That the marshy swamp where
WASHINGTON
DC now stands was chosen as the
site of the
capital of the
newly independent United States of
America says a lot about
then-prevalent attitudes toward
government. Washington, District of
Columbia (the boundaries of the two
are identical) - also known as
"
DC " and "
The
District " - can be
unbearably hot and humid in summer,
and bitterly cold in winter. Such an
unpleasant climate, it was hoped,
would discourage elected leaders
from making government a full-time
job. This disdain for politics is
still apparent: DC is run as a
virtual colony of Congress, where
residents have just one, nonvoting
representative and couldn't vote in
presidential elections until the
23rd Amendment was passed in 1961.
Other than the federal
government, tourism is DC's
biggest industry. The city attracts
almost twenty million visitors each
year. Conveniently, most arrive in
midsummer, when the lawmakers have
gone home, so overcrowding is rarely
a problem. The nation's showcase
puts on quite a display for its
guests, and admission to virtually
all major attractions is free. The
most famous sites are concentrated
along the central Mall ,
including the White House,
individual memorials to four of the
greatest presidents, and the superb
museums of the Smithsonian
Institution. Downtown, however
(broadly speaking the area
immediately north of the Mall,
between the White House and the
Capitol), can seem very empty, even
intimidating, at night, and you're
more likely to spend your evenings
in the hotels and restaurants of the
city's more motherly neighborhoods,
such as historic Georgetown ,
arty Dupont Circle and the
funkier Adams -Morgan
district.
Washington
DC: the City
Because the city was built from
scratch, Washington's regular town
plan is easy to grasp. Centered on
Capitol Hill and its governmental
monoliths, the District is divided
into four quadrants - northeast,
northwest, southeast and...
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