DESTINATION WASHINGTON, DC

National capitals are renowned for being the least interesting places to visit in any country, but Washington is an exception. Its tree-lined avenues and grand 19th century buildings create a surprisingly warm, almost cozy atmosphere - though some neighborhoods are less so than others. The capital is a microcosm of the grand ideals and grim realities of the US - as the potholes and homeless people everywhere will attest. You don't have to be unpatriotic to be aware of the depressing irony of poverty and racial segregation in the shadow of glorious monuments proclaiming 'equality for all.'

Washington certainly isn't as hip a town as New York or San Francisco, but its museums rank with some of the country's best (and most are free), its architecture is impressive and its dining and nightlife are more cosmopolitan than you might think.

Map of Greater Washington (19K)

Map of Washington (18K)

Facts at a Glance
History
When to Go
Orientation
Attractions
Off the Beaten Track
Activities

Events
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Recommended Reading
Lonely Planet Guides
Travelers' Reports on the USA
On-line Info

Facts at a Glance

Population: 600,000
Area: 65 sq mi (170 sq km)
Elevation: 30ft (9m)
Region: District of Columbia
Time Zone: Eastern Time (GMT/UTC minus 5 hours)
Telephone area code: 202

History

The US Congress met in a variety of cities - Philadelphia, New York, and Princeton (New Jersey) among them - before the fledgling republic was ready to commit to a permanent seat of government. Congress chose the Potomac as a natural midpoint that would satisfy both northern and southern states (whose cultural and political differences were apparent well before the Civil War of 1861-1865). This spot had the added benefit of being across the river from George Washington's home in Mount Vernon.

Folks started referring to it as 'the city of Washington' around 1791 and the name stuck. Maryland and Virginia agreed to cede land to create the District of Columbia (named for Christopher Columbus), and an area 'ten miles square' (26 sq km) was laid out by African American mathematician Benjamin Banneker and surveyor Andrew Ellicott. French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant was hired to design the city, and though his elegant plan was widely admired, he quickly ran afoul of local politics. After L'Enfant was fired, Banneker continued to carry out L'Enfant's plans.

Work started on the ornate Capitol in 1793, but it was barely complete when British troops torched it in the War of 1812. Though the Capitol was eventually rebuilt, the city entered a slump from which it wouldn't recover for decades. A dispirited vote to abandon the capital lost by only nine votes.

Charles Dickens visited and dismissed DC as 'the City of Magnificent Distances,' complaining about 'spacious avenues that begin in nothing and lead nowhere; streets, milelong, that only want houses, roads, and inhabitants; public buildings that need but a public.'

The Civil War focused attention on Washington, bringing bivouacs, temporary hospitals, and armies to its outskirts. The war's chaos and expense led Washingtonians to wonder whether construction of the elaborate Capitol dome might not be suspended. President Lincoln responded, 'If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on.' In the war's aftermath, the Great Emancipator was assassinated in Ford's Theater (a memorial flag remains draped over the theater box shrine today), and the role of the US capital changed from state-led administration to centralized leadership.

The town's ailing infrastructure was overhauled in the 1870s by territorial governor Alexander 'Boss' Shepherd, whose extravagant use of federal funds and penchant for steamrolling anything in his way led to a crackdown by Congress that robbed DC of self-government for another 100 years. For the citizenry, it was a high price to pay for a city beginning to look like it might fulfill L'Enfant's original vision of a world-class capital.

A beautification plan at the turn of the century added most of the landscaping, parks, and monuments for which Washington is now well known. Nevertheless, until recently Washington suffered from its image as a Southern backwater. It was John F Kennedy who so succinctly slammed it as 'a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.' The Kennedy Center, established as a 'living memorial' to JFK, did much to bring cosmopolitan culture to the place.

The city's intense and divisive political climate is downright romantic to political activists. Spectacular free art is visible at every turn. From a Southern backwater, DC has evolved into a national pilgrimage center for many citizens (as was intended). Yet Washington is notorious too for the many severe problems that trouble its residents. Poverty, crime, and racial segregation in the shadow of glorious monuments proclaiming 'equality for all' embarrass those who would hope to hold the nation's capital up as a model. Washington, DC, is no model, but it is a microcosm - of the grand ideals and grim realities of the USA.

When to Go

The most comfortable times to visit Washington are in spring (March to May) and fall (September to November). The official tourist season runs from April through September. It's a good idea to buy advance tickets to popular attractions during this period because the queues can be monstrous.

