What a contrast with Chicago. Not unexpected. Washington the nation's capital city and place of government does not have an edge. It is refined, smart and quietly confident. It depends what you want of course but it is much easier to be in Washington than Chicago where I have come from.
My intention is to get down on the National Mall - visit the landmarks and include Arlington and the Pentagon on the other side of the Potomac River.
I am based on 11th Street. I crossed 2 blocks to 9th Street and sauntered down towards the Mall. It was a quiet Saturday morning. Wide streets, well mannered traffic and a cafe culture as the weather was unseasonably warm.
Having looked at the tourist map I have arranged to hire a bike for the day. That was a really good decision. It is a long walk around the Mall. A bike is the solution I think.
I had a really special day. Here I am stood outside the White House or stood on Capitol Hill. Iconic places. The most powerful places in the world maybe. It made me smile and at times really reflect on where I was.
Washington National Mall is best described in photos. I took these with my mob :
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| I loved being here. The Jefferson Memorial. First stop on the bike route. A fantastic view across the Tidal Basin to the Mall. Had a lovely chat with a US diplomat out on a bike ride. He was keen to engage with my views about the US. He took the photo of me on my bike. Cherry blossom he said was a week from full bloom but I was lucky to see it. An amazing stop. |
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| Being here means something. |
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| The Washington Monument is standout. Huge. The first president of the USA. |
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| The White House is understandably hard to access. It seems modest by the grandeur of the Mall. Joe didn't invite me in alas. |
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| On the way down there are many towering buildings. They are Smithonian Museum's and Galleries. As far as I understand it Smithsonian is a bit like our National Trust- custodians of the nation's heritage but particularly its accumulated knowledge. |
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| Capitol Hill. Their parliament. Republicans and Democrats. It is surrounded by massive government administrative buildings. Their Whitehall. |
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| The 3 photos below are of the resting place of the assassinated JF Kennedy and of his wife Jackie. His younger brother Bobby who was also assassinated has a spot just down the hill. I am reminded of Kennedy's inaugural speech. " ask what you can do for your country not what your country can do for you" We have certainly have pretty much lost that type of mentality in the UK! Why hasn't the gov't made the sun shine everyday and paved the streets with gold! A rant. |
On a lighter note and a final thought before I sign off on Washington - customer service. Americans are well known for their oft gushing customer service - " have a nice day". Tipping for service is part of their culture. In Washington the quality of service was at a different level it seemed to me. I think it might be because the city is full of government types who expect a solid best and are discerning. I had a brunch at a brasserie type bar called The Smith. The staff were so polished and professional. They really focus on the customer and seem to enjoy doing it. It was impressive and nice to receive. Of course te norm is to tip 20% of the bill ha!
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| Breakfast comes with a free Bloody Mary - ha! |
Here is some additional down loaded info from Wicki :
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia, also known as just Washington or just D.C., is the capital city and only federal district of the United States.[9] It is located on the east bank of the Potomac River, which forms its southwestern and southern border with the U.S. state of Virginia, and shares a land border with the U.S. state of Maryland on its remaining sides. The city was named for George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States,[10] and the federal district is named after Columbia, a female personification of the nation. As the seat of the U.S. federal government and several international organizations, the city is an important world political capital.[11] It is one of the most visited cities in the U.S., seeing over 20 million visitors in 2016.[12][13]
The U.S. Constitution provides for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress; the district is therefore not a part of any U.S. state (nor is it one itself). The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River near the country's East Coast. The City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the national capital, and Congress held its first session there in 1800. In 1801, the territory, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia (including the settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria), officially became recognized as the federal district. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the district. There have been efforts to make the city into a state since the 1880s, a movement that has gained momentum in recent years, and a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021.[14]
The city is divided into quadrants centered on the Capitol Building, and there are as many as 131 neighborhoods. According to the 2020 Census, it has a population of 689,545,[2] which makes it the 20th-most populous city in the U.S., third-most populous city in both the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and gives it a population larger than that of two U.S. states: Wyoming and Vermont.[15] Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek.[16] Washington's metropolitan area, the country's sixth-largest (including parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia), had a 2019 estimated population of 6.3 million residents.[17]
The three branches of the U.S. federal government are centered in the district: Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and the Supreme Court (judicial). Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and professional associations, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, the AARP, the National Geographic Society, the Human Rights Campaign, the International Finance Corporation, and the American Red Cross.
A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the district since 1973. Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, but the district has no representation in the Senate. District voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1967.
The National Mall is a large, open park in downtown Washington between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Given its prominence, the mall is often the location of political protests, concerts, festivals, and presidential inaugurations. The Washington Monument and the Jefferson Pier are near the center of the mall, south of the White House. Also on the mall are the National World War II Memorial at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.[167]
Directly south of the mall, the Tidal Basin features rows of Japanese cherry trees.[168] The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the District of Columbia War Memorial are around the Tidal Basin.[167]
The National Archives houses thousands of documents important to American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.[169] Located in three buildings on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is the largest library complex in the world with a collection of more than 147 million books, manuscripts, and other materials.[170] The United States Supreme Court Building was completed in 1935; before then, the court held sessions in the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol.[1
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