Traveler: Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., sitting inside the District of Columbia beltway, slots easily into my Top 5 favourite American cities. I'm a bit of a history buff, and there are few more historical places in the United States than the capital, which sits inside the District of Columbia Beltwau. In fact, it's downright difficult to escape the shadows of history when you're downtown. It's hard to go more than a block or two without stumbling across a memorial for something or other. I love to set out from my hotel without a particular plan and just wander the streets, soaking up what's undeniably a beautiful city (especially in fall) and taking in all the famous landmarks and the memorials that celebrate and immortalise so many important Americans and events in American history.

Getting There

Washington, D.C. is well served by two airports, Reagan-National and Dulles. Of the two, I found Reagan, situated right on the banks of the Potomac, the easiest to navigate and certainly the closest to downtown. There are dozens of flights into and out of both every day, and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) isn't too far away, either.

Enough about flights: my favourite way to get to the District of Columbia is by Amtrak train. I've always loved a good train journey, especially when traveling as a tourist (after all there's no better way to see the countryside), and the beauty of the Amtrak service is that you leave Union Station and you're already in the middle of the city, and a very short walk from the Capitol Building.

Amtrak has a high-speed rail corridor that runs fast services between Boston, MA in the north and Washington, D.C. in the south. The Acela Express also makes stops at New Haven, CT, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD on the way to Washington's famous Union Station, where there is hire car availability, a Metro stop, and ground transport to hotels.

On different occasions over the years, I've traveled all the way from Boston (about 6 hours) and down from New York City (closer to 3 hours) and loved every second of the journey. Aside from being fun and relaxing, it's far easier than catching a plane and you get to see so much of the countryside that you'd never have seen from thirty-odd thousand feet - and, you avoid the hassle of airport security, as well as ground transport to and from. 

Union Station ready for the Christmas holidays

Staying There

Being a hockey fan, I've always stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites (which used to be the Red Roof Inn) because it's right across from Verizon Centre, home of the Capitals and Wizards. It's close to Chinatown and the cinema complex in Verizon Centre is handy on a dull night, too. 

Verizon Centre: Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin conversing with an NHL official

Elsewhere, a friend has previously stayed at the Henley Park Hotel, a beautiful old place, which I really liked the look of. I can certainly recommend the food they serve in the gorgeous bar. In December 2013, I'll be staying at the Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill for something different because the Wiz and Caps are both out of town. It looks like a pretty nice place, close to one of my favourite buildings in the whole world.

Above: Fall is my favourite time to visit

Below: Washington D.C. skyline from Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, VA)

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The U.S. Capitol

There are few more beautifully-designed structures in the world, let alone in America, so the Capitol is a good place to start your sightseeing. The Visitor Centre is open most days from 8.30am through 4.30pm (excepting Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and Presidential Inaugurations). Free tours are available, but you have to book them. Just wondering around the structure is enough for me. Visit the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the edge of the Capitol Reflecting Pool, Peace Circle and the President James Garfield Memorial.

The US Capitol from the Capitol Reflecting Pool

The Washington Monument

Continue on down the National Mall, bordered by Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW, towards the towering Washington Monument, an incredible monument to the hero of the American Revolution/the first President of the United States/ the city's namesake. There is no better view of the city than from the obelisk constructed of marble, granite and bluestone gneiss. It's the tallest obelisk anywhere in the world, standing at about (an impressive) 555 feet or roughly 169 meters. 

The Washington Monument

There isn't much you can't see from the top observation deck, which is accessible via an elevator that glides smoothly and swiftly through the middle of the structure...after a rather exhaustive security check. But that's to be expected. Of course, the views are well worth that minor hassle. Washington's most famous landmarks are revealed through the windows built into the top of the Monument: the White House, the Capitol, the Potomac River, the Lincoln Memorial, the Tidal Basin...and the list goes on and on. It's a must-see when you visit Washington, D.C.

