Breathtaking inside, especially the main reading room..I did feel kind of rushed through the tour…read morethough..you're not given much time to linger and look around..one highlight was seeing the Gutenberg Bible on display..overall positive experience.

The Embassy of Sweden is one of the best embassies to visit in Washington, D.C for these reasons:…read more 1) Location: It's along the Georgetown Waterfront near local favorites like The Reach at the Kennedy Center and Baked and Wired cupcake shop. 2) Design: It's unique design catching the eyes and it's even more stunning on the inside with a rooftop overlooking the Potomac River. 3) Events: They often host events for adults and kids, including rotating art exhibits.

This review is for the special events area only. I attended a shorts festival at the embassy and…read morethought the seats were the most comfortable of any small auditorium that I've visited in D.C. Staff were welcoming and the event ran smoothly. Kudos!

Out of all the embassies along Embassy Row, the Embassy of Italy is in one of the more modern…read morebuildings. If you're able to attend an event there, you'll see historic art and sculptures inside. Outside is green space that often houses tents during events.

Summer Garden Party at the French Embassy (DC)…read more The skies opened up with a huge monsoon like downpour, around 6 PM. The early access entry to the party, started at 7 PM and general admission at 8 PM. Good wine, food and music were anticipated by one and all attendees. A crowd of beautifully dressed and adorned guests awaited their turn to enjoy the fun and excitement, awaiting us on an official French soil reached after you went through security. It's a lovely and large complex in Upper North West, Washington, DC, very close to Georgetown University. As you entered, you came to a charming open courtyard on the right side of the guard room, with a beautiful golden statue and fountain. There's a few tents setup with some of the best food and wine offerings. The rosè and champagne, had their very own tent. The libations were free-flowing and made for a very pleasant, gracious and friendly atmosphere. French Baguette, a local DC based restaurant with French roots, offered their various crogels and quiche. Indoors, they had bread, ham, cheese and vegetables platters. Also, an ice cream machine and a crêpes station. While outside, a singer and piano player provided melodic notes to set the mood. It was an event you had to pay for in order to attend, it was something everyone should, as a Greater Washington DC resident should attend at least once.

If you have business with the French govt then this is the place to come. Visas etc…read more across from Georgetown U hospital. Parking on the street. Lots of traffic and takes time to get here and in. More security here than in smaller embassies. Once inside-the architecture is amazing. Artwork and photos are incredible. Rooms flow nicely for entertaining. Wine tastings work well here. Receptions give people Lots to Look at and talk about. They do run out of plates and glasses. Food is usually short of what you want so plan for a higher number of attendees.

Breathtaking architecture especially the main lobby..and the Indigenous art display was…read moreimpressive..the staff however seemed cold and unwelcoming..I don't think they were Australian.

This is the perfect place to say G'day mate. The embassy has been closed for a while due to repairs…read moreand building issues. If you want to see inside, visit before 11/19, when the building is torn down. The embassy will be in a temporary space until it is rebuilt. The embassy is nice. There is a theater with approximately 100 seats. The front lobby has various items on display that represent Australia. The embassy has a large meeting space which can accommodate hundreds of people. A side room had an exhibit called, "What we Wear" featuring items created by Australian University's School of Art & Design College of Arts & Social Sciences. The security screening was quick. They don't care about water bottles. The guards are looking for other items. The embassy staff and security were so nice. I even got to spend a moment with my cardboard pals, Chris Hemsworth & Margo Robbie. I had never heard a Didgeridoo instrument played before. It was awesome. Bonus points on the Aussie Dictionary.

The Embassy of Argentina is inside a 1906 mansion built for a Congressman from Pennsylvania and…read moredesigned by the first Black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's architecture school. It's two levels with several grand rooms for entertaining and art from Argentina. It's close to the Dupont Circle Metro.

