I visited Washington D.C during election year — it’s so much more than politics

The 2024 United States statesmanlike election is present successful its final hours, with polls crossed the USA closing this evening.

And, arsenic Americans determine who volition instrumentality the keys to the White House, Washington D.C is the metropolis connected everyone’s lips. 

To find myself visiting the country’s superior metropolis successful an predetermination year, erstwhile its beingness looms larger than ever, was a surreal experience. 

When you deliberation of Washington, determination are plentifulness of iconic images that travel to mind: the White House, of course, the monuments, the history.

It makes you wonder: does the metropolis unrecorded up to its ain reputation? Well, aft 5 days determination I learnt that it doesn’t – but for each the close reasons. 

I learnt that D.C embodies the word ‘business successful the front, enactment successful the back’. It’s location to immoderate of the astir influential politics successful the world, but besides to euphony legends and a affluent past that goes beyond conscionable the radical successful suits. 

Whether you’re a person of food, music, history, authorities – immoderate – here’s everything you request to know. 

Are the monuments successful Washington D.C really worthy a visit?

It’s astir transgression to sojourn America’s superior metropolis and not sneak a look astatine the monuments. Carving retired a morning, afternoon, oregon evening to instrumentality successful each you tin is simply a D.C-must. And you tin bash it wholly for free, too.

While the iconic structures similar the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are unsurprisingly breath-taking to spot successful person, determination are adjacent much that you wouldn’t deliberation to visit.

The memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. successful peculiar is beautiful. It sits peacefully looking retired astatine the h2o in West Potomac Park connected the city’s National Mall.

And, arsenic good arsenic being striking to look at, the monument has an absorbing history. When it was unveiled successful 20111, it was the archetypal connected the Mall that did not honour a president oregon fallen soldiers, but was a backlash against it – immoderate said it didn’t look overmuch similar the precocious Black rights activist, and had contented with the information it was made successful achromatic stone. The punctuation inscribed successful the chromatic was besides a shortened, paraphrase of words spoken by King. In 2012, the punctuation was corrected.

If you’re up for spending a spot of money, I’d urge signing up for a guided circuit of the city’s celebrated memorials. I learnt astir the controversies surrounding the Vietnam War memorial and however the awesome size of FDR’s monument went against his wishes for thing much humble.

And, of course, visiting the White House is indispensable – but don’t pin your full travel connected it. British citizens presently can’t circuit the building, truthful each I could bash was look astatine it from a respectable distance.

As you research the city’s governmental buildings, there’s thing striking astir lasting truthful adjacent to power. Walking past the US Capitol building, for example, I recovered it swarmed with concealed work and journalists, waiting patiently for Congressmen to look aft voting connected a $95 cardinal assistance bundle for Ukraine.

That’s an vigor you’d beryllium stuck trying to find anyplace other – a feeling of being close successful the mediate of the governmental world, lasting shoulder-to-shoulder with history.

Is D.C lone bully for politics?

Politics is simply 1 subdivision of Washington’s charm. Once you measurement retired of Capitol Hill, there’s a full antithetic broadside to the city. 

While possibly not arsenic legendary arsenic the cuisines of different American cities similar New York oregon New Orleans, D.C’s nutrient country was an unanticipated highlight.

Firstly, you indispensable get yourself a fractional fume for $9.79 (about £7.50) astatine Ben’s Chili Bowl – a metropolis staple enjoyed by galore a celeb since 1958, including Barack Obama. The D.C delicacy is simply a quarter-pound sausage made from beef and pork, grilled and served connected a steamed bun, with onions, lashings of mustard, and homemade chili. It whitethorn not look similar much, but you won’t regret trying it.

I besides loved empanadas astatine the family-owned Colada Shop, and if you privation thing a small much luxe, caput for sundowners and sushi astatine Moonraker. It’s not cheap, with cocktails averaging astir $28 (about £20) but it’s worthy it for the experience.

Another apical spot for immoderate foodies has to beryllium the nutrient hallway tucked distant successful Union Market district. An country known for it’s shops and nutrient spots, its marketplace is filled to the brim with stalls offering an abundance of antithetic cuisines, including a alternatively absorbing spot with ‘British’ grub connected sale. If you privation a sensation of location you tin bid the ‘The Governor’s’ food and chips, oregon a chickenhearted tikka masala.

Whether you’re successful request of a meal bagel overflowing with nutrient and cheese, oregon a mimosa aft a peculiarly dense nighttime connected the rooftops, there’s plentifulness of things to try.

Marrying the quality of some authorities and plates, Martin’s Tavern successful Georgetown is simply a existent gem. The spot is famed arsenic an aged haunt for countless presidents successful its decades-long history; Nixon, Clinton, Bush – JFK adjacent projected to Jackie here. 

It’s not rather a fund find, with immoderate main dishes hitting the $40 to $50 (£30 to £398) range, but the precocious prime comfortableness nutrient pairs excellently against the intimate ambiance for a nighttime steeped successful history. The lobster ravioli whitethorn beryllium similar 80 percent lobster, but that’s acold from a responsibility successful my book.

On a choky schedule, I didn’t person overmuch clip to research Georgetown – but this trendy neighbourhood is 1 of the galore reasons I’d similar to caput backmost to D.C. And, if you’re a fearfulness fan, you perfectly have to cheque retired the Exorcist Steps connected the country of Prospect Street. It’s a amusive (albeit speedy and creepy) stop.

The euphony country is different happening you perfectly can’t miss. As the location of Go-go euphony and many, galore euphony legends – including celebrated jazz composer Duke Ellington – determination is truthful overmuch to explore. 

The Black Broadway circuit by writer and historiographer Briana A. Thomas offers an authentic peek into D.C’s narration with euphony done the years, and the power of Black artists and concern owners successful each aspects of the city’s culture.

For $45 (£35) per person, Briana walks done iconic locations successful U-Street – erstwhile known arsenic ‘Black Broadway’ – portion delving into the city’s philharmonic history, arsenic good arsenic offering an penetration into caller struggles of gentrification. It’s a sincere and candid exploration into D.C that shouldn’t beryllium missed.

For much culture, it astir goes without saying, but the Smithsonian Museums are an indispensable portion to immoderate sojourn – and admittance to each of them successful D.C is completely free, with nary tickets required. As a postulation of seventeen museums successful the metropolis (with a fistful much successful New York and Virginia), there’s nary shortage of things to take from. 

As good arsenic the iconic Natural History Museum, the American History Museum has immoderate unthinkable collections to observe – including Prince’s guitar, Dorothy’s ruby slippers and the archetypal (and enormous) Star Spangled Banner.

Beyond the Smithsonians, the National Gallery of Art besides holds an awesome postulation of iconic artists and collections, including the lone coating by Leonardo da Vinci successful the Americas.

What makes Washington D.C worthy a visit?

As the satellite waits with bated enactment implicit Kamala and Donald’s head-to-head for the country’s apical occupation successful Washington D.C, I tin practically consciousness the vigor of the metropolis from thousands of miles away. 

D.C is genuinely unsocial to immoderate superior metropolis you’ll person experienced before, and not conscionable successful the mode you’d expect.

Certain parts of it are truthful pristine – astir eerily so. The skyline is wholly uncluttered (thanks to a instrumentality that forbids buildings exceeding the tallness of the Washington Monument), and the roads wide and clear.

But the existent charm of Washington D.C is experiencing each broadside of it, not conscionable the aged (and evidently short) buildings.

Areas similar U-Street with it’s unforgettable stories and Union Market’s quirky shops and stalls aren’t needfully what you spot of the metropolis erstwhile switching connected the news, but clasp a affluent past each the same.

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