the Official Blog of the Unofficial Guides

Step Away from the Beltway – Part 1 Traveling to Washington, D.C. can be hectic, especially if you stay on the beltway. Next time you visit Washington, D.C. (or your first visit if you can spare enough time), try heading out of the city. Over the next few days, we’ll give you some options to get out of the city

A different kind of Happy Hour A lot of places in Washington, D.C. have their own version of Happy Hour. The term typically applies to those precious hours right after the end of the business day for professionals to indulge in cheaper alcoholic drinks. However, in Washington, D.C. it has its own meaning. Sightseeing also offers its own set of

Guidelines for tipping in Las Vegas Because about a third of the resident population of Las Vegas are service providers in the tourist industry, there is no scarcity of people to tip. From the day you arrive until the day you depart, you will be interacting with porters, cabbies, valet-parking attendants, bellhops, waiters, maître d’s, dealers, bartenders, keno runners, housekeeping personnel,

Las Vegas calls itself the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” This is arguably true, particularly in terms of the sheer number of live-entertainment productions staged daily. On any given day in Las Vegas, a visitor can select from dozens of presentations, ranging from major production spectaculars to celebrity headliners, from comedy clubs to live music in lounges. Jubilee!, a full-blown Las

Over the years, it has become evident that opening a restaurant in Las Vegas is on the bucket list of every celebrity chef. Already gathered at the oasis are Mario Batali, Todd English, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Mina, Charlie Palmer, Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, Joël Robuchon, and Guy Savoy, among many others. Their haunts are all on the Strip, they’re all