I had the good fortune of visiting the Argentinian Embassy for the 2013 Passport to DC cultural…read moretour. For those who don't know, this is the one day of year where the embassy is open to the public. Of the 6+ embassies that I visited throughout the day, this by far was the best experience. 1. Engaging staff. Unlike other embassies, the staff initiated the conversation and were eager to explain the culture and history of Argentina. We also got information regarding the different rooms and paintings inside the embassy. 2. Personal meet and greet with the ambassador. We were personally greeted by the ambassador and had the opportunity to shake her hand and have a chat with her. I couldn't believe she was actively participating in the event! 3. Food & wine. Only a handful of embassies served food and drinks and of those handful, this embassy was the best. El Patio from Rockville catered and gave us 3 types of empanadas to sample (Corn, beef, and vegetable). To top that off, they brought a stellar Argentianian Malbec (which I'm going to find out by calling the restaurant). In my opinion, that wine tasted like a $25+ bottle and if it's priced under $10 (which my gut tells me b/c there is no way they'll give something that expensive to a crowd for free), it will arguably make it the best value wine I've tried in the last 3-4 years. I'll be buying a case of that wine soon. 4. Tango dancing. Argentina and tango are synonymous. We had a live tango demonstration by professionals followed by a short group lesson. Great staff, great food, drinks, and a marvelous show. They hit a 10 out of 10 on all the major categories. Congratulations for pulling off such a fantastic job!

I applied the tourist L visa for my two kids, here's a snapshot:…read more3/28 - Submitted online application on COVA 4/6 - Preliminary review rejected, pending birth certificates/parents' passport copy 4/7 - Online review approved upon submission of missing docs. To drop off passport 4/14 - Dropped off passport at visa center in DC 4/17 - Picked up both visas (approved for 10 years and 90 days max duration for multiple entries) and paid the visa fees The online application was straight-forward. I used online free websites to photoshop the pictures. They did not specify uploading birth certificates/parents' passport copies during the application, but after I uploaded the necessary docs, it was approved swiftly. When dropping off the passport, the agent only asked for the passports, how long we plan to stay in China, and then she gave me to pink slip and asked me to come back Friday to pick up the passports. The whole visit lasted for 5 mins (it was on a Tuesday morning). There is garage parking at the center, it costs $8.99 for an hour. However, if the visit is not going to last for over 2 hours, I suggest parking on the street which is about $4 for 1.5 hrs. Tuesday was very empty, Friday was crowded, I had to wait in line for 40+ mins to get into the center to pick up the visas. Overall I think the process was a lot easier than I initially thought. Regarding online reviews about customer service, I think the visa center is about efficiency. The "Chinese efficiency" is about getting the job done without wasting people's time and money. The staff may not be the friendliest people on earth, but they get down to the core which is getting your visas/applications approved. The drive to the DC embassy may be a bit far but I got what I needed in an efficient manner.

Had a good experience here! Got there at 2:10pm on a Monday and I was done by their closing time of…read more2:30p. I was nervous because I heard that some consulates stop taking people at 2pm, but that was not the case here. The office is on the ground floor of a brown building in the Glover Park area. Walk through the glass doors main entrance and head to the back. Nobody was in the security line, so I got a number right away. If you don't have a bag, the security process is super quick. There were 5 people ahead of me. All of them appeared to be tour operators as they had stacks of passports and paperwork. My number was called, the rep was courteous and efficient. He went through my paperwork and the intake took 3 minutes. Fast turnaround on the regular $140 fee (drop off Monday, pick up Thursday). He did say that there is a lunch break between 12:30p-1:30p, so expect a wait time during that hour. He gave me a pink slip for pickup and you pay $140 at pickup. Don't lose your pink slip! I brought: 1) printout of application submitted online - sign it! 2) printout of QR code page - sign this! 3) paper copy of passport page 4) paper copy of front and back of driver license There are restrooms, a water fountain, and lots of seats. About 6 people were working. As other people have said, don't forget to check the mainland China calendar of holidays, as the office may close on those days. Lunar New Year, Moon Festival, etc.

We really enjoyed this hotel. The rooms are huge and the location is great for walking to a lot of…read morethe major sites. Big shout out to Edgar and Sylvia who gave us great service and were very friendly. Unfortunately some of the other front desk staff needs a little help in that department. The free breakfast is good but get there early, it gets crowded. Also if you eat at the restaurant any other time, be prepared for some high prices for hotel food. Also, the bath towels need to be replaced or maybe some fabric softener, they were a little rough. Finally, the pool area felt like you walked into a hot steam room, not very relaxing when it's already in the 90's outside. Overall we liked our stay and would come back again.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience…read more From the moment I arrived, I felt that my family and I were treated differently from other guests. There was nowhere to park at the valet entrance, so I asked my wife to take my ID and credit card inside while I stayed with the vehicle. She was told, quite loudly, that no rooms were available until after 4:00 p.m. We then waited outside for approximately 30 minutes with no assistance from valet or hotel staff. No one offered directions on where to park, helped with our luggage, or suggested any alternative. While we waited, I watched other guests arriving after us receive their room keys, luggage assistance, and welcome amenities. I understand that there can be legitimate reasons for differences in room availability, but based on what I observed, I left feeling that we were treated differently. Because no one offered assistance with our luggage and we had nowhere to leave it, I was forced to remain at the hotel while my family went to our timed reservation at the National Air and Space Museum without me. Missing that experience was extremely disappointing and put a damper on our vacation. I also requested a room near an ice machine because I have a medical condition that requires me to stay cool. I explained that I am 100 percent disabled and that this accommodation was important. Despite that request, I was assigned to a floor without an ice machine, forcing me to travel to another floor every time I needed ice. That made an already difficult situation even harder. As a Hilton Diamond member, I was also disappointed that I did not receive my Diamond welcome gift or any recognition of my loyalty, even though I observed other guests receiving theirs. I cannot know why my experience was so different from that of other guests, but I left feeling that I was not treated with the same level of courtesy, respect, and service. I hope hotel management reviews what happened and provides additional training so that every guest, regardless of disability or body size, receives the same respectful treatment.

