City Packs are simply the best. Fodor makes these little CityPack guides for dozens of cities and I've used several with great satisfaction.Each guide only includes the top 25 sites. They don't give a lot of detail but they give you the essentials. They are designed not for in depth research but as a true pocket guide that you can take with you. Their choice of locations is always right on the money. If you're going to be in DC for less than a week, you can't go wrong by sticking with the sites in the guide. It's very well organized with a map included. It has its own plastic cover. Make use of that by picking up a metro map the first time you take the metro and insert in so you can see the map on the back cover.I've used these in Paris, Rome, London, DC and Tokyo. They work. Especially if you use "The Insiders Guide" or DK's "Eyewitness Guide" for planning and then take the CityPack in your back pocket. You can't go wrong.