A Year in Washington D.C

There is something for everyone in D.C. The Smithsonian Museums are a must as are walking tours of the city, taking in all the monuments and Arlington Cemetary. The main D.C sights, The Capitol, Monument, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials etc should be done by day and by night - the change is amazing.

Taking a limousine trip by night with a gang of friends is worthwhile, just to attract attention if nothing else !

Quick Tips:

D.C is a pretty safe city providing you are sensible and take normal city precautions.

Use the Metro - this runs all hours and is a great cheap method of transport. If travelling alone at night, ensure you sit in the carriage behind the driver and stay near the station master when on the station, there's time to run on to the platform at the last minute if need be.

Eat out in the many food halls - see my food halls guide. Allow the Smithsonian museums a day each !

Best Way To Get Around:

D.C is designed for walking, there are so many 'green areas' and parks. The Metro is cheap and the day pass is a good buy. Buses go everywhere - if you don't know where you're going, pay for a transfer anyway, it may come in useful. Taxis are plentiful but pricey, always ask the price first, as a budget traveller I avoid them.

The Old Post Office Building was built in 1899 originally for use as a post office center. But when the main postal depot was moved to a new building near Union Station, this changed. Inside the building complex are offices, a post office, shops and a large food hall. The National Parks Service also operates an elevator that goes up to the top of the tower, which offers a fantastic view from 270 feet of Washington. On the way you can view the Congress Bells, one of the largest sets of change ringing bells in North America and the official bells of the National Congress.

The food hall is on the lower floor of the building and comprises a large comfortable seating area surrounded by plants etc. There are so many food outlets to choose from: a salad bar, a steak house, a Chinese outlet, a very tasty Indian outlet, a fruit and sandwich outlet, a cookie outlet plus my favourite - Ben & Jerry's. Weekday lunchtimes are very busy at this place since local office workers use it, but either side of the main lunch hour will give you a good meal at a reasonable cost. That is if you can decide what it is you want to eat, since it all looks so tempting.

Union Station is a beautiful marble building with huge ceilings that is always busy with the hustle and bustle of commuters and travellers. To build up an appetite you could tackle the numerous shops here. There are two levels of stores that range from designer boutiques to gift and souvenir shops. The food hall is on the lower level and is never quiet. You could just grab a coffee and cookie from one of the speciality coffee outlets and people watch. Alternatively you could grab food from one of the many outlets; the choices are endless, though I can recommend the Chinese outlet. They do a great bowl of rice with a selection of meat or vegetarian dishes. Most places do a meal deal so you get a drink included, which is helpful. Other options range from fruit shakes, through salad and sandwich bars, to steak houses. There is also a large range of international food, the Chinese I mentioned before as well as an Indian place, a fish and chip place, a Greek kebab outlet, a Mexican outlet just to name a few. There are also a couple of ice-cream outlets: Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins etc... With so many choices, you'll need a couple of trips to try everything you want to eat. After your food you could visit the 9 screen cinema to recover!

The Zoo is a big open space near the city and is easily accessible from the Metro red line via Woodley Park/National Zoo station. There are lots of animals to see, including the reptile center, great ape house and bat cave. Amazonia is a large rainforest display that houses many birds and plants. Everything is well signposted with signs to direct you to the latest baby animals. They are continually rebuilding and there is the 'Friends of the Zoo' to join if you want to help finance it. There is also a restaurant and several gift shops within the zoo.

Each of the Museums has something different to offer and each takes at least a day to see just the basics.

The National Air & Space Museum has a good restaurant and several floors of rockets, planes and specialist displays that are changed quarterly. The National Museum of History has the largest Diamond in the world, which is worth a look at...not to mention lots of hands on displys and large stuffed animals.

The National Museum of America History has an interesting feature - a large pendulum which doesn't move, the earth is moving around it - a weird sensation as you watch it knock over the candles. Plus it has displays of native americans and american culture over the years.

The National Gallery is in two buildings - East and West - they take time but are spaciuos and have a nice coffee area.

The Holocaust museum is NOT for children, it's distressing to see the pictures and films, don't go if you don't want graphic details of the horrific attrocities of war.

All the museums have great bookstores and or souvenir stores.

You start off and are given a guided chat of where you are and what you're looking at as you travel down the river. The food is great and there is plenty of it, it was served at the table by several waiters. The boat travels past National Airport which is surprisingly spectacular as you watch the planes land and take off. Just after Old Town Alexandria you reach the Woodrow Wilson Bridge which is the turn around spot. On the trip back to the dock you get a better view of the Washington Monument and other D.C sights. It's worth it just to get a different angle on the city.

There's lots to see at the Kennedy Center - take the Metro to Foggy Bottom and then take the free shuttle bus to the Center. It's trip to do even if you're not seeing a performance as there are guided tours of all the concert halls and the top floor restaurant offers great views of D.C.

I went to the opera, they were very good performances by the Washington Opera, whose musical director is Placido Domingo.

