I am not a city lover, but there are a few exceptions and Washington D.C is definitely one! I have been lucky enough to visit Washington on 4 occasions now so feel I know it quite well. Like any city it pays to do your homework prior to visiting to enable you to get the best from your visit. I hope my review will be useful to anyone planning a visit.
Getting there. *********** Getting to Washington from the U.K is not cheap. Fares vary enormously so it is worth shopping around. We flew with B.A from Heathrow to Dulles airport and paid about £250 in December 2000. I have checked the fares for 2005 and was quoted £377.00 including taxes and fees to fly in June; again with B.A. The fees are now £96, partly due to a massive increase in the cost of security. The flight takes about 7 hours. On arrival expect to queue for at least an hour to get through immigration. We have young children and I usually have a new comic or other small new surprise to give to them during the long wait, it sometimes helps! Washington is 5 hours behind the U.K. Once outside the airport taxis are plentiful and probably the easiest way to get to your destination. I would suggest you check the driver speaks English and knows the address you are giving him, as we once had a driver who spoke little English and got hopelessly lost, not uncommon in Washington!
Overview ********** Washington is an easy city to explore once you get the hang of the excellent metro system. . Situated on the eastern seaboard, 233 miles south of New York in the District of Columbia, Washington is divided into 4 districts, northwest, southwest, northeast and southeast. The southeast district is one to avoid as most of the violent crime that has given Washington the title of murder capital of the world, takes place here. There really is no need to hire a car in Washington, as there is an excellent metro system, which is both cheap and safe. The metro system has coloured coded lines to make things easy. Should you want to explore further a field then I recommend hiring a car from one of the airports on the outskirts of town to avoid having to drive through central Washington's horrendous traffic.
Although Washington is the capital of the USA it has a population of just 600, 000. Washington has a very different feel to it than any other U.S city I have visited, partly because it is lowrise, with wide roads and pavements. I have always felt safe in Washington and find it a friendly, vibrant city.
Accommodation and eating. ************************ We have friends in Washington so we stay with them in the north west of the city. However there are hotels to suit every budget in and around Washington. I suggest you either get a good guidebook and phone direct or book over the Internet. The only word of caution would be to avoid the southeast at all costs! It is also useful to remember that if you speak to the hotel directly, you can bargain! It is not too important to stay in the centre of the city, as there is such a good metro system. I would recommend looking at hotels in Georgetown or anywhere northwest of the centre.
There are numerous places to eat in Washington and plenty of places serving fast food, as you would expect. I would recommend eating lunch at one of the Smithsonian museum cafés, especially if you have children. Georgetown and Adams Morgan have a great selection of really interesting places to eat, where you often get to hear live jazz too. I can recommend the whole food supermarket in Tenleytown, to the northwest, if you want to buy delicious picnic food.
Highlights of the city ******************* I think Washington is one of the best cities in the world for families, why? Because most of the museums, which form the Smithsonian institute are free! They are also excellent. Most of the museums in Washington are located along the Mall, the 2-mile long road running from Capitol Hill at one end to constitution gardens at the other.
My favourite museum is the national museum of American history. This museum depicts the lives of American people from early times. It includes an amazing array of exhibits such as Dorothy's slippers from the Wizard of Oz and George Washington's wooden teeth to name two. There is a really interesting walk through area telling the story of slavery and another comparing the lives of 3 18th century American families. My favourite part of this museum is the room displaying many of the first ladies dresses. There are dresses worn by Jacqueline Kennedy right up to those worn by Hilary Clinton. The museum is vast and fascinating. It would be easy to spend the whole day here without getting bored. There is a great ice cream parlour here too!
Probably the most famous museum in Washington is the air and space museum. This museum has 2 floors packed with numerous exhibits depicting flight through the ages. I think the most interesting bits are the Wright brother's flying machine and the lunar exploration vehicle. There is also a flight simulator that is free to ride and a great hit with children. The air and space museum has an excellent shop with all sorts of fascinating things to buy, like dried space food. The museum is located on Independence avenue that runs parallel to the mall.
