What can surprise the US capital? Architecture reminiscent of ancient Greek temples, lush green city buildings and majestic monuments. Washington, like no other city, is able to show the culture of the United States, the significant and tragic pages of America's past, its art.
Location and climate
Washington is located on the north bank of the Potomac River, bordered by the states of Virginia and Maryland. The population of the city is more than 600 thousand people. The official name of the city is District Columbia, District Columbia, D. C. In order not to confuse the city with the state of the same name in the northwestern part of the country, Americans call the city Washington D. C., Washington D.C. Si. The District of Columbia is an independent territory that is not included in any state.
The city is located in a humid subtropical climate zone. Spring and autumn are warm here, winters are snowy, and summers are humid and hot. From time to time the city is affected by snow storms, storms and tornadoes.
History
The city was not always so attractive to tourists: today it is difficult to imagine the swampy banks of the Potomac River instead of the beautiful houses on Massachusetts Avenue, but when George Washington invited a Parisian engineer to lay the foundation for the city, the settlement looked exactly like that. The history of the city's founding is connected with the fluctuations of the political leaders of the North and South, when each side wanted to place the capital in its zone of influence. They wanted to make Boston, Philadelphia or Baltimore the capital, but these options were never adopted. Then the politicians agreed to found a new city in the midst of 13 colonies. At first, Washington was ruled by Congress, and during the war of 1812 the British set the capital on fire.
Washington landmarks
The city has not always been so attractive to tourists. For a long time it remained a political center with marble monuments with a slow and uninteresting social life. Even today it may seem like a museum piece, just the perfect backdrop for the evening news, but Washington is not so simple.
Of course, you can choose the classic tourist route - visit the White House, Washington Monument, Museum of Natural History. You only need a couple of days to do this. But to find out how modern Washington lives, you need to focus on the other attractions of the city. So, in March and early April, the National Cherry Blossom Festival begins, art galleries, farmers markets and clubs are open all year round. What to see in Washington:
- The White House is a symbol of the American nation and power
- Washington DC City Museum - Tells all about the history of the city
- The Capitol is the building of the Congress, annually visited by about 4.5 million tourists
- The International Espionage Museum is the only museum in the world to reveal the secrets of espionage.
- Museum of Journalism - Tells about interesting personalities such as Nelly Bly, who feigned mental abnormalities to get into an insane asylum on Blackwell Island
- National Gallery of Art - Here you will see the best works of art from private collections
- The Pentagon is the largest neoclassical office building in the world
- City Zoo : the main attraction of the zoo is the pandas
- Washington Cathedral St. Peter and Paul - the cathedral belongs to the Church of England, an example of the neo-gothic style
- Lincoln Memorial - A monument dedicated to the American leader during the Civil War.
Most attractions can be viewed free of charge, but there are long queues to wait. To save time, tourists purchase the Washington DC Power Pass . The card gives a number of privileges, for example, the right to skip the queue in the most visited places.
Kitchen
In a huge variety of restaurants, you can taste the cuisines of the peoples of the world - Ethiopian, French, Italian and others. Top dishes to try in Washington DC:
- Washington burgers
- Chesapeake blue crabs
- Korean fried chicken
- Chicken wings with the famous Washington DC curry sauce Mumbo sauce
- Oysters
- Salvadorian tortillas
- Hot dog with smoked sausage
- Peruvian grilled chicken
- Senators' Bean Soup.
Interesting facts about Washington
- Two presidents of the states kept alligators in the White House
- President Jimmy Carter loved to watch movies in the White House, his record of 480 films was never broken
- Washington metro is the second most visited metro after New York
- All the roads of the city lead to the Capitol - this is the layout of the city
- Residents of the city were not allowed to participate in the presidential elections until 1961
- Bonsai Museum - one of the most original in Washington
- City residents drink more wine than any other city
- When President Woodrow Wilson retired, he was barred from taking his wine collection with him. To retrieve the valuable collection while still in power, Wilson introduced a special decree allowing a person to transport alcohol from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to Wilson's home.
