I used to think the old Washington Convention Center near Gallery Place was just fine.....it was large, clean and pleasant enough....until the new convention center opened. I've been to several events there, including a huge -- absolutely huge -- conference for journalists of color, and the space was one of the few in the country probably that could have hosted all of the events involved in this gathering. The place is attractive, large, clean and close to lots of great restaurants and the Metro. My only complaint is that it is so huge, that you can get overwhelmed. The only other time I felt this way was at a similar event at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. If you're attending an event here, you'll have to time yourself to get from one meeting or panel to another, because you WILL have to walk. That's how big this place is. You could easily log two or three miles in a day if you're ambitious and trying to attend lots of meetings. And if you're not from out of town, and therefore don't have the luxury of slipping to your nearby hotel room for a midday nap - or just taking a few minutes of downtime to shed your painful high heels - you'll be exhausted. Still, a great place to visit, with lots of (high-priced) snacks available inside and many options around the center available. If you plan to drive, plan to pay a lot for parking too. This is no longer an up and coming area of DC...it has arrived...and so have the New York-style prices.
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