Washington, DC – An Introduction
Cliff Notes a la Mercedes
In 1790, Congress was looking for a brand new pad. Tired of shuffling from Pennsylvania, to New York, to New Jersey and Delaware (can you blame them?) our forefather’s gave the task of scoping out new digs to the newly elected President – George Washington.
Georgie (no disrespect intended) was on a mission! His task was not to be an easy one since Congress set restrictions (as they usually do) to find an area not more than 10 miles square near the Potomac.
His answer – a piece of diamond shaped swamp-land (say what?) that he would affectionately name “Washington”. Luckily Washington had some influential acquaintances back in those days, one of them being a French Engineer by the name of Pierre Charles L’Enfant (the genius who designed “Gay Paree”!) who set out to map out an ambitious plan for our new emerging capital.
Washington D.C.’s Layout
Inspired by his native Paris – L’Enfant planned a city envisioning a 400 foot wide “Grand Avenue” (now known as the Mall), with the Capital at one end and an equestrian Statue of President Washington at the other. Grand circles named for prominent Americans occur where avenues meet with lettered and numbered streets.
The city is divided into quadrants; point zero is beneath the rotunda in the Capital. The statue was to be aligned on a north-south axis with the “President’s House” and other avenues named for States that traverse the city diagonally.
Most of the sights are concentrated in one part of the city. Monuments are in a rectangle beginning at the Lincoln Memorial in the West, to the Library of Congress in the East.
The four monuments that dominate the West Mall Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam & Washington Monuments represent the typical American’s most vivid images of the Nation’s Capital.
Washington’s “Mall” has the deepest concentration of museums in the world. Admission is free to all 14 Smithsonian Museums which are open daily from 10am to 5:30pm.
Saludos!
My name is Mercedes, and I live in the Nation’s Capital Washington D.C.
I was born in New York, raised in Miami, and have been living in this spectacular cultural den for the past two years.
My decision to become a correspondent is totally selfish; I want to gain travel writing experience before I begin my year long journey through South East Asia.
Hopefully, my article will not only be informative but have personality as I take you on a virtual tour and show you Washington through my eyes (let’s pray my vision is 20/20!).
How it all began:
My love affair with this magnificent city began on a random visit four years ago.
Having returned from Europe the previous year, I was transfixed by the city’s resemblance to Paris.
My eyes were filled with panoramic views of majestic buildings, wide tree-lined avenues and rainbow colored tulips.
Just when I thought I had seen the most beautiful part of Washington, I caught sight of a spectacular cupola rising in the distance – Capitol Hill.
If you are not good at making decisions, Washington will leave you in indecisive limbo.
The monuments are beautiful day and night, with hundreds of fabulous restaurants and a metro that will challenge you to explore even the most hidden treasures.
What’s my favorite thing about DC? Free museums!
Into music? Then catch a free concert at the Kennedy Center.
Into more progressive sounds? Then check out these websites for upcoming concerts and hotspots.
Want to just sit and relax?
Then find your way over to the Washington Monument, plop down your backpack, take out your favorite book and watch the world pass before your eyes.
Washington DC’s resources are endless, and I will do my best to share them all with you.
Accommodation
Youth Hostels
Capitol Hill Guest House
Hotel Information
Shopping
Sorry – I refuse to send anyone to a mall other than the
Washington Mall but if you cannot resist the urge
sidewalk.com should lead you to some shopping
links.
Miscellaneous
If you have bad knees or are not into walking – here is a
tourmobile site that will take you to all major monuments.
It will cost between $25 – 32 USD, but is worth it if you don’t
have much time to spare.
I want my Internet!!!
Cafemyth.com – hottest new cyber café in Georgetown gives students free computer usage with I.D.
3241 M. Street, NW 202.625.6984
Brief Trivia
Yes, it’s true. It was 1701 when Jefferson took the first bite of the fruit that was then believed to be poisonous.
The Pentagon is also the world’s largest office building, encompassing more than 583 acres.
They were all born and raised in Virginia. More U.S. Presidents were born in Virginia than any other state.
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