Summers are hot and humid, especially in July and August. If you can bear the heat, this can be a good time to visit, as business travel to DC slumps and accommodation rates fall accordingly. Snowman aficionados may get a kick out of winter.

Orientation

Washington is plonked down in the District of Columbia, a little enclave chopped from the state of Maryland. It is bounded on one side by the Potomac River (on the other side of the river you'll find Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia) and on the other sides by the state of Maryland. The city covers 69 sq miles (111 sq km).

Washington is ringed by a freeway bypass called the Beltway, which divides the urban insiders from the suburbanites. The Capitol isn't just the symbolic center of Washington: from here the city is divided into four compass-point quadrants along axes following N Capitol St, E Capitol St, S Capitol St and the Mall. Identical addresses appear in all four quadrants, so you need to know the directional component of the address you want. Most tourist sights are located around the Capitol, along the Mall and in the northwest quadrant.

Streets are arranged on a grid of north-south numbered streets and east-west lettered streets. This grid is overlaid by broad diagonal avenues. The geometric pattern is further interrupted by traffic circles that add to the city's appeal but can make DC a challenging place for outsiders to navigate by car.

Capitol Hill is the main sightseeing area. Downtown includes the monuments dotting the Mall but is otherwise strictly business. Dupont Circle is an upscale business and residential address with a funky fringe; Adams-Morgan is bohemian, funky and international; Shaw has historically elite residential areas and ghettos; and Georgetown has pristine historic houses, a university and lively bars.

Washington Dulles International Airport is 26 miles (41km) southwest of the city. Greyhound buses come into the Greyhound terminal on the corner of 1st St NE and L St. Just to the south is Union Station, the flagship terminal of the Amtrak network, located at 50 Massachusetts Ave NE on Capitol Hill.

Attractions

The Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum is the most popular museum in the world. It's packed with full-size air and spacecraft, including the Wright brothers' plane and the Apollo IX command module. You can touch a moon rock, watch a stomach-churning IMAX film or visit the planetarium. The National Museum of Natural History holds many awesome highlights, including the Hope Diamond, a model of the biggest blue whale ever seen and a giant mammoth. It's got all the favorites: dinosaur bones, insects and a newly renovated hall of gems and minerals. The National Museum of American History is full of cultural touchstones - they've got the original American flag and, more importantly, the original Kermit the Frog, as well as Fonzie's leather jacket, Dorothy's ruby slippers and a whole bunch of sensible historical stuff.

The US Holocaust Museum, half a block south of the Mall, isn't part of the Smithsonian, but it's one of the city's best museums. It's a haunting memorial to victims of Nazi tyranny, covering the period 1933 to 1945. The exhibits - which include film footage, audio recordings, photos and personal belongings - vividly convey the scope and nature of Holocaust atrocities.

Off the Beaten Track

C&O Canal National Historic Park

The scenic and historic C&O Canal runs from Georgetown, a northwestern neighbourhood of DC, 184 miles (296km) to Cumberland, Maryland. Originally envisioned as part of a never-completed western passage joining Chesapeake Bay and the Ohio River, the C&O Canal contains 74 lift locks that rise from near sea level to an elevation of 605ft (180m). A dusty towpath alongside the canal was trod by children (paid 4 cents a day by some accounts) leading mules, who in turn pulled barges through the canal. The advent of the railroads rendered the canal obsolete.

Today the canal corridor along the Potomac is preserved as a national park and is a major recreational resource for hikers, cyclists, boaters, backpackers and horseback riders. Georgetown isn't easily accessible by public transport, though it's a nice walk west along Pennsylvania Ave from the Foggy Bottom station when the weather is decent.

Arlington

Within the Beltway (the interstate highway bypass that surrounds Washington, DC), Arlington, Virginia, offers several attractions worth a trip out of urban Washington. One of the DC area's most-visited sights is Arlington National Cemetery, just west of central Washington, which is best known for its Tomb of the Unknowns, where a ritualized changing of the guard takes place periodically throughout the day. Visitors also make a pilgrimage to the Kennedy gravesites, the final resting place of John F Kennedy (memorialized with an eternal flame), Robert Kennedy and, most recently, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The nearby Pentagon is the headquarters of the powerful Department of Defense. The massive five-sided structure can be visited on a guided tour.

