Washington, D.C. A Walking Guide and the History Behind the City’s Design
Washington, D.C. straddles the Maryland-Virginia border, representing a fair location for both North and South as the newly formed nation laid its physical foundation in 1790. This cultural melding is evidenced in the bustling government sector, reminiscent of any Northeast urban center, and in the soft, Southern-accented tone of natives when they pronounce their home as "Wahr-shington."
This was the planned city of its day--and continues to be--as designer Pierre Charles L'Enfant laid out its grid of boulevards with streets of numbers and letters easily found by the demarcation N.W., N.E., S.W., S.E., the four geographical quadrants of the city, with all emanating from the Capitol. Featured are stately circles, the most famous being Dupont Circle; these circles are usually graced by mini-parks, seating areas and statues. L'Enfant developed a perfect, 100-square-mile, diamond-shaped District, but Virginia gave the city's map its jagged look by reclaiming its share of town in 1847. Today's remaining 68 square miles are home to a citizenry of all backgrounds, creeds, colors and ethnicities; it is a veritable symbol of the melting pot that is the United States.
One thing has not changed since the city's start: there is still a human scale to the metropolis. No edifice can rise higher than twelve stories, making the opulent Capitol dome and the Washington Monument the horizon's prominent features. L'Enfant created a worldwide center of commerce, learning and culture, still evidenced today.
Washington's monuments are a walk through the nation's history. Indefatigable visitors with limited time can see all of the monuments in one day's walk, if you begin early and continue through dinnertime. I stress the word "see" because this plan is not possible if you want to go into a museum or linger more than an hour at any one monument. Plan your itinerary by time/interest, and remember that this city's wealth of attractions cannot be seen in one trip.
I started my trek at the Capitol, on the eastern end of The Mall, and ended up at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin.
L'Enfant deemed Jenkins Hill "a pedestal waiting for a monument." The white-marble United States Capitol is a grandiose structure, perched atop that swell of land now named Capitol Hill so that it looks over the Mall and denotes the power of the legislative branch of government. The nearby Supreme Court keeps the Capitol in check, as the Founding Fathers deemed necessary (smart move, fellas!)
Walking westward along The Mall's graveled paths that frame a grassy central patch, you will find a trio of museums on the north: the National Gallery of Art; the National Museum of Natural History; and the National Museum of American History. There are more museums on the south side, with one museum of particular interest to airline employees, the National Air and Space Museum.
Next is the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a respite from the bustling city nearby. Opened in 1974, the garden features sculptures from the 1880's-1960's. Highlights are Rodin's "Monument to the Burghers of Calais" (1884-1889) and Marino Marini's "Horse and Rider" (1952-53).
Continuing on, you will discover the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the famed Smithsonian Institution.
What's that tall structure ahead, reaching to the sky? It is the Robert Mills-designed Washington Monument, of course, serving as a tribute to this city's namesake and the first president of the United States. The monument's cornerstone was laid in 1848, but it was not dedicated until 1885 and did not officially open to the public until 1888. The cost was $1.18-million dollars for this 555-foot-high tribute comprising 36,491 stone blocks.
Nearby is the World War II Memorial. As someone who has had the good fortune to visit many monuments worldwide over the years, I must admit that this one is definitely impressed. It was no easy task to design a fitting memorial to the mid-20th century's cataclysmic war.
Continuing past the Reflecting Pool, you will happen upon the Lincoln Memorial, one of our nation's most revered historical sites. On the memorial's wall it states: "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Four symmetrical columns are on each side of Lincoln's remarkable statue. On one wall is the Gettysburg Address and on the opposite wall is Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, in which he imparts his thoughts on the tragic toll of the U.S. Civil War. Sit on the steps and peer eastward for a view back towards the Capitol.
Just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, renovated with improved lighting in 2004. Incrementally rising black-granite walls are inscribed with the names (not in alphabetical order) of the lives lost on this long-fought battle. Visitors leave hats and flowers near the names of loved ones lost, and there is usually at least one Vietnam vet searching for the name of a buddy, the pain of that loss still fresh. The granite reflects the viewers' images, connoting that any one of us could be one of those names. They are us; we are them.
Southeast of the Lincoln Memorial is the Korean War Memorial, where straight-line granite walls with soldiers' images balances the Vietnam Veterans Memorial across the way. A series of lifelike soldiers in the field creates a dramatic feel in this tribute to the persons who fought in this war from 1950-1953. A reflecting pool at the east end is graced by a small waterfall.
Wrapping around the Tidal Basin, watch for the low branches of the 3,000 cherry trees, which bloom in late March to early April depending on that year's weather (remember: DC's weather changes more than Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars). Here, you'll encounter a relatively new monument, the sectioned Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Arguably the most influential U.S. president of the 20th century (sorry, Reagan lovers), this memorial of beautiful, brown stonework features numerous fountains. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is inscribed, a tribute to the nation's 32nd president, a leader who took the nation out of the Great Depression and helped it through WWII. Featured is a statue of a citizen listening to an FDR speech and another that is a queue of men in a food line; this is complemented by a fountain representing the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The focus is the statue of FDR himself, with his faithful Scottish terrier nearby.
At the far end of the Tidal Basin is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, a tribute to one of the most influential of the nation's Founding Fathers. The grand dome and 54 columns, which frame Jefferson's 19-foot-high statue, are made to resemble his beloved home, Monticello. "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone," claimed President John F. Kennedy, speaking to a gathering of Nobel Prize Winners in 1962. This memorial is a grand tribute to one of the nation's most influential citizens, a man who transformed the land and the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
D.C. always makes for a monumental trip.
