While many east coast cities, namely New York, and Boston, can be quite expensive, Washington, DC is more affordable. Why? Because many attractions in the city are free, easily accessed by public transportation, and appeal to wide range of ages. Here are a few to consider on your next trip to our nations capitol. The National Mall, and all of the monuments and memorials are free. You can visit President Biden at the White House, if you make arrangements through your US Senator or Congressman. All of the Smithsonian Museums are free. I love them! The Kennedy Center has free tours, as well as free daily concerts. The Library of Congress does not require a library card! It may be difficult to get into the US Capitol Building after the trump inspired insurrection, and the lone terrorist who stabbed two capitol police officers. I would stay away for a while. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving will show you how money is made. The Maine Avenue Fish Market, though not free, will cook and season your seafood to order. Though my hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg is no longer there, the Supreme Court may be visited with free 30 minute
lectures in the main hall. The place President Lincoln was assassinated, Fords Theater, is still here on Tenth Street. The most popular memorial on the mall is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. A personal favorite is the ML King Memorial, with quotations from his I have a dream speech. Georgetown is free, but I guarantee that if you hang around long enough, you will buy or eat something. Choose wisely, as you will soon realize that there are more places to visit than hours in the day. My personal favorites are: National Japanese American Memorial Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Union Station Eastern Market The cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin (my reason for going again) National Museum of African American History and Culture (featuring Lemoores Tommy Smith) Clydes of Georgetown (I always have lunch here, brings back fond memories of previous visits) What are some of your favorites? Hidden DC If you have been to Washington, DC as many times as I have, it increasingly difficult to write an email about anything new. Of course, we have new residents in the White House, as well as in Congress. And I will say it is for the better.
I found the last four years to be contentious, with a disturbing rise in White Supremacy. The enabling of hate, and hate crimes should have ended long ago!But moving on, what is new, unknown, or undiscovered here?There is no J Street in DC.Seattle gets less than annually than DC (39 inches), very surprising.DC has the second busiest Amtrak station after NYC.DC residents consume more wine per capita than anywhere else in the US.The Capitol Dome, where the insurrection of Jan. 6 took place, consists of almost NINE tons of cast iron.Washington, DC is named for both George Washington, and Christopher Columbus.The White House has 35 bathrooms. And 28 fireplaces.Jimmy Carter watched more movies in the White House, 480, than any President to date.DC is home to two endangered animals, the dwarf wedgemussel, and the Hays Spring amphipod.The Library of Congress is home to more than 170 million items.The DC Metro is the second busiest (5 million annually) subway transportation system, after NYC.<br
antialiased; />DC has some rather famous people born here:J. Edgar Hoover. Al Gore, JW Marriott, John Philip Sousa, Duke Ellington, Bobby Kennedy, Stephen Colbert, Connie Chung, Samuel L. Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Kevin Durant.There is a typo on the north wall of the Lincoln Memorial (I will not tell you!).President William Howard Taft is credited with starting the 7th inning stretch at baseball games.The District of Columbia has 706,000 residents, more populous than Wyoming and Vermont!. Not only George Washington never reside in the White House, but he also never lived in DC.The Washington Monument was once the tallest building in the world (1884).The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
