Congratulations to Rebecca Power on her award winning tip on staying at the local youth hostel instead of a hotel. Here is Rebecca's tip in detail:
A colleague and I are staying at the Hostelling International Washington DC hostel which is just a few blocks from the convention center and conference hotels (11th St. between K and L). You don't have to be a member (it costs a few dollars more for non-members), there is no age limit, and bedding is included (you don't have to bring your sleeping bag anymore!). At the DC hostel, non-member nightly prices were quoted to me as follows:
2 bedrooms: $112 split between two people
4 bedrooms: $38 per person (some of them are semi-private, with a half-wall between sets of two beds)
6, 8, or 10 bedrooms: $35 per person
That's some pretty serious savings for being right in the thick of things. I know it doesn't suit everyone to live dorm-style, but a pair of 50 cent earplugs go a long way to make it bearable. Plus, you get to meet people visiting the U.S. from all over the world (a favorite fact of my 65-year old mother who always stays there when she visits DC).
Rebecca will enjoy lunch with incoming RUSA President David Tyckoson at the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.