Washington DC

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel named Washington DC the #1 city of 2015. I have been lucky enough to visit on several occasions and the more I see the more I like it. 

First lets talk about the abundance of quality museums, the majority of which are FREE!!! As in gratis, without charge, no payment required, come as you please, at no cost, for nothing, on the house... Oh yea, like music to my ears! 

Not only are there many museums to visit but they are also large and require some time at each to take in all the exhibits. On our last trip to DC Tim and I very much enjoyed the Smithonian National Museum of American History. Downstairs we peered into an exact replica of Julia Child's kitchen which had me drooling with kitchen envy. Then we explored the changing relationship of the American public to food from the 1950's to now. By examining the effects of a changing population and especially introduction of new technologies and their impact. Something that stood out to me was a 1960's 7Eleven poster promoting parents to leave children in their car while shopping. I guess that with hindsight we are all experts, I just thought it is interesting to see a changing perspective laid out in chronological order and clearly with interesting items on display. 

The upstairs highlight for me was Faith Bradford's Dolls' house. It must be the best one ever made! It is all antique furniture and dolls and I think it is like a gorgeous little work of art. They also have other interesting popular culture displays such as the ruby slipper from The Wizard of Oz as well as original dresses from all the past first ladies. Another more serious exhibit that I found fascinating was that of the now defunct American Whaling Industry. This was in the naval history exhibit which was surprisingly interesting. It also included models of slave cargo ships which leave a shocking impression. This exhibit was the broadest and most complete in my opinion. All in all there is something for everyone at this museum. 

 

  

Also, we toured the Capitol or Congress building. This is a guided tour that takes you though the different rooms of the building and explores the history of the politics of the nation. It was very much geared to an American public but was very informative and I think enjoyable overall to any visitor interested in history and / or architecture or American History. 

On another visit, I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This was a very sober experience, but I think that it is an important place to visit. Here you will learn facts about a tragic human experience that needs to be remembered, so as not to allow it to happen again in the future. 

Aside from all the wonderful Museums of course there are many great Monuments as well. Sometimes it may seem silly to be visiting a big statue like say the Big Prawn in New South Wales. But this is a different kind of big thing. Firstly, the monuments were erected to commemorate a different historical figure or event. They are obviously very significant to Americans and I can respect them. I can also respect the sheer scale of some of these things, they actually are big!

Ok so beyond satisfying the desires of cheapskates like Tim and I with all the free venues, did I mention that it is really gorgeous? I don't think that I realised it at first, but every time I go I think I see it a little more. It first hit me when we were driving alongside the Potomac on George Washington Memorial Parkway as the sun was setting. Most of the buildings seemed to glow on the other side of the water and on our side, despite being on a semi free way, there was so many beautiful trees it felt like we were in a timeless place. My sister lives in Arlington next to a park which to me is more like a nature reserve. I couldn't believe that such a major city would be so green. 

   

But otherwise it is not all memorials, museums and parks. For the young hipsters out there, there is the lovely Georgetown. This is a beautiful historic district that is full of great stores including both boutique and vintage. It's also a foodie area full of bars, restaurants and cafes. They really have it all, and it comes wrapped in a pretty and laid back wrapper of an atmosphere. There are so many places to see there that even though I have been several times I always have somewhere new to go on my next visit. But the hightlight for me has to be Georgetown Cupcakes. I am afraid that I have never paid a visit to the city without stopping in for a cupcake (or several...). I don't even mind the wait. At first I thought it was stupid to line up for cupcakes. But unlike my experience lining up for Bignets in New Orleans (which I would not repeat) I am very happy to wait for these babies any day. 

Incidentally there is a sprinkles cupcake shop just down the street which is so damn bad! I thought I would try to see how they compared so I ordered a selection to share with everyone. They were dry and so crappy we couldn't even palate them after having the faultless Georgetown Cupcakes on the same day! 

And believe it or not, Georgetown is also the setting of the film the Exorcist. Of course we snapped some pics on the stairwell from the final scene for a little bit of a laugh.