Just back from DC. I love it there, it's this great cultural mish-mash that I often crave here. However, its laid out by someone on crack. Honestly, getting home from our meeting downtown we were sharply advised by our well-heeled clients: Just take K street all the way to New York Ave and you'll eventually come to signs 395/295. Remember: K and a right on New York.

Translation:

Once you leave the parking lot, you will never find K street. You will get caught on
one-way streets that do not allow you to turn left, ever, and will also give you no warning whether or not you're about to hit a three-lane roundabout or are about to get on a no-exit ramp to leave the state. You will go through 5 lane tunnels that fork out with no signs when you emerge. Once you finally orient yourself (after passing all major monuments and crossing the Virginia state line three times) you will find the small, beaten down sign you've been looking for spiked between three major road veins, pointing in no real direction.

And the thing is, I've been there many, many times. Amazing!