Montgomery County

如何抵達

By plane Like the rest of the Maryland Capital Region, Montgomery County is served by the nearby airports of Dulles International, Baltimore-Washington International, and Reagan National.

By car Traffic comes in from the northwest on I-270, and pours in from east and west on the habitually clogged Beltway, I-495, which brings in drivers from I-95 in the northeast, and from Virginia to the south. There are no highways leading here from Washington, D.C. (and this contributes greatly to the traffic). The major arteries from west to east include Wisconsin Ave, Connecticut Ave, and Georgia Ave.

By train Montgomery County is served by both the northeast and northwest sections of the D.C. Metro Red Line. The northwest section includes stops right in the thick of Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Rockville, and Gaithersburg; the northeast section in Takoma Park, Silver Spring, and Wheaton. It is also served by the Brunswick line of the MARC commuter train to/from Union Station in Washington, D.C., as well as service to/from Frederick, Harpers Ferry, and Martinsburg.

By bus Generally it's easiest to take the Metro from D.C. and then transfer to bus from the Metro stop, but there are a few major Metrobus routes to Montgomery County from the city: #30-36 [1] run up Wisconsin Ave to the Friendship Heights Metro station, and #70-71 [2] run up Georgia Ave to the Silver Spring Metro station. From these stations you will have to transfer to another bus to keep going.

當地交通

By car The U.S. is an automotive country, and Montgomery County, despite having quite impressive public transport, is no exception. Driving is without a doubt the most convenient way of getting around, but be forewarned that the county has some of, if not the worst traffic in the entire nation (it vies for that dubious distinction with neighboring counties in Virginia). The aforementioned north-south arteries, as well as the east-west Beltway and northwesterly I-270 and the Rockville Pike between Bethesda and Rockville are the main routes around the densely populated parts of the county.

By bus Montgomery County has an excellent bus system, and while it may take you a while to get where you are going, you can reach just about any major destination in the county by bus alone. WMATA's Metrobus has a respectable network of bus routes right in the inner suburbs, while Ride On Bus is the county bus service, with very comprehensive coverage of the densely populated portion of the county. Note that WMATA's SmarTrip card works for Ride On buses as well as the Metro and Metrobus.

必看景點

For sightseeing, you are best off heading south into D.C., which has more major attractions than you can shake a stick at. But if you've been there, done that, there are some off-the-beaten-path attractions in Montgomery County. There are several quite unusual destinations that can make for a good trip. The National Mormon Temple in Kensington is enormous and impressive, famously drawing comparisons to the Oz's Emerald Palace from daredevil Beltway graffiti artists. You can't go inside, but you can take pictures from the outside and learn about the temple and the Church of Latter Day Saints at its visitor center. Nearby in Forest Glen is the very weird collection of exotic buildings at the half-abandoned National Park Seminary: a Japanese pagoda, a Swiss-style castle, a Dutch windmill, etc. Glen Echo is a unique "antique amusement park," still operating a carousel, a Spanish ballroom for dance lessons and events, dramatic theater, and other attractions. The one truly big attraction worth seeking out, though, is the imposing Great Falls on the Potomac River in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The Maryland side boasts the best views of this massive collection of rapids and waterfalls, and makes for a great picnic. The park itself would be worth visiting even without the draw of the falls for its historic charm. For more outdoor attractions, try Wheaton's lovely Brookside Gardens.

購物

In particular, Rockville and Bethesda have many shops from which to buy clothes, trinkets, antiques, and souvenirs. Gaithersburg and Germantown, on the other hand, generally cater more to local suburbanites but have a few interesting options as well. True to its bohemian roots, Takoma Park (and to a lesser extent, [[Silver Spring) hosts several quirky independent stores, bookstores and galleries that make it worth the trip from D.C.

美食

Given how affluent and international Montgomery County is, it's hardly surprising that there is a lot of good food to be had. For a downtown dining experience, Bethesda is the unchallenged leader, with a huge variety of mid-range and upscale restaurants, running the gamut from Spanish tapas to Maryland crabs, gourmet Indian to Philly cheesesteaks, with a host of great options in between. There are gems throughout the other major cities, like Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, etc.—albeit quite crowded out by legions of mid-range chain restaurants both in the respective downtown areas and on the endless strip malls throughout. If you have a taste for cuisines around the world, you are in luck, and won't have to spend too much money. Wheaton has arguably the best cheap ethnic eats in the whole D.C. metro area, especially for great Asian and Central American food, due to its significant Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Guatemalan, Honduran, and especially Salvadoran communities. For each of those categories, you simply will not find better outside Wheaton. It's not too shabby for Korean, Ethiopian, Peruvian, or even Scottish, for that matter. Rockville, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park cannot boast the sort of density of ethnic restaurants as Wheaton, but are nonetheless also good bets for Asian, African, and Latin American food.

飲品與夜生活

As with restaurants, Bethesda has the county's largest and liveliest nightlife scene, with a ton of bars and a good handful of night clubs. In the past decade, however, Silver Spring and Rockville have become a legitimate challengers, especially so with younger residents and you'll find plenty after dark right in both their respective downtowns. Both offer cheaper and more diverse options, than upscale Bethesda. For an even more diverse and certainly more offbeat experience, Takoma Park has only a few options, but they are a lot of fun. You won't have trouble finding your basic bar in any of the other major communities throughout the community, but options are fairly limited by way of clubs. Not to worry, though, since D.C. is right next door!

住宿

Hotels, of which there are many—Marriott is headquartered in Bethesda—are to be found mostly around the county's major downtown cores and near Metro stations. Those of Bethesda and Silver Spring cater more to tourists, looking to enjoy easy access to the D.C. Metro and the nearby restaurants and entertainment, while those of Rockville, the Rockville Pike, Gaithersburg, and Germantown cater more to business travelers. If you are looking for roadside motels off I-270