Washington DC/Alexandria, VA - USA
August 13-18, 2007

hosted by the Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International (ATG)
and the American Accordionists’ Association (AAA)

  2007 Coupe Mondiale General Information
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  Welcome to the United States
  Hotel Accommodation Information
  2007 Test Piece - Fantasy, Op 67 by Karen Fremar
  2007 Schedule of Events (Tentative)
  Coupe Mondiale Guidelines and Modus Operandi
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  Review of 2006 Coupe Mondiale in Norway
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  Review of 2004 Coupe Mondiale in France
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  2007 Delegate, Jury & Visa Request Forms
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Getting to Alexandria, VA (Washington, DC)

Washington DC is served by three major airports.

  • We recommend: Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) is just across the Potomac river from the central city. It offers many domestic flights to cities throughout the USA. Many International flights arriving into the United States via New York JFK, Boston etc.... offer convenient connections to Ronald Reagan National Airport. Both Coupe Mondiale Hotels, the Holiday Inn and the The Radisson Hotel are within minutes of Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). Both Hotels offer complimentary Shuttle transportation service from the airport. You can contact the Hotel via the free phone in the Baggage Claim area.

  • Dulles Airport (IAD) is located in suburban Virginia 30 miles west of the city. It offers many international flights and a variety of domestic connections.

    Getting to the Hotels in Alexandria:
    Taxi: Name of Taxi is Washington Flyer. Taxi's serve Dulles International Airport with 24-hour service from the airport. Approximate one way fares to Washington DC, including Alexandria, range from $50 to $60. In addition, it is customary in the United States to give a tip for the service, which is approximately 10-15 % of the fare. This means, you would pay approximately $12-15 more for gratuity.


    SuperShuttle: SuperShuttle's door-to-door shared ride van service is available to downtown Washington DC and Alexandria hotels. Location: SuperShuttle (Blue colored Van with Yellow writing on side saying SuperShuttle. The pick up location is clearly identified on the Ground Transportation Level roadway outside the Main Terminal at Dulles Airport.
    General information: Shuttles operate on an on-demand basis.

    For information, call free from any payphone in the airport by dialing: 1-800-258-3826 or go to www.supershuttle.com for more information. Approximate fare is $30, or less for 2 or more people. A tip is also given to the driver.

    Travel time to Alexandria from Dulles Airport: approximately 40 - 60 minutes depending on time of day and traffic. Distance: It is approximately 30 miles

  • Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) is about 30 miles north of DC near the outskirts of Baltimore. It offers both domestic and international travel options.
Washington DC - Captial City Facts

LOCATION: Lies midway along the eastern seaboard of the United States, about 90 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, south of Maryland, north of Virginia and 233 miles south of New York City. Situated on the northern bank of the Potomac River. At its highest elevation (in northwest Washington), it rises 390 ft. Lowest elevation is sea level, at the riverbank.

SIZE: 68 square miles. Carved out of land donated by the state of Maryland. Divided into four quadrants: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast. The U.S. Capitol building marks the center where the quadrants meet.

FOUNDED: 1791. Named after President George Washington. "Columbia" in "District of Columbia" refers to Christopher Columbus. Washington, the District of Columbia is not a state, nor is it part of any state. It is a unique, "Federal district" created specifically to be the seat of government.

POPULATION: 572,000 (DC only) and 5.42 million (entire Metro area, including DC)

METRO AREA: The "Washington Metropolitan Area" refers to the District of Columbia plus seven Maryland counties (Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's), five Virginia counties (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William and Stafford) and five Virginia cities (Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax City, Manassas and Manassas Park).

CLIMATE: Generally temperate, enjoying all four seasons. Spring, early summer and fall are the most comfortable seasons, although moderate winters are not uncommon, with more rain than snow. During the month of August, visitors might enjoy warm summer tempreatures ranging from 70 - 85 degrees Farenheit (20 - 32 degrees Celcius).

INDUSTRY: Washington, DC’s primary industry after the federal government is tourism. Other important industries include trade associations, as Washington, DC is home to more associations than any other U.S. city; law, higher education, medicine/medical research, government-related research, publishing and international finance. World headquarters for such large corporations as USAirways, Marriott, AMTRAK, AOL, Gannett News, Mobil Oil, MCI Telecommunications and International Monetary Fund.