Tickets are hard to get. There are only a limited number and they are given out on a first-come-first-served basis, fairly early in the morning. A certain number of tickets for each block of time are allocated, so being at the Washington Monument Lodge on 15th Street from 8.30am is your best chance of getting tickets - and, of course, the Monument is closed on July 4 and December 25. As is just about everything else in America.

Currently, it's closed all year round, as repairs are undertaken following an earthquake that destabilised the structure in August of 2011. There's no word on when it'll re-open, and it's a shame for visitors, as the best view in the city is off-limits. For a slightly less impressive view, check out the Clock Tower Observation Deck in The Old Post Office Pavilion, but be prepared for a few steps on the way up and down. Well worth the effort, though!

The White House

There is no more famous a building in the world than the White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Not only is the white-walled structure home to the President of the United States and his family, it's a magnet for history and for those, like myself, who appreciate just what has gone on within those hallowed walls since the beginning of the 1800s: wars, political fights, financial crises and more. 

Above: Probably the most famous photo opportunity in America

Below: the White House from the Washington Monument Observation Deck

Stop a moment and imagine the important people who have walked the corridors of the West Wing, from the first president to call it home (John Adams in 1800) right through to the modern day. America's House is, of course, inhabited currently by President Barack Obama. It was burnt down by the British in the War of 1812, and renovated dozens of times (most thoroughly by Truman in 1948, during which the interior rooms were completely dismantled so that a brand-new internal load-bearing steel frame could be constructed).

Currently, tours of the White House are not happening, but you can walk around the exterior of the building - under the watchful eye of the legion of law enforcements officers whose sole job is the continued safety of the building and it's grounds - and get some good photos.

 Adjacent to the White House, the Old Executive Office Building & Big Red One Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial

Across from the Washington Monument - the World War Two Memorial and the Reflecting Pool separate them - is the impressive tribute to America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Memorial is an imposing place, with Greek-temple inspired colonnades and a large statue of Lincoln himself, sitting in prime position, as if deep in contemplation, and looking out across the Reflecting Pool towards the Washington Monument. 

Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

There are passages from Lincoln's two most famous speeches - The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address - in-scripted within. And, the Memorial was the setting for another famous oration, this one by the late Martin Luther King Jr., his "I Have a Dream" speech, which gained worldwide fame on August 28 1963.

Operated by the National Park Service, the Lincoln Memorial is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and is probably my favourite spot in the whole city. I love to visit just around dusk, enjoying the walk down from the Washington Monument - from one great president to another, if you will - to the towering figure of Lincoln. The view by day is spectacular. At night, it's something else entirely, and well worth hanging around, even on a cool winter evening, as many people do.

 Dusk at the Lincoln Memorial

Close by, are the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, two walls pointing in opposite directions, on which the names of every American service member who died in service in Vietnam and South East Asia between 1955 and 1975. Seeing so many names listed is a very sobering experience. You'll often find veterans there, searching for their long-lost friends. It's a very sad thing to watch, and it really drives home the humanity that is torn away by war.

The Vietnam War Memorial on a snowy day

On the other side of the Reflecting Pool from the Vietnam Memorial is the Korean War Veteran's Memorial, which bares the simple but very poignant message "Freedom Is Not Free" on a granite wall near a collection of 19 stainless steel soldiers, representing a squad on patrol in the war that ran between 1950 and 1953. When you look at the reflection on the backing wall, there appear to actually be 38 soldiers, a clever representation of the 38th Parallel. It's particularly spine-tingling at night. There is also a wall memorialising the 22 United Nations member countries who contributed troops (or medical support) to the Korean War effort. It was great to see Australia proudly represented there.

The Korean War Veteran's Memorial

That's just a snapshot of some of the best of Washington, D.C. But there's so much more, from the enormous amount of museums that make up the Smithsonian project, to the excellent night-time monument tours, and visits to nearby Civil War battlefields. If you're in the area and you've got the time, it's most certainly worthwhile visiting!!