The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C.

Joe Surkiewicz has co-authored five titles in the Unofficial Guides series and written two guides to the best places to ride a mountain bike in the Mid-Atlantic states. Joe is communications director at the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland. He lives in Baltimore with his best friend and counselor, Ann Lembo. When not traveling or bicycling, they enjoy evenings curled up on the sofa with their black-and-white feline companions, Molly and Trixie, to watch black-and-white movies starring 1930s film divas Kay Francis, Norma Shearer, and Miriam Hopkins.

Eve Zibart, author of several books including The Unofficial Guide to New Orleans, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Grown-ups, and The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion, is a feature writer and restaurant critic for the "Weekend" section of the Washington Post; she drew on her intimate knowledge of D.C.'s diverse after-hours scene and the area's vast array of dining spots when writing our entertainment and restaurant sections. Eve also scoped out where to find the best deals for our chapter on shopping.

A native of the Baltimore suburbs, Alisa Bralove is a legal affairs writer for Maryland's business and legal daily newspaper, The Daily Record. She and her husband, Rich Scherr, live in Owings Mills, Maryland. Alisa personally inspected more than 140 hotels and inns for our accommodations chapter.