A symbol of power not only in our country, but in every corner of the world, Washington DC is a capital city that calls for attention. DC is a city that fosters a culture that is socially, intelectualy, and politically charged. It is home of the White House and the Smithsonian. It has some of the hottest gourmet restaurants and clubs on the east coast. Washington DC is truly a capital of diversity. I have a great appreciation for this city, because its greatness is presented through a simple platform.
I think it’s important for everyone to visit Washington DC to see the community in which the greatest decisions of our time our made. The capital building itself is a beautiful piece of architecture. It features an astounding rotunda that is used for many ceremonial events. It is also home to the statuary hall, which holds statues of important people from all 50 states. To be able to stand in the capitol building is an experience as touristy as you could expect, but is something everyone should take out the time to do.
Another great site to see is the Smithsonian group of museums. The Smithsonian allows anyone to become an explorer and a learner for the amount of time they spend in the museums. Each museum has very easy to access exhibits and visitor friendly layouts. The most popular museum is most likely the National Museum of Natural History Museum. This museum has exhibits on dinosaurs, diamonds, mammals, and human origins. Another very interesting museum to see is Air and Space Museum. The air and space museum displays aircrafts from throughout history. It is a great place to learn about the advances we have experience in air space throughout the years. These are only two out of the many museums available to see.
The United States Botanic Garden is another great site to see. The gardens are absolutely beautiful. It’s an unusual site for tourists to see, but I recommend you stop by. The best time to see the gardens is in Christmas. The gardens are decorated with monuments from around DC. There is also a special season’s greetings exhibit they put up every year. It is a gorgeous display of plants and flowers crafted for a fairy world.
If your looking for another spot that isn’t as highlighted in the tourist scene I would recommend the Library of Congress. The library consists of three buildings, the most spectacular of the three buildings is the Thomas Jefferson Building. The building’s Great Hall is absolutely breath taking. The Library of Congress is the oldest cultural institution. It contains an extensive collection of artifacts, books, and various collections.
While in Washington DC don’t forget to check out the memorials and pay tribute to all the lives that were taken in order to preserve our freedoms. Some of these memorials include the FDR memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Vietnam War Memorial. Each memorial is created in a different style. The Vietnam War Memorial is a very simplistic war memorial designed by Maya Lin. The Korean War memorial is a memorial composed of statues of soldiers. The FDR memorial is composed of statutes, scenes from the time period, and water falls.
Washington DC has many wonderful sites to explore, this is just a small sampling of what you can see!
The first time I ever went to DC is marked my memory of being in the car trying to count how many licks it takes to get to the center of a lollipop, before I fell asleep with the candy still in my mouth. As a child, the museums are absolutely amazing! I had visited both the Air and Space and the National Museum of Natural History, and can say that both were fantastic. Unfortunately, I had not had the chance to visit DC again, but I am looking forward to another trip and hopefully my adult self would find new and amazing things.
I absolutely love the Smithsonian! I remember when I was little and we took a few day trip to Washington D.C. and I was told that we had the ability to tour the Smithsonian or take a literal feeling of the Library of Congress. I was beyond ecstatic! My favorite sections of the Smithsonian detailed ancient history and the rocks and minerals collections, and all of their exhibits were creative and carefully planned out, which only added to their beauty. There is so much to be able to do within Washington D.C. that you will rarely be searching for something new to try or do.
This is on my bucket list! Well, actually I’d also like to work in DC someday… I’ve seen so many movies featuring various landmarks and other buildings in DC, that I decided that I just absolutely have to go and experience the beauty and history in person. My brother once took a day trip to Washington, DC but I am still struggling to figure out how one experiences all that DC has to offer in one short day. Probably close to impossible, right?! Maybe I’ll get the chance to take him someday.
As with Betsy above me, I went to Washington, D.C. as a young kid and remember barely any of it. Between then and now, I would appreciate it far more due to my maturity and change in personality. I have developed a love of both nature and architecture, so the city would definitely intrigue me. On top of that, I have a fascination of power, and the systems that brought people to it. Politics and history are truly cool when you can stand in a room and realize that years ago a legendary man made a decision there. I had that experience in Philadelphia in a room where Thomas Jefferson had been. It was actually mind boggling.
Years ago, I had the change to go to Washington, D.C. and explore many of these sites for myself. Unfortunately, I was too young to remember every aspect of the trip, and I would really love to go back because I would appreciate the architecture, beauty, and historical significance of the city far more at this age. Going the White House and Library of Congress are high on my list of places to visit there, along with the Smithsonian museums. I did not know about the Botanic Garden, however; thank you for that recommendation! Washington, D.C. is surely a place worthy of being our nation’s capital, and one of which all American citizens should be proud.