MOST important: let people get OFF the train before you try to get on. It's very hard to have people getting on while people are trying to get out of a crowded train. If you end up stuck on the platform, you just have to wait for another train. If you get stuck on the train, because people won't let you off, you have to go to the next stop, figure out how to get turned around and wait for the next train. (Not all stations are alike and even residents get confused in unfamiliar ones. And signage is terrible.) So don't be rude, let people off, then board. (Almost all the people shoving their way on before you exit are from out of town.)

Also, note that the Constitution is at the National Archives which is on the Yellow/Green lines. It's as safe to ride these lines as the red and blue/orange lines. You will not have any reason to go past L'enfant Plaza on the Green line. On the Yellow line the first stop south of L'enfant Plaza is the Pentagon. That's safe. As is the next stop, Pentagon City...a shopping mall. And so on down the Yellow line through Virginia. There's little north of the Verizon Center that you would be likely to go to, though if you are staying in Maryland you can travel out the Green line if that's convenient to your hotel.

Mr. Majors is advising extreme caution. I think it's a bit much. Most places you will be are very safe. But there is crime throughout the city, including the "safe" neighborhoods of northwest. But why anyone would want to go into a ghetto neighborhood after dark is beyond me and he's just trying to hem you in from straying into one. You can go east of 8th St. SE and you can cross into Northeast or dine on Massachusetts Ave. NE and walk through Stanton Park or Lincoln Park if you so desired without any greater risk than in a "safe" neighborhood. Most people you'll encounter on Capitol Hill are actually friendly and will do their best to give you directions if you've gotten lost coming out of a metro station. That said, you should always be aware of your surroundings and the people around you, more so when you are off the National Mall.

Free stuff. If you are here for a few days there's so much more that's free than wi-fi.

The museums along the National Mall are all free. So is the National Zoo (Red line to Woodley Park or Cleveland Park). You may tour the National Cathedral for free. Or donate something. Take the Redline to Tenleytown, 30's series bus line from the bus stop directly outside of Best Buy. Or 20 minute walk, pick a restaurant to eat at on the way back. The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is impressive and has many beautiful side chapels and awesome artwork on the ceiling above the altar (Redline CUA stop).

Free Concerts:
Jazz. Fridays, 5:00–8:30 p.m. National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, on the National Mall at 7th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. Metro: Archives. (202) 289-3360.

Alumni Marine Corps Band Concert:
Aug 25th Wed. 8:00pm West Front of the U.S. Capitol
Aug 26th Thurs. 8:00pm West Front of the U.S. Capitol (repeat of previous night's program)

Fridays. Marine Band at 8th and I St. SE. (need reservations in advance, Eastern Market Metro)
http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/index.asp?date=8-27-2010

Have fun!

Comment by Robert Forrest on August 23, 2010 at 6:03pm

Jees, it used to be if you minded your own buiseness, you could visit most places in this country. We should all know that we should be home at dark?\:' Thank you for this info as I will be taking the bus and will rely on the subway most of the time. I quess I need to plan a little better. Again thanks for the info.. After all, most of us dumb Mainers never have to lock our ca's at night, we work foa a livin.

Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge on August 23, 2010 at 2:42pm

Don't look now guys but Little Green Footballs and DCist.com have linked to this and trashing it. They call us dumb Mainers who know nothing about DC. Funny thing is Majors, a friend of mine from the tea party movement, has lived in DC since 1980, probably longer than the people who are trashing the advice have.

Comment by Roger Ek on August 23, 2010 at 8:32am

Great stuff. I was in DC to visit our two senators in 1998. I asked them not to support CARA and Kyoto because they are huge job killers in Maine. CARA is known as the Confiscation And Relocation Act.

While I was there I stayed in a cheap hotel and had the window open. I was on the third floor. I called home and while I was on the phone there was a burst of 9MM automatic weapons fire in the street. My wife said it was pretty loud and was that the TV? I told her it wasn't the TV. It was live in the street in Washington, DC, which is more dangerous than Baghdad.