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Washington Quick Tour
It is a humbling task to write a guide to a city as richly varied as Washington. It would be very possible to spend years of weekends exploring the ends and outs of the city, and still be left with interesting things to learn and places to explore. This is our list of the absolute "must do" for the city.
Attractions
Washington, D.C. is first and foremost home of the government, and the only city specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Any visit should emphasize this fact. The very first article in the Constitution establishes the legislature. Since 1800 Congress has been housed in the Capitol, by any account a beautiful building set atop Capitol Hill. Article two establishes the executive branch, embodied in the President, and housed in the White House. Article three defines the Supreme Court, long housed in the Capitol, but now with a building of its own. To see the actual document that put these institutions in place, plus the Declaration of Independence and Magna Carta, visit the impressive vault of the National Archives.
Most of a traveler's time in DC will be taken up in the various branches of one of the world's finest museums, the Smithsonian Institution. The National Air and Space Museum is, for good reason, the most popular museum in the world. Across the Mall is the National Gallery of Art, home to an awe inspiring collection of European and American art. The National Museum of American History chronicles the country's past, and the National Museum of Natural History covers with earth's past with such favorites as dinosaurs and the Hope Diamond.
A more troubling story, but one which needs continual retelling, is in the United States Holocaust Museum. The austere building has quickly become one of the most visited in Washington.
Wandering around the Mall, you're sure to encounter the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and across the Tidal Basin, the Jefferson Memorial. If the lines aren't too long or the weather too hot, the view from the top of the Washington Monument is fabulous. In the same area is the Vietnam Memorial, which has assumed a prominent position in the American psyche.
Across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial is Arlington National Cemetery. It's a beautifully serene place whose acres of tombstones stand a mute reminder of the price necessary to defend the nation. Also here is the famous Tomb of the Unknown Solider and the graves of JFK and Jackie.
Slightly off the beaten path but wonderfully impressive is the National Cathedral. As great as any European cathedral, but new.
Depending on how hard you drive and how long you linger, the places outlined above would easily take 2-3 days to see in any detail.
In the Area
Alexandria, 18th century seaport and home to George Washington and Robert E. Lee, is just across the river from Washington. Old Town has the largest collection of 18th century buildings in the country.
Just outside the District is Great Falls, a beautiful area enjoyed by the likes of Washington and Jefferson, and many since.
An hour down Route 50 is Annapolis, home of the United States Naval Academy (the author's alma mater), great sailing, and the longest serving state house in the US.
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