A Day In Washington, DC

My wife and I’ve spent an wonderful day in the nation’s capital, Washington last week. Except the angry Sun, the day was dry, breezy and comfortable for walking around from museum to museum and among the historic landmarks. I’ve already been to Washington a few times before but there’re still a lot of things remained unseen. Anybody who’s been there knows that a day isn’t enough for this great city, your legs get tired before your eyes.

First, let me throw in some facts about this historic city that made Washington, DC one of the top tourist destinations in America.

• Created through Residence Act in 1790 and the location chosen by George Washington
• British military burned down much of the capital including Capitol Building, the White House, Library of Congress and many other government facilities in 1812
• Washington is the final and one of the nine US capital cities
• The city isn’t part of any of the 50 states and not represented in the US Congress

Tourists arriving in the capital can either drive around and make stops or ride the metro/bus to move around. Driving around has its conveniences as well as downsides. Finding a parking on the street can be tricky depending on the day and time. There’re street parking on many streets throughout the city and each hour costs $2 with 3-hour maximum.

Now about the destinations we visited,

Capitol Building:
Construction began in 1793. Visitor Center includes the Exhibition Hall, Statue of Freedom, History of US Capital construction, Rotunda and others. Special permission needed to see Congress in session. Whole visit takes about 2-2.5 hours.

National Air and Space Museum:
This is the most visited museum in the World with more than 8.6 million visitors in 2017. Old era spacecraft and aircrafts are in the display. IMAX theater for space documentaries and flight simulators are also available for enjoyment with fees.

Arlington National Cemetery:
This is considered to be the most sacred place in America. Over 400,000 people have been buried here including the astronauts of space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. President JFK’s gravesite is here as well as that of a few other presidents.

Lincoln Memorial:
I don’t think I can say anything new that people already don’t know about Lincoln Memorial. Anybody comes to Washington visits Lincoln. Needless to say he was one of the greatest presidents. The United States wouldn’t be the United States if it wasn’t for Lincoln. America would’ve been divided into two countries, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, if Lincoln failed to preserve the union during the civil war (1861-1865). This popular landmark is free to all visitors. Street parking is available around Lincoln Memorial with some efforts.

Library of Congress:
The largest library in the world. This is the go-to library for US Congress should they ever need to look up something. The street parking time limit restricted us from entering this iconic destination.

US Supreme Court:
The highest court in the country, established in 1789 by the US Constitution. US Supreme Court consists of 9 justices including one chief justice. Having 9 justices, there’s never a tie in any verdicts they deliver.

Einstein Monument:
In front of the National Academy of Sciences. Across the street from the Lincoln memorial. Here seen Einstein holding a page with his famous equation E = mc^2 on it.

Korean War Memorial:
Established in 1995 honoring 5.8 million Americans who served in the US military during the Korean war. There’re 19 stainless steel statues representing the ethnic cross section of America.