Local Information
About Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States and the seat of its three branches of government, has a collection of free, public museums unparalleled in size and scope throughout the history of mankind, and the lion's share of the nation's most treasured monuments and memorials. The vistas on the National Mall between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are famous throughout the world as icons of the world's wealthiest and most powerful nation.
Beyond the Mall, D.C. has in the past two decades shed its old reputation as a city both boring and dangerous, with shopping, dining, and nightlife befitting a world-class metropolis. Travelers will find the city new, exciting, and decidedly cosmopolitan and international.
Here are some local public / paid transportation options:
- Metro, DC's public transportation system which covers DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and includes rail and bus.
- Capital Bikeshare, the first bike sharing system in US.
- DC Circulator, great for sightseeing in DC.
Traveling to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is served by three major airports.
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is located three miles to the south of DC in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River. DCA is the closest and most convenient airport to National Harbor and the conference venue.
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located 26 miles west of D.C. in Dulles, Virginia. It is an architectural masterpiece, but unfortunately some functionality was scrapped in pursuit of aesthetics - you will have to take a train between the main building and the concourses.
- Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is 30 miles northeast of D.C. and 10 miles south of downtown Baltimore, near Glen Burnie, Maryland. It is clearly the farthest-flung, but also offers the nicest in-airport experience.
For information on transportation options between these airports and the conference venue, please refer to the hotel website.
Detailed driving directions to National Harbor, where the conference venue is located, is available here. Parking information is available here.
Maps
Area around conference venue
Downtown DC
Parts of the contents on this page were derived from information on Wikitravel and therefore are available under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.