ATTRACTIONS: Best known for wide array of cultural and historical attractions, and historic monuments and memorials ... most all of which are free to the public, and open seven days a week. Most famous are the White House, U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, National Archives, various Smithsonian museums, National Gallery of Art, National Zoo, Union Station, Arlington National Cemetery. Neighborhood areas include Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Anacostia - all of which have a variety of attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife.

SALES TAX: Washington: Sales tax is 5.75%. Total hotel tax including sales tax is 14.5%. Food and beverage tax is 10%. Maryland: Sales tax is 5%. Hotel tax varies by county with most counties averaging between 5% and 8% and Virginia: Sales tax is 4.5%. Hotel tax varies by county with most counties averaging between 9.5% and 10%.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE: Available at all three airports, at Union Station, various downtown banks, and the downtown location of American Express Travel Agency and Thomas Cook Currency Services.

OFFICIAL FLOWER: American Beauty Rose

OFFICIAL BIRD: Wood Thrush

OFFICIAL TREE: Scarlet Oak

GETTING HERE: Airports: Served by Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), handling more than 55 million passengers each year, providing direct service from every major U.S. airport and 38 international cities.

Rail Service: The metro area’s mass transportation system includes more than 450 miles of rail line. Washington, DC's METRO subway system links all parts of Washington with the nearby Virginia and Maryland suburbs. MARC commuter trains connect Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS trains connect several outlying Virginia communities with Washington, DC. AMTRAK passenger rail service is headquartered in Washington, DC and connects major cities throughout the entire region with the rest of the country.

GETTING AROUND: The nation’s capital is one of the easiest cities to navigate and a terrific city for touring – once you understand the basics. With one of the safest, cleanest and most efficient public transportation systems in the country serviced by Metrorail (subway) and Metrobus, Washington, DC’s many attractions and neighborhoods are easily accessible.

One of the best ways to experience Washington is on foot, with wonderful pockets including the inspiring monuments and museums found on the National Mall as well as the intimate museums, world-class theatres and splendid gardens, squares and circles throughout the District. There are also great guided tours of the city to get you oriented.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

  • The District of Columbia is divided into 4 quadrants: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast. The U.S Capitol building marks the center where the quadrants meet. Always check the quadrant indicator (NW, NE, SW, SE) of a local address before setting out.
  • Numbered streets run north-south.
  • Lettered streets run east-west (there are no J, X, Y, or Z streets), alphabetically becoming two syllable names (Adams, Bellmont), then 3-syllable names (Allison, Buchanan) as you travel out farther from the center.
  • Avenues named for U.S. States run diagonally, often meeting at traffic circles and squares.

Metro: Metrorail subway system and Metrobus provide the safest, cleanest and most efficient way of getting around Washington, DC and the metropolitan suburbs. Five rail lines and an extensive bus system connect the District with the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Train lines are named for colors: Red, yellow, blue, green, and orange. Station entrances are marked by brown pylons, capped with the letter “M” and colored stripes indicate which lines are available.

Route maps are posted at each station and inside each subway car. Metrorail opens 5:30 a.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends. It closes at midnight Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday nights, when it stays open until 3 a.m. Each train displays the name of its farthest destination. Base subway fare is $1.35 and increases during rush hour and for longer trips. Daily passes with unlimited riding privileges are available after 9:30 a.m. during the week and all day on weekends for $6. Rail farecards can be purchased at vending machines located inside the stations. Farecards are inserted into the turnstile gates to enter and exit subway platforms. The fare is automatically deducted each time you exit a station. To continue your trip by Metrobus, obtain a transfer at your originating station before boarding the train. Buses travel to Georgetown and other areas not serviced by the subway.

To obtain schedules for connecting Metrobus service, locations of Metro sales offices, and other public transportation information, call Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority at (202) 637-7000.

Taxis: Taxis are readily available in downtown Washington and fares are reasonable. Washington, DC cabs operate on a zone system instead of meters. By law, basic rates must be posted in every cab. The base fare for one zone is $5.00. There is a $1.50 charge for each additional passenger in the party and a $1 surcharge during morning (7-9:30 a.m.) and evening (4-6:30 p.m.) rush hours. There is a radio dispatch service charge of $1.50.