The Kennedy Center is also home to the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, who ironically I saw just last weekend (04-05-02) in England, again a great performance with a top resident conductor, Leonard Slatkin. If classical music isn't your thing don't panic there are many contempory performances available in the Terrace Theater and Eisenhower Theater. Check the local free papers for details of free music at the center,

My advice is get there early, it's often closed with no reason given - they're the FBI they don't need to give reasons...but the queue begins early so wait patiently, it's worth it. Once the queue gets inside the gates there are seats and vending machines available plus some shelter from the sun. Finally you'll be herded into the building and given an agent as your tour guide. He or she will show you America's most wanted criminals, the rise and fall of types of crime across America, a huge weapns collection, a mock DNA lab and at the end of your hour, he or she will demonstrate why they're in the FBI with their shooting ability. Then they'll come and shake hands with you and chat and answer questions. They even have a shop to purchase 'FBI' mugs etc.

The Cathedral is the 6th largest in the world and for those of us familiar with English Gothic cathedrals gives the opportunity to see a Cathedral as it would have been in Thomas a Beckett's time. Unfortunately it's not close to a Metro and requires some effort to get to it but this is rewarded with a fine Cathedral and beautiful gardens. It was started in 1907 and finally finished in 1990, yes in our lifetime ! It's built in the traditional English Gothic Style but has modern features such as the 'Apollo 11' window which actually contains a piece of moon rock. Elevators take you up to the Observation Deck with another great view over the city. You can take a guided tour or wander at will around the various chapels. There is also a good book store and gift shop.

The MCI Center was built in 1997, conveniently whilst I was on my year of living in D.C. It's a smart new building taking up about a block, and is near China Town, so on the side nearest China Town the signs are in Chinese. Inside there is a large store with merchandise for all the local teams, and some not so local, as well as several restaurants for food before a game.

The Washington Wizards, The Washington Capitals, The Georgetown Hoyas and The Washington Mystics all have their home here. The center is also used for conferences - I went to a travel show here, as well as music concerts.

Access to the MCI center is terrifically easy since it's actually built on top of the Gallery Place/China Town Metro Stop, which is on the Red, Green and Yellow lines. There are also around 10,000 parking spaces within 10 blocks of the center, so a car is a possibility even in the heart of the city.

The MCI Center is worth a look even if you don't get the chance to see a game of any sort.

Begin by taking the Metro blue line to Arlington Cemetry. Walk around the cemetry, a map is available from the visitor's center. The climb up to Arlington House, gives a good view of the city and is near to John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert's graves. You can watch the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier too. When you've finished, walk back towards the Metro but walk over the Memorial Bridge into D.C. Infront of you is the Lincoln Memorial. From Lincoln and facing the Washington Monument you should take the left paths to lead you to the Vietnam Memorial, a long black wall inlaid with the names of those that lost their lives.

From the Vietnam Memorial, make your way around to the Korean Memorial, which includes an engraved wall and full size iron cast soldiers - an eerie experience.

From here, cut right across the mall lawns until you reach the Tidal Basin, follow the path around the Basin and you'll come to the FDR Memorial. This is a modern memorial with waterfalls and pools, it is laid out like rooms of his house and has many interesting features. There is a visitor's center and park rangers to guide you through it.

Continue along the path around the Basin and you will come to the Jefferson Memorial, which offers a view across the Tidal Basin to the South Lawn of the White House.

From the Jefferson you can take any number of paths or streets, I usually use 14th street and arrive back in town by way of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing which offers a good cafe if you're flagging at this point. Then it's back up to the Washington Memorial.

At this point you can finish your walk or you can continue along the Mall to the Smithsonian Castle, the visitor's center for all of the Smithsonian Museums. Further along the Mall there are sculpture gardens to distract you or simply continue on past all the museums until you reach the Capitol Building. A climb up the steps to the top will give you a good view of your walk. To finish the nearest Metro to the Capitol is the Capitol South Station, signposted from the Capitol.

The Metro is the easiest and cheapest way to get around the city if you don't want to walk everywhere. There are 5 lines, each a different colour: red, orange, yellow, green and blue. The red line runs from Shady Grove to Glenmont and passes several stops of interest, including the National Zoo and Farragut North which is near the White House. The Metro Centre is a crossroads of several lines giving closer access to the Mall area (Smithsonian stop) and also to areas further out. Foggy Bottom on the blue and orange line is the stop nearest to the Kennedy Center and Georgetown. The great thing about the Metro system other than its ease of use is that each station also has a 'You are here' map, so you can see which exit you require for the attraction you are planning to visit. This is very useful if your street map of D.C fails to show where the metro stops are! Most of the stations and certainly all of the downtown stations have metro staff available to assist you with times and directions.

The best times to travel the metro are after 9:30am and before 3pm or after 7pm since this is no longer peak time and therefore cheaper. The fares range from $1-10 to $3-25 dependant on the distance travelled. Alternatively you can buy farecards; there is a one day farecard priced at $5 which can be purchased after 9:30am and is for unlimited travel. There are also 7 day passes available. The trains arrive about every 5 minutes during peak time and every 12-15 minutes off peak with the last train coming around midnight (2am on Fridays and Saturdays). However, there is a different service for national holidays and an extended service on July 4th etc. You can check the Washington Post for details or ask at the kiosk.

The metro is so quick, cheap and easy you'll wish that every city had a system like this one!