Metrorail's Blue Line connects DC with Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon.

Bethesda

Until relatively recently Bethesda was a quiet Maryland town, but it has grown to become one of the largest, most influential and most affluent suburban communities in the nation. Despite its sophisticated modern trappings, some of Bethesda's most appealing spots remain its old-time attractions, such as the old movie theater, classic diner and renowned crab shacks. The movie theater is a real treat: it presents second-run films and family matinees in its huge old movie house outfitted with cafe tables and swivel chairs. You can even order pitchers of beer and nachos in the dark (servers dial it in on lighted computer pads).

The Metrorail makes Bethesda one of the most accessible suburbs for Washington visitors. It's about 10 miles (16km) northwest of the city via cosmopolitan Wisconsin Ave.

Beyond the Beltway

Atlantic Ocean beach resorts such as Rehoboth in Delaware and Ocean City and wild Assateague Island in Maryland are a three to four-hour drive from Washington on highways that can be congested on summer weekends. Because of the distance and potential traffic, daytripping to Atlantic beaches is barely feasible, and travelers headed for the coast should plan on spending at least a night at the shore. Daytrippers looking for a beach might consider Sandy Point State Park, 35 miles (56km) east, or Chesapeake Beach, 35 miles (56km) southeast of Washington.

Activities

For outdoor recreation, residents head primarily to Rock Creek Park and the C&O Canal, both in northwestern Washington. There are well marked hiking and jogging tracks ranging from easy to strenuous in both parks. There's canoeing on the C&O Canal and other boating activities on the Potomac River.

A 10 mile (16km) paved cycle path runs from below the Kennedy Center to Pierce Mill, largely along the wooded creek in Rock Creek Park. The C&O Canal towpath makes a great bike route, particularly for mountain bikes - it starts in Georgetown and stretches 184 miles (296km) into Maryland. Washington has more than 40 free public swimming pools to choose from; the one in Georgetown is among the best. When the ice is thick enough, you can ice skate on the C&O Canal. If you don't fancy this, try the small Sculpture Garden Ice Rink on the Mall.

Events

The city is best known for its Cherry Blossom Festival in March-April and for the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival in June. Independence Day is a big event, including a troops parade, the reading of the Declaration of Independence, concerts and fireworks over the Potomac. Other highlights include Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday on the third Monday in January, when orators recite King's 'I have a dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial; the Smithsonian Kite Festival (late March), when kite designers, flyers and competitors gather on the Mall for this rite of spring; April's White House Easter Egg Roll, which the First Lady hosts for children under 8; and the Festival of American Folk Life, hosted by the Smithsonian on the last weekend in June.

In September, Adams-Morgan Day is a huge international block party with global music, food and crafts along and around 18th St NW and Columbia Rd. This is also the month for the National Frisbee Festival (watch your head when wandering the Mall) and the DC Blues Festival (free concerts around town). On the second Thursday in December, the President illuminates the national Christmas tree and lights a menorah on the Ellipse. There's outdoor partying on New Year's Eve at the Old Post Office.

Getting There & Away

There are three major airports in the Capital Region; all three are within 35 miles of Washington, DC. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) is located in Linticum, Maryland, 10 miles (16km) south of downtown Baltimore and 30 miles (48km) northeast of Washington. Washington Dulles International Airport (pronounced 'DULL-uss') (IAD) is in Herndon, Virginia, 25 miles (40km) east of Washington.

By far the most convenient airport for Washington visitors is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which is right on the Potomac River near Arlington National Cemetery. National Airport is served by all major foreign and domestic carriers.

Amtrak provides frequent rail service along the busy Eastern Seaboard corridor from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington. You'll generally find efficient, well-maintained trains, and convenient stations. Rates and travel times between many destinations along this route are competitive with air travel, especially considering that train stations are centrally located in major cities. Union Station in Washington is Amtrak's 'flagship' station, and offers a variety of convenient travel resources to visitors.

Amtrak service to and through other parts of the US is more limited, less convenient, and not as good value - long-distance fares are often higher than the cost of airfare or car rentals for covering the same distance, so beyond the East Coast corridor, train travel is an option that appeals mostly to dedicated rail lovers.

Greyhound bus service connects Washington with Baltimore (Maryland), Richmond (Virginia), New York and other destinations along the Eastern Seaboard and the South. Trailways also provides service to eastern cities.