WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Washington - a "city of magnificent distances" - was designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791. He envisioned a 400 foot wide "Grand Avenue" (the Mall), with the Capitol on one end and an equestrian statue of George Washington on the other. The statue would be aligned on a north-south axis with the President's House (White House). A mile long commercial corridor (Pennsylvania Avenue) would connect the Capitol with the Executive Mansion. Avenues named for states traverse the city diagonally. Grand circles named for prominent Americans occur where an Avenue meets lettered and numbered streets. The city is divided into quadrants, with a compass stone in the Capitol floor beneath the Rotunda marking the zero point from which the quadrants extends. Numbered streets (north-south) ascend in order from either side of North and South Capitol Streets. Lettered streets (east-west) begin, alphabetically, on each side of the East Capitol Street-Mall axis. Since the same address may be found in all four quadrants, it is imperative to attach the applicable designation (NW, NE, SW, SE) to the address. The city is also unique because of the Height of Buildings Act (1910) that legislation decreed that no structure may exceed 15 stories thus insuring a horizontal texure to the city and that no building would be taller than the Capitol.

Today, two discrete cities of Federal Washington and Local Washington coexist in the District. Federal Washington, the town of press conferences, power lunches, and Monica gossip, is what most visitors come to see. The other part of Washington, the so-called "second city", consists of a variety of communities, some prosperous, others overcome by drugs and crime. Some parts of the second city are remarkably cosmopolitan, but beyond the gleaming Northwest quadrant, in areas where few visitors venture, are communities of poverty and broken dreams.

Around 21 million people visit the capital of the US every year. Therefore, you have to plan your visit accurately - the three most visited attractions are the National Air & Space Museum, Union Station, and the National Museum of Natural History. However, don't assume that you need to follow the crowd - go at your own pace, see what you want to see, and if you don't get everything, come back for another visit.

What to see?

• The White House: It's the oldest public building in D.C., and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the most famous address in the US. Here every president, except George Washington, has conducted the government of the Nation. In the past 200 years, the White House has become symbolic of the American Presidency throughout the world. While the Capitol represents the freedom and ideals of the Nation, the White House stands for the power and statesmanship of the chief executive.
• The Capitol: In 1800, President John Adams addressed the Capitol's first joint session of Congress, which had recently moved from Philadelphia. In 1814, during the first and last enemy attack on the building, the British set fire to the Capitol, gutting the interior. The magnificent cast iron dome, weighing 9 million pounds was completed in 1863. The Statue of Freedom was positioned atop the dome in the same year. Inside are the spectacular Rotunda, Statuary Hall, the old Supreme Court chamber, and the Brumidi Corridors.
• The Supreme Court: The highest tribunal in the Nation, the Supreme Court is charged with deciding whether actions of Congress, the president, the states, and lower courts are in accord with the Constitution, and with applying the Constitution's enduring principles to novel situations and a changing country.
• Washington Monument: The 555-foot stark marble obelisk that shimmers in the sun and glows under floodlights in the night is the city's most visible landmark and its symbol.
• Reflecting Pool mirrors Washington Monument
• Lincoln Memorial: A beautiful neoclassical temple-like structure, similar in architectural design to the Parthenon in Greece, the memorial has 36 fluted Doric columns representing the states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's Death, plus two at the entrance. The interior is dominated by a 20 foot high marble statue of a seated Lincoln.
• Jefferson Memorial: A marble adaptation of the Roman Pantheon. Dedicated in 1943, the memorial's rotunda incorporates a design Jefferson himself employed both at Monticello and the University of Virginia.
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• The Smithsonian Museums: National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of American Art, ...
• The Pentagon
• Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House
• Union Station

Of course, there is much more to see... so while you're in Washington, be adventurous. The compact size of the city and its excellent public transportation system make exploring easy - go on and explore!

The Official Tourism Website of Washington, D.C.
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