Ask the CVB

WASHINGTON, D.C. CONVENTION AND TOURISM CORP.
(202) 789-7023
www.washington.org
Hotel Tax: 14.5%

ANNAPOLIS AND ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CONFERENCE AND VISITORS BUREAU
(410) 280-0445, ext. 12
www.visit-annapolis.org
Total Hotel Tax: 12%

BALTIMORE AREA CONVENTION & VISITORS ASSOCIATION
(800) 343-3468
www.baltimore.org
Total Hotel Tax: 12.5%

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY CONFERENCE & VISITORS BUREAU
(888) 925-8300, (301) 925-8300
www.visitprincegeorges.com
Total Hotel Tax: 9%

ALEXANDRIA CONVENTION & VISITORS ASSOCIATION
(800) 388-9119
www.FunSide.com
Hotel Tax: 10% plus $1 per room

ARLINGTON CONV. AND VISITORS SERVICE
(703) 228-0888, (800) 296-7996
www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com
Hotel Tax: 11.75%

• All of D.C.'s famous monuments are free, as are the 12 museums in the Smithsonian system and the National Gallery of Art. Take a free tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and watch money roll off the presses (no samples). And there is a daily free 6 p.m. performance on the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

• Segway Safaris and rentals from Segs in the City or City Segway Tours offer a fun way to get around D.C. Safari and rental prices for the self-balancing, battery-powered devices start at $45.

• Don't forget to check out all three airports that serve the nation's capital: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

• In Washington, public transportation beats piling attendees into private vans or buses and sitting in traffic. The newest option, the DC Circulator, connects Georgetown, Union Station, the Washington Convention Center, the Southwest Waterfront, and the National Mall for $1 per ride. A Metrorail one-day pass costs $6.50 for unlimited rides.

• Special Venues

  The renovated TOP OF THE TOWN event facility at 1400 North 14th St. in ARLINGTON can host events and meetings for up to 180 people. The Washingtonian Magazine calls it the best view in town, for its 12-foot-tall windows looking across the Potomac River toward D.C. (703) 387-0000; www.topofthetown.net

• After an expansion that tripled its space, the popular MATCHBOX restaurant at 713 H St. NW in CHINATOWN is in two buildings and offers several areas that are capable of seating up to 25 attendees. The food is tasty and plentiful, varietal pizza from the wood-fired oven is the specialty, and management makes a fetish of stocking every beer that it can find — from Belgium's excellent Chimay to an unassuming American Pabst Blue Ribbon. (202) 289-4441; www.matchboxdc.com.

• With two downtown locations, MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT hosts groups in private dining space, but they draw crowds during happy hour with a $1.95 drink menu. That price includes complimentary burgers, tacos, dip, and oysters.

• Event planners will soon have more options to choose from as two of the region's most popular stages more than double their seating capacities with new space. ARLINGTON's SIGNATURE THEATRE moved into its new home in the Shirlington neighborhood in January. With two flexible black box spaces — one holding 299 seats and the other 99 seats — the theater will be able to have room for corporate product introductions or ceremonies honoring staff or VIPs. www.sig-online.org.