Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have their eyes on Washington - should you?
With all eyes on the United States presidential election, HECTOR MACKENZIE reports back from a trip to the heart of the nation’s political system, Washington, D.C. The next president will spend a lot of time there - but is it worth a visit?
MOMENTS after alighting at Union Station following the 137-mile bus trip from Philadelphia, we found ourselves en route to the most famous address in Washington, D.C.
Which would have been fine had we wanted our mango-chewing Uber driver to take us to THAT White House…
The intended destination was apartment lodgings called AKA White House, less than a mile away from one of the world’s most instantly recognisable landmarks. Our driver redeemed herself with a nifty u-turn and set us down right outside the heavy front doors of a comfortable all-mod-cons oasis offering air-conditioned respite from the noon heat.
Created as the seat of government for a fledgling United States, with broad boulevards radiating outwards in neat quadrants from the US Capitol, the city pulses with politics and history. If you arrive by plane, you land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport…
The Big Bus Tour proved an excellent orientation taking in the National Mall, Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments and the Reflecting Pool close to where Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech during the 1963 civil rights rally.
It’s said that on a visit to D.C. you should expect to see someone demonstrating for or against something somewhere, and that was certainly the case.
The ideals, battles and stuttering journey towards freedom of speech are explored in the superb National Museum of American History, an eye-opening insight into what makes this proud nation tick - and one of several excellent, free-to-enter museums the capital boasts.
Whether politics, history, art or space exploration is your jam, this city delivers big on free attractions worth hours of your time. It’s certainly possible to have a culturally and spiritually enriching experience here without spending a penny.
Our growing love affair with Uber - offering reliable rides taking you from wherever you are to wherever you wish to go for a set price known in advance, and a colourful cast of characters behind the wheel - prompted a trip to the historic district of Georgetown, which has been home to a who’s who of American politics and pop culture. John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline lived at several addresses here and Martin’s Tavern here boasts a booth where JFK reportedly popped the question.
We were delighted to be able to stroll the grounds of the world-renowned university and escape the heat in a beautiful campus chapel. And we minded how we went on the so-called Exorcist Steps on which Father Karras fell to his death in the terrifying 1973 movie of that name. It’s now a tourist attraction, though eerily quiet the day we took the 75-step shortcut.
Our daughter insisted on trying a Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookie - as delicious as it should be with the $5 price tag.
Across the road, I checked out the Dr Martens’ store, the three super-trendy staff happy ignoring customers and chatting amongst themselves. Reassuring to see some things remain unchanged no matter where you are in the world.
It was easy to expend tens of thousands of steps and many hours exploring the city’s highlights, amongst them an excellent tour of the US Capitol which brings the nation’s E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) motto vividly to life.
You work up quite an appetite hoofing out 30,000-plus steps a day and so it was that we treated ourselves to a visit to the city’s famous Old Ebbitt Grill, visited down the years by everyone from Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt to Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl.
Its $16 Market Salad was so good I couldn’t resist asking our waiter what went into it. To his immense credit, he sought out the chef to get it straight from the horse’s mouth and relayed it back to me. Between the four of us we ordered Oysters Rockefeller, chicken pozole soup, crabcake and lamb chops. The buzzing vibe, informative staff and frankly faultless food made this a culinary highlight of our entire US adventure.
Washington, D.C. was a tasty eye-opener to the United States and is a city I could happily explore further.
FACT FILE
AKA White House furnished apartments offer a home from home where you can catch up on laundry (very handy for travelling families!) See www.stayaka.com/aka-white-house
Plan your trip with Destination DC at https://washington.org/DC-information/about-destination-dc
