[Albion Wilde]

My cousin picked a hotel a few blocks away from the White house. The front desk warned us not to go out alone at night - into the hallways! Yes, guests had been mugged in the hallways by outsiders.

Lordy, where did you stay, the Harrington?

[roadcat]

I think it was a Holiday Inn. I'm not joking about the front desk warning us, we should have turned around and left at that moment. They told us not to go into the hall without looking through the peephole, and to only go into the hallway if we weren't alone. And suggested we not leave the hotel at night unless in a group. It was one of the worst stays I've ever had in a hotel. Maybe it's improved over the last dozen years. But back then everything was bad about that hotel and it's location.

My wife and our two daughters were with us from SF, and my cousin and her husband joined us from Philly. Next day we went to Georgetown and the difference was startling, like day and night (all whites well to do and students). Very pleasant there and nice restaurants and stores. We took the subway from there and could see the change of passenger types when we got to the DC downtown area to visit attractions.