A ride for one passenger between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and downtown is about $12-$15. Maryland and Virginia cabs have metered fares and may transport you in and out of the District, but not between points within the District.
 

A Washington DC History Lesson
Washington, D.C., is unique among American cities because it was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation’s capital. From the beginning it has been embroiled in political maneuvering, sectional conflicts, issues of race, national identity, compromise and, of course, power.

The choice of Washington’s site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers resulted from a compromise between Alexander Hamilton and northern states who wanted the new federal government to assume Revolutionary War debts and Thomas Jefferson and southern states who wanted the capital placed in a location friendly to slave-holding agricultural interests.

George Washington, the first president and namesake of the city, chose the site and appointed three commissioners to help prepare for the arrival of the new government in 1800. In 1800 the federal government consisted of 131 employees. Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed the city as a bold new capital with sweeping boulevards and ceremonial spaces reminiscent of the Paris of his native France. Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African American mathematical genius provided the astronomical calculations for surveying and laying out the city. The full development of Washington as a monumental city, however, did not come until a hundred years later when the McMillan Commission updated the plan to establish the National Mall and Monuments that most visitors to Washington now know.
 

In its 200 years as the nation’s capital Washington has developed as a complex and layered city with multiple personalities. As home to the federal government, it has attracted a diverse mix of government workers, members of Congress from every state, foreign emissaries, lobbyists, petitioners and protestors.

As a southern city, Washington has always had a significant African American population. Before the Civil War, the city was home to a growing number of free blacks who worked as skilled craftsmen, hack drivers, businessmen and laborers. It also included enslaved African Americans and was the site of slave auctions before they were outlawed in the city in 1850. Slaves owned in Washington were emancipated on April 16, 1862, nine months before Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. Washington remained home to a large African American population who created vibrant communities and championed Civil Rights despite racial segregation and prejudice. Duke Ellington was born and raised in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood and played in his first band here.
 

Washington, D.C., was envisioned by its founders as a commercial center as well as the seat of government. The location on the Potomac River was chosen, in part, because it already included two existing port towns of Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia which served as regional shipping centers for tobacco and wheat. When Alexandria returned to Virginia in 1846, residents argued that inclusion within the federal District of Columbia hurt business and the city of Washington would never need that much room to grow.

But after the Civil War, Washington did grow, eventually absorbing Georgetown and the surrounding farms and rural areas beyond L’Enfant’s original plans for the city. The original boundary of Washington City was Florida Avenue, originally called Boundary Street. The first neighborhoods were those that grew up around the Capitol ( Capitol Hill), the Center Market (Downtown), and the White House (Lafayette Square). The expansion of streetcar lines in the mid-19th century spurred creation of new suburbs. Two early suburbs, LeDroit Park and Anacostia, both began as developments that excluded African Americans and later became predominantly African American communities.

Wars and national events have always resulted in the growth of the federal government and increases in population. During the Civil War, Washington was an armed encampment with soldiers bivouacked everywhere and public buildings serving as hospitals. Bread for soldiers was baked in ovens located on the White House grounds. During World War II “government girls” were recruited to fill office jobs as replacements for men who had gone to war.

Washington is also a cosmopolitan city. While it has always had foreign delegations from the countries of the world it also boasts an increasingly diverse ethnic population. A growing Latino population represents every Central and South American country with a particularly large community of Salvadorans. A large Ethiopian population has resulted from the political turmoil there. New ethnic groups have brought new restaurants, as well as new residents. While DC lost residents to surrounding suburbs in the 1990s, new housing and urban revitalization is now attracting people back to the city for a downtown renaissance of housing, offices, entertainment and night life.

As the capital of the world’s most powerful democracy, it is ironic that residents of Washington lack full self government and limited self government was only restored in 1974 after nearly 100 years with an appointed commissioner system. Representation in Congress is limited to a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives and a shadow Senator. 1964 was the first Presidential election in which Washington residents were able to vote.

After 200 years as the nation’s capital, Washington is a place brimming with a unique history of its own. While elected and appointed officials come and go, giving the city its reputation as a transient community, many of the city’s residents have called Washington home for multiple generations. Their stories give Washington its distinctive character as both a national and local city.
 

 
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