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New York City's Times Square as a role model? Absolutely! Inspired by the success of the Times Square Business Improvement District (BID), a private-public partnership, our nation's capital formed the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District. "The vision of the BID is DC as a world-class destination," says Seamus Houston, the BID's director of marketing communications. D.C. added a couple of original touches not seen in New York. Downtown SAM is the city's Safety And Maintenance team of red-jacketed guides who patrol on foot, providing visitors with maps and directions. When a SAM doesn't know the answer to something, he can connect to "Compcierge," the BID's computerized concierge system.
