Washington DC

Washington, DC is the capital of the United States of America. It is the home of the President of the United States and Congress.

Often called “DC”, the District of Columbia, many tourists visit the city each year. They come to visit the parks, Capitol Hill, The Mall, and the many memorials and museums.

Washington, DC is shaped like a rectangle and covers 62 square miles. DC is bordered by the states of Virginia and Maryland. The Potomac River flows along its western and southern borders.

With a population of just over half a million people, the District of Columbia is the only city-state in the United States.

Let’s start our tour of DC at Capitol Hill, or “the Hill”. In November 1800, the first joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives was held here.

More than forty presidents have called the White House home. The White House has 132 rooms, along with executive offices. It is also a museum of American antiques.

The Ellipse is the large lawn south of the White House. Important activities are held here for special holidays. The rest of the year, people walk along the tree-lined paths.

Near the White House is the Reflecting Pool. It is 1/3 of a mile long, 180 feet wide and three feet deep. The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial are at opposite ends of the Pool.

At the west end of the Reflecting Pool is the Lincoln Memorial. As the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln served during the American Civil War. He is famous for the Gettysburg Address.

The magnificent statue of Lincoln is 19-feet high. The Memorial is on the back of a U.S. penny and five-dollar bill.

At the east end of the Reflecting Pool is the Washington Monument. It is 555 feet tall – the tallest structure in D.C. This majestic monument honors the first president of the United States, George Washington.

This monument is a tribute to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The Jefferson Memorial has a 19-foot-high statue of Jefferson surrounded by pink and gray marble floors and walls.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was president from 1932 to 1945. He served through the Great Depression and World War II. His memorial features bronze sculptures, fountains and gardens.

One of the most popular memorials in Washington DC is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The names of 58,158 American men and women killed in that war are written on the stone. Many people place flowers in memory of the dead.

Also along the Mall is the famous red sandstone Smithsonian Institution Building, sometimes called the “Castle”. The administrative offices of the famous Smithsonian Museum are in the building.

On the west side of the White House is the Old Executive Office Building. Completed in 1888 and recently restored, it has offices for senior-level White House staff.

The Treasury of the United States is located in the Treasury Building. This building took almost thirty-three years to complete because of the American Civil War.

Designed in 1935, the Supreme Court building is noted for its stunning Neo-Classical style. Within this building, the nine justices of the Supreme Court hear cases and make legal decisions.

The largest library in the world, the Library of Congress, has over 100 million items. In addition to its many books, photographs, films, maps, and sheet music, it also has the world’s largest collection of comic books.

The most popular museum in Washington, DC is the National Air and Space Museum. The museum contains the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, and the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is host to more than two million people each year. During the year there are classical and jazz festivals, as well as theatrical performances.

Most tourists arrive by airplane, but Washington, DC has a unique train station, Union Station. It was built in the early part of the 20th Century. Union Station provides access to Amtrak trains and the Metro. A wise traveler will use the Metro to explore the nation’s capital.

There are many neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Georgetown is a good place to live, shop, eat and study. It is the home of George Washington University.

Not far from Washington, DC is Alexandria, Virginia. Its beautiful Old Town is full of historic buildings and elegant parks. Christ Church was built in 1773. Many presidents have worshipped here, including George Washington.

Arlington, Virginia is the home of the Arlington National Cemetery. More than 250,000 soldiers have been buried here with simple white stones.

The world’s largest office building, the Pentagon is also in Arlington. It serves as the headquarters of the Department of Defense.

Washington, DC, and the areas around it, are full of interesting and beautiful sites. Washington, DC is a good place to start a tour of the United States.

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