Travelling Washington DC
Before You Travel
Washington DC is located near the middle of the eastern coast of the USA. It is 230 miles south of New York City, less than an hour drive to Baltimore and slightly more than two hours to Philadelphia. The city is near the vast Chesepeake Bay about 100 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The surrounding landscape is nearly flat with some gently rolling hills and shallow valleys. Summers can get quite warm with temperatures often exceeding 80 degrees F during June through August. Winters can be quite cold with temperatures intermittently falling below freezing from December through March. They get a modest amount of precipitation evenly distributed throughout the year. Occasional Atlantic storms can bring deluges or can dump large amounts of snow on the area in the winter.
Washington DC is more than a city but not quite a state. It is a "district" created by the Congress of the United States in 1790 as a place to meet and transact their affairs of government. It was originally a ten-mile, square of land straddling the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland. They called it the District of Columbia and named the new capital city, to be constructed within, Washington in honor of our founding father and first president.
- A city planned by a French engineer:
Washington DC is one of the few cities in the USA that was built according to a plan. In 1790, President Washington hired a French engineer from Lafayette's army named Pierre L'Enfant to design a glorious capital city similar to Paris. The complete name of the city is Washington, District of Columbia. Most people call it Washington DC or just DC.
Today Washington DC is a city of variety and contrast. The central area is beautifully designed with broad avenues lined with magnificent buildings and monuments set in spacious green parks. The surrounding neighborhoods vary from modern commercial districts and upscale residential neighborhoods to ethnic enclaves and working class neighborhoods. The city houses a myriad of workers, diplomats, politicians and immigrants from many lands. It is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the US with numerous ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants featuring a wide variety of exotic cuisines. Suburban communities in nearby Virginia and Maryland house an army of government workers and businesses supporting the operation of our huge federal bureaucracy.
There is a lot to see in Washington DC and most of it is free. You can tour the US Capitol Building, the White House, the Supreme Court and many federal government agencies like the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (where they print the money) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) (where they shoot a machine gun). You can visit the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt Memorials. You can see Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam memorial, the Korean War memorial and the Battle of Iwo Jima memorial. You can even spend several days touring the many parts of the Smithsonian Institute, one of the largest and finest collection of museums in the world. None of it will cost anything!
Washington DC offers many historical and educational attractions, a variety of cultural and entertainment activities, plenty of multi-ethnic dining experiences and an array of shopping opportunities. Outside of the city, there are many civil war battlefields within a short drive; and President Washington's home at Mount Vernon is just south of DC. The port city of Baltimore and Anapolis, home of the US Naval Acadamy, are within an hour drive. Even Piladelphia and New York City are within a half-day drive.
Washington DC Attractions:
The US Capitol Building sits on a slight hill at the eastern end of the Mall. It is a beautiful white building of classical Greek design with a large central dome, columnar porticos, grand staircase and two wings. The south wing houses the US House of Representatives and the north wing houses the US Senate. When either body is in session, a flag flies over the respective wing. The hallways and central atrium are filled with marble statues of great US statesmen, artists and historical figures and the building is full of unique architectural features. You can take a guided tour of the building for free Mondays through Saturdays from 9AM until 4:30PM, but you must first obtain a ticket from the visitor's kiosk in front of the building. The US Senate web site has a nice virtual tour of this building.
The official residence of the President of the United States is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, two blocks north of the Mall near the Washington Monument. It is best viewed from the Ellipse, a large open field behind the White House, or from Lafayette Park in front of the building. (Where various protesters camp.) The White House is no longer open to the public for tours due to security considerations
The Washington Monument is the most prominent feature of the DC skyline. It is the 555-foot (185-meter) high, white-marble obelisk at the top of a slight rise in the center of the Mall. It is best viewed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the western end of the Mall where an inverted image appears in the large reflecting pool. You can ride an elevator to the 500-foot observation deck any day from 9 AM until 4:45 PM. Tickets are available at a kiosk near the base of the monument or they can be reserved in advance via telephone or on the Internet. Tickets are free at the kiosk, but cost $2.00 when reserved in advance
- The Smithsonian Institute Museums
The Smithsonian Institution, composed of at least 17 separate facilities scattered about Washington DC, is one of the finest collections of museums in the world. Nine of the museums are located on The Mall between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. This great photo-map of the mall is on the official Smithsonian site.
The National Air and Space Museum is nearly everyone's favorite. It displays many original historic aircraft and spacecraft as well as full scale models of a Lunar Lander, a spacelab, numerous rockets and aircraft. Don't miss the Imax Theater for a spectacular film on flight and the planetarium star show.
The National Museum of Natural History contains many specimens of plants and animals from around the world plus an impressive exhibit of dinosaurs and anthropological artifacts. It has an outstanding mineral exhibit with many precious gems including the legendary Hope Diamond.
The National Museum of American History contains a diverse collection of Americana that ranges from the inaugural gowns worn by every president's wife since George Washington to the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz.
The National Gallery of Art contains the finest collection of Western European art and sculpture in the New World, as well as an impressive collection of American paintings.
The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden contains a vast collection of modern and contemporary art. It also features a sunken outdoor sculpture garden on the Mall.
The Lincoln Memorial is a beautiful white marble building of Greek Classical design situated at the western end of the Mall near the banks of the Potomac River and the Arlington Memorial Bridge. It contains a 19-foot (6-meter) high marble statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln. The Vietnam War memorial and the Korean War memorials lie on either side of the reflecting pool just before this monument and the new Roosevelt Memorial is but a short walk to the south. The Lincoln memorial is open to the public all hours of the day and night.
The Jefferson memorial is located across the tidal basin from the western end of the Mall and adds picturesque charm to the views from many locations. It is a beautiful white-marble, circular-domed structure patterned after a classic Greek temple. It contains a 19-foot (6-meter) tall bronze statue of President Jefferson. It is open to the public all hours.
Washington DC Tours