The F.B.I building gives free tours that include a shooting demonstration. There is also a tour showing fingerprinting and a rogue's gallery of America's most wanted. You may have to queue if you want to be included on one of the tours that take place at different times each day and are advertised on a board outside the building.
The Holocaust museum is another place I would urge you to visit. I found my visit here incredibly moving and very informative. One visit was enough for me but I'm really glad I visited.
If you have children then they will probably love the national zoo. The zoo is a situated at Woodley park on the red metro line. Many visitors do not realise that the zoo is part of the Smithsonian institute so is completely free to enter! It advertises itself as an interactive zoo and it is certainly unlike any other zoo I have ever visited.. There is a cheetah conservation station with scales so you can weigh yourself to see which prey animal your weight is equal to and how long it would take a cheetah to catch and kill you! There is a primate think tank where you can communicate with monkeys. This is a truly amazing experience. There are ropes strung above the paths where orang-utans are free to roam, it can be a bit disconcerting to have these creatures swinging only feet above your head! My children loved watching the gorillas and were delighted when a new mother brought her new baby to show! The zoo also has a pair of Panda's although we were unlucky and didn't catch a glimpse. The zoo has a café and shop. This is another venue where you could easily spend the whole day.
Washington has an excellent, free, art gallery with many pieces of famous work displayed in 2 vast buildings. My children were bored with this gallery so we couldn't enjoy the place, as we would have liked. However there is an excellent café in beautiful surroundings if it all gets too much!
There are many other museums in Washington, as they are free to enter you can dip in and out as the mood takes you.
When the museums close around 5 p.m then you may enjoy ice-skating on the outdoor skating rink. This is also on the mall next to the amazing sculpture garden, also worth a look.
Most people visiting Washington will want to see the white house. It is impressive and there are free tours available, but be prepared to queue. I was very disappointed with the tour as only a few rooms were open to the public. I would really not bother to take the tour again and think looking from the outside is best. It is fun standing outside and seeing who you can spot, we have seen Clinton on several occasions.
Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington is well worth the trip. Situated about an hour out of town it is surrounded by lovely countryside and will give you another perspective on American life.
Unfortunately this is a paying venue and costs about $8 for an adult with reductions for children. It is well worth paying a bit extra to have the audio tour. The slave's quarters give a fascinating insight into what life must have been like .The whole estate has been preserved as it was with lots of original items on display. The tour of the house is by costumed staff who really got into their roles! Whatever you do don't miss the last bus to the station, as you will be stranded in the middle of nowhere!
Alexandria is a small town 6 miles south of Washington. There are cobbled streets and original old boarded houses. Alexandria has a range of expensive shops .It will take you about ½ an hour on the metro to get here. I think Alexandria is overrated and was disappointed the first time I visited. There is little of interest here for children.
The reflecting pool by the Lincoln memorial is a long walk from the mall but worth it. It is situated in the wonderfully named Foggy Bottom! The name refers to the fact Washington is built in a basin and suffers from fog! The reflecting pool was featured in the film Forrest Gump.It is a 2,000 foot long pool and very attractive. We have great memories of seeing a new year in here, pure magic!
The Vietnam monument is also in this area. It is a v-shaped granite wall bearing the names of the thousands of Americans who died in the Vietnam War and is a very sobering experience.
Other information ***************** Washington is not really the place to come if you want to shop. However there are some god malls accessible via the metro. I think the best is the fashion centre at Pentagon city. This is just a few stops from the centre, with the train stopping right under the mall! There is a god Macys here to. There are also malls in Maryland and various outlet-shopping places on the outskirts of town. I think you need at least a week to explore Washington and I really advise you to get a good city map and a map of the metro. Washington is a great city to explore with children, but remember it is vast !
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