This was the planned city of its day--and continues to be--as designer Pierre Charles L'Enfant laid out its grid of boulevards with streets of numbers and letters easily found by the demarcation N.W., N.E., S.W., S.E., the four geographical quadrants of the city, with all emanating from the Capitol. Featured are stately circles, the most famous being Dupont Circle; these circles are usually graced by mini-parks, seating areas and statues. L'Enfant developed a perfect, 100-square-mile, diamond-shaped District, but Virginia gave the city's map its jagged look by reclaiming its share of town in 1847. Today's remaining 68 square miles are home to a citizenry of all backgrounds, creeds, colors and ethnicities; it is a veritable symbol of the melting pot that is the United States.
One thing has not changed since the city's start: there is still a human scale to the metropolis. No edifice can rise higher than twelve stories, making the opulent Capitol dome and the Washington Monument the horizon's prominent features. L'Enfant created a worldwide center of commerce, learning and culture, still evidenced today.
Washington's monuments are a walk through the nation's history. Indefatigable visitors with limited time can see all of the monuments in one day's walk, if you begin early and continue through dinnertime. I stress the word "see" because this plan is not possible if you want to go into a museum or linger more than an hour at any one monument. Plan your itinerary by time/interest, and remember that this city's wealth of attractions cannot be seen in one trip.
I started my trek at the Capitol, on the eastern end of The Mall, and ended up at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin.
L'Enfant deemed Jenkins Hill "a pedestal waiting for a monument." The white-marble United States Capitol is a grandiose structure, perched atop that swell of land now named Capitol Hill so that it looks over the Mall and denotes the power of the legislative branch of government. The nearby Supreme Court keeps the Capitol in check, as the Founding Fathers deemed necessary (smart move, fellas!)
Walking westward along The Mall's graveled paths that frame a grassy central patch, you will find a trio of museums on the north: the National Gallery of Art; the National Museum of Natural History; and the National Museum of American History. There are more museums on the south side, with one museum of particular interest to airline employees, the National Air and Space Museum.
Next is the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a respite from the bustling city nearby. Opened in 1974, the garden features sculptures from the 1880's-1960's. Highlights are Rodin's "Monument to the Burghers of Calais" (1884-1889) and Marino Marini's "Horse and Rider" (1952-53).
Continuing on, you will discover the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the famed Smithsonian Institution.
What's that tall structure ahead, reaching to the sky? It is the Robert Mills-designed Washington Monument, of course, serving as a tribute to this city's namesake and the first president of the United States. The monument's cornerstone was laid in 1848, but it was not dedicated until 1885 and did not officially open to the public until 1888. The cost was $1.18-million dollars for this 555-foot-high tribute comprising 36,491 stone blocks.
Nearby is the World War II Memorial. As someone who has had the good fortune to visit many monuments worldwide over the years, I must admit that this one is definitely impressed. It was no easy task to design a fitting memorial to the mid-20th century's cataclysmic war.
Continuing past the Reflecting Pool, you will happen upon the Lincoln Memorial, one of our nation's most revered historical sites. On the memorial's wall it states: "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Four symmetrical columns are on each side of Lincoln's remarkable statue. On one wall is the Gettysburg Address and on the opposite wall is Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, in which he imparts his thoughts on the tragic toll of the U.S. Civil War. Sit on the steps and peer eastward for a view back towards the Capitol.
Just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, renovated with improved lighting in 2004. Incrementally rising black-granite walls are inscribed with the names (not in alphabetical order) of the lives lost on this long-fought battle. Visitors leave hats and flowers near the names of loved ones lost, and there is usually at least one Vietnam vet searching for the name of a buddy, the pain of that loss still fresh. The granite reflects the viewers' images, connoting that any one of us could be one of those names. They are us; we are them.
Southeast of the Lincoln Memorial is the Korean War Memorial, where straight-line granite walls with soldiers' images balances the Vietnam Veterans Memorial across the way. A series of lifelike soldiers in the field creates a dramatic feel in this tribute to the persons who fought in this war from 1950-1953. A reflecting pool at the east end is graced by a small waterfall.
Wrapping around the Tidal Basin, watch for the low branches of the 3,000 cherry trees, which bloom in late March to early April depending on that year's weather (remember: DC's weather changes more than Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars). Here, you'll encounter a relatively new monument, the sectioned Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Arguably the most influential U.S. president of the 20th century (sorry, Reagan lovers), this memorial of beautiful, brown stonework features numerous fountains. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is inscribed, a tribute to the nation's 32nd president, a leader who took the nation out of the Great Depression and helped it through WWII. Featured is a statue of a citizen listening to an FDR speech and another that is a queue of men in a food line; this is complemented by a fountain representing the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The focus is the statue of FDR himself, with his faithful Scottish terrier nearby.
At the far end of the Tidal Basin is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, a tribute to one of the most influential of the nation's Founding Fathers. The grand dome and 54 columns, which frame Jefferson's 19-foot-high statue, are made to resemble his beloved home, Monticello. "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone," claimed President John F. Kennedy, speaking to a gathering of Nobel Prize Winners in 1962. This memorial is a grand tribute to one of the nation's most influential citizens, a man who transformed the land and the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
D.C. always makes for a monumental trip.
