WASHINGTON D.C.

Washington D.C. is the proud capital of the United States. While most of the United States’ big cities have big and bulky city centres crammed with skyscrapers, malls, shops, lots and lots of people, Washington’s historic city centre, also referred to as The Mall,  is characterized by beautiful open spaces, memorials, some of the nation’s most exquisite museum’s and fantastic national monuments. But don’t let this quiet and open space befool you. Remember that Washington D.C.  (not to be confused with the State of Washington on the West Coast) is the political centre of the United States. Many of the wonderful buildings and monuments in fact are in use by governmental institutions like the White House (obviously), the Capitol, the United States Supreme Court building and the Pentagon to only mention the most important of all. So if you look again you’ll notice all sorts of political figures and other important looking men and women zipping around in taxi’s or private vehicles.

 However, don’t let all this distract you one bit from all the fantastic sights and things to do in Washington. It is really awesome and you at least need at the very least a full day to take it all in. All the major sights are nearby so you can easily hop from one to another. One of the things not to miss is the Smithsonian Institution, which in fact is a collection of 16 museums including the wonderful Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of African Art to just mention a few. It should be noted that all Smithsonian museums are... free, so it should not be your budget keeping you from visiting all 16. Another must do is a tour along the National Monuments and Memorials including Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the iconic Washington Monument (the obelisk), and also the impressive World War II and the Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials. Consider touring the Monuments and Memorials in the evening or at night when they are nicely lit up and when it’s less crowded. Of course don’t miss the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill (take a tour).

After a full day of sightseeing head into Georgetown, Washington’s splendid historic neighbourhood with a great atmosphere, beautiful historic brick houses and Washington’s finest area for shopping and restaurants. Complete your Washington cocktail of politics and history with some culture by visiting a performance at the John F. Kennedy Centre of Performing Arts which hosts all sorts of performances such as ballet, concerts, theatre, etc. For those who have some time to spare make a day trip to beautiful Mount Vernon only 16 miles south of the city to get a sense of Washington’s wonderful natural environs.

As you can see there are loads of cool things to do in Washington and it really is one of the most impressive cities in the States. You could see the very essentials in a day time, but two days or a weekend would be a lot better. If you’re on a holiday to New York City or Philadelphia then definitely consider making the trip over to Washington if you have a day or two to spare.