Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
6. US POSTAL SERVICE
Union Station
and all three airports (for further details see
By Air from North Amer-
the city. Stamps can be purchased at many hotels, museum and tourist-site gift
shops, larger grocery stores, and, of course, post offices. You can find the post office
nearest you on the Postal Service website or from their toll-free number.
US Postal
Service •
www.usps.com
• 800 275 8777
7. UPS AND FEDERAL EXPRESS
Many tourists like to mail home gifts they have bought rather than tote them in bag-
gage. The Postal Service can be used for this, but United Parcel Service (UPS) and
Federal Express have more convenient drop-off locations. It is possible to arrange
pickup at most hotels.
UPS •
www.ups.com
• 800 742 5877
Federal Express •
www.fedex.com
• 1800 463 3339
8. INTERNET AND FAX
Washington and the surrounding areas are thoroughly wired for Internet connec-
tion. Most major hotels have fax facilities and provision for connecting to the Inter-
net, either in-room or in a business center. Note that some hotels have a charge for
using their Wi-Fi. As well as Internet cafés, most general cafés and coffee shops will
have Wi-Fi access.
9. CURRENCY
The US currency is the dollar, and one dollar is made up of 100 cents. The
counterfeit-proof bills can be difficult to distinguish from each other.
10. CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Exchange a small amount of currency at the airport and then convert more as needed
at city banks, or use your debit card to withdraw cash at ATMs where rates are better.
Most legal currencies can be exchanged somewhere in Washington.
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