Washington, D.C.

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: 38.892091
• Longitude: -77.024055

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Introduction

Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA

© All Rights Reserved GregW

Washington D.C. is America's capital city, in addition to being the center of the country's politics, is also home to a large number of significant cultural institutions, memorials and historic monuments. The city lies on the banks of the Potomac River, between Virginia and Maryland, on the east coast of the US. The city was built in the 18th century to serve as the national capital and lies within its own federal district, the District of Columbia (D.C.).

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

The Mall, Washington D.C.

The Washington D.C. Mall is one of the most amazing sights in city. In this wonderful park located in the heart of Washington, D.C. is home to several amazing sights. Some of these sights are the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial and several of the of Washington D.C.'s finest museums are located around the edge of the mall. If anything the mall is just nice green space in the heart of the city.

The Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, USA

© All Rights Reserved GregW

The first plans for the memorial date back to 1867 when a commission was formed to work out plans for a memorail in honour of Abraham Lincoln, but the build was not commissioned until 1911, as a suitable piece of land couldn't be found before 1902. The first stone of the memorial was layed on February 12, 1914, the birthday of the President. While Henry Bacon worked on the memorial, Daniel Chester. French designed the statue of Lincoln, which would become the center piece of the memorial. The statue is made from white marble, that was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers in New York, and looks towards the relecting pool and the Washington monument in the distance.

Government Related

• Capitol Building
• White House
• Arlington National Cemetery is one of the nicest national cemeteries in the country and the changing of the guard can be very moving.

The Smithsonian Institutions

• Smithsonian Castle
• Air & Space Museum
• Natural History Museum
• National Gallery
• National Museum of the American Indian
• National Museum of American History

Other Museums

• International Spy Museums

Gardens, Farmers Markets and Wineries

Do something different in Washington DC. Visit historical and contemporary gardens, farmers markets and even wineries are within driving distance of the city. Have a look at the Mycapitalgardens USA website for more information.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Washington has warm summers and relatively mild winters, although temperatures occasionally drop to below -20 degrees Celcius. Averages are around 7 degrees though, with light frost at night. Summers are around 30 degrees Celsius dropping to around 18 degrees at night, but highs of around 40 are measured regularly. Precipition is quite evenly distributed throughout the year, most of it falls in the form of rain, although sometimes decent amounts of snow leave the city with a white blanket. Spring and autumn are good times to visit the capital.

Getting There

By Plane

There are three major airports that serve the Baltimore-Washington Area. Getting from each of these airports into town is a mixed bag. They all have the standard taxi, shuttle services and rental cars. Public transportation on the other hand is lacking.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). Located 10 miles (16 km) south of Baltimore and 30 miles (48 km) north of Washington, D.C., this airport's main carriers are Southwest Airlines and US Airways. BWI has a light rail train that will get you into downtown Baltimore, there is a also a nearby train station that will get you into the Amtrak system. DC Metro system runs a bus from BWI to Greenbelt Metro station.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). This airport is located three miles (5 km) south of Washington, D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia. US Airways is the carrier with the most flights to across the country. DCA is the best connected public transportation wise as it has its own Metro stop.

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). This airport is located 25 miles (40 km) west of Washington, D.C., in Dulles, Virginia. United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines are the main airlines in this airport. IAD is served by a private bus company that picks you up at the terminal and drops you off at a Metro station in DC. For a cheaper option, one can take the Metro Bus, which runs on a slightly longer schedule, every hour or so.

By Train

Amtrak runs many regularly scheduled trains from Washington, DC to Boston, Chicago and many other cities. The trains are:

• The Acela Express between Washington and Boston.
• The Capitol Limited between Washington and Chicago, via Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
• The Cardinal/Hoosier State between Washington and New York and Washington and Chicago, via Cincinatti and Indianapolis.
• The Carolinian/Piedmont between Washington and New York and Washington and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• The Crescent from New York via Washington to Atlanta and New Orleans.
• The Northeast Regional between Boston and Newport News, via New York and Washington DC.
• The Silver Service/Palmetto between New York and Tampa/Miami, stopping in Washington DC, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville.
• The Vermonter between Washington DC and St. Albans, Vermont, via New York City.

By Car

Like Rome, all roads lead to Washington, DC

By Bus

Greyhound runs regular bus between all the major cities. There exist on the East Coast a system commonly referred to as the 'Chinatown Bus'. These buses are run by several companies, some use old retired buses to brand new ones. Tickets go from $10 to $20 roundtrip between Washington, DC Chinatown to New York City, with optional stop in Baltimore.

By Boat

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