Wow, what a lovely team! Birgit has wonderfully helped me apply for citizenship due to my mema's…read moreheritage and previous citizenship before marrying an American soldier, and Birgit was so kind, guided us through the process kindly and delicately, and was with us every step of the way! The embassy itself was very pretty and clean, and we couldn't help but take a walk around the neighborhood afterword and go to a nice coffeeshop. Thanks Birgit! - Allie and Josh

Wow, what a helpful team at the German embassy. My wife and I just went to their open office hours…read more(Monday 1-3pm) to ask about citizenship questions, and they were so friendly and helpful. Expecting well....a German experience, we were blown away by the friendliness of the staff and walked away very excited to continue working with them to get a few big things done. I lived in Wuppertal Germany (where my wife is from) and comparatively that Visa office was a zoo! The embassy here was so nice and open we were shocked. The only tip I'd say is just make an appointment. While their website said they had citizenship open hours on Monday and Friday, the office seemed confused by this. They were still very happy to help, but they were looking for an appointment first and foremost. The woman who helped us was so great and even gave us her name to follow up on future fillings. We're at the point where we would much rather deal with them than filing anything when we're in Germany!

They don't even deserve 1 star…read more The staff here are incompetent. Especially the one name Gaby Hasnan. She is a dumbb*tch! I came here couple of time to legalize some documents , you will think, thats an easy process, as long as i bring all the documents needed, but guess what. Everytime i go, they have different requirements, eventho i called ahead of time to confirm but still, so basically its depends on who was the person working at that time n what they feel like to ask for the requirements. *Mind blowing* What kind of government institutions do that?? Unfortunately this one does! Not to mention, Gaby asked me for proof if i'm indonesian citizen, i showed her my indonesian passport, u know what dumb shit she said to me, "even if u have indonesian passport doesn't mean you are indonesian citizen". I was like WTF I was speechless. I couldn't believe they could hire incompetent dumbshit like her to work at the embassy. This is just a proof how she will try everything possible to give u hardtime.

This place was awesome. Snacks to sample. Performers dancing musicians on instruments entertaining…read moreand an art project to do if one chose. There are beautiful cultural pieces to admire on display. It is impressive inside and out. Go visit I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Employees here are very friendly and helpful. The process of ROM and passport was pretty fast. I…read moredont know why other Filipinos are losing patience and getting upset while I was there maybe because they have been waiting for hours and they flew all the way from other State. Duhh! We are on the same boat. Please don't treat them like you own them, they are just doing their job. DMV is way worst than this. Trust me! My case was actually complicated and they were very friendly and kind. They do answer phone calls, they are very efficient and you'll not be treated here like you're dumb eventhough you don't know a lot of stuff. Make an appointment in advance to save your spot, if you do walk-in or you have to wait longer, go out for shopping or eat something. Like what I did. Don't worry, they do keep you updated on your waiting time. Kudos to all employees here specially to Ms. Clarence. THANK YOU, guys!

Just need to be more faster because we have an appointment, appointment means they accept the…read moreappointment that you did online so it mean they can accommodate you faster than the walk ins but still slow, how can we manage faster service for our fellow pilipino people who travel far away who lives in different state a cross east coast, we all knew that we have a job to do, some didn't have much time and this is what we get from out embassy, come on are we still living in the philippines? Slow service be realistic they knew you only have some time to do what you need from the embassy, so please make sure they can accommodate faster than usual I hope we can get a better and faster service so we can go ahead and back to our job amd less hassle May peace upon to everyone