Visit to Washington DC

30 June - 4 July 2010

By some good luck, I came across a random walking tour and that kicked start my historical journey across the city.

The U.S. Constitution allows for the creation of a special district to serve as the permanent national capital. The District, which is a compromised land between two states Maryland and Virginia, is therefore not a part of any U.S. state and is instead directly overseen by the federal government. The city's unique status creates a situation where citizens in the District do not have full control over their local government, nor do they have voting representation in the body that makes such decisions.

The city, first designed by a French architect, was modelled in the European style with wide streets and lots of open spaces. Height restriction in the city has resulted in today's low and sprawling skyline, and the Washington Monument remains the District's tallest structure.

1) Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre
The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre hosts conferences, trade shows, cultural events and outdoor concerts.



2) National Mall
The National Mall is an open national park in downtown Washington DC. Not only is it a collection of world class museums and national landmarks, it is also a great outdoor location for picnics, carnivals and festivals. Major attractions in the National Mall consist of the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol Building, Smithsonian Museums, and the various monuments and war memorials to honour the founding presidents and war veterans.

3) Washington Monument
The Washington Monument was built in the 1848 in honour of the first President of United States, George Washington. The construction was halted for 8 years in 1858 due to lack of funds, and this is still visible through the different colour tones on the monument, where the stones above 152 feet have a darker tone than the original ones.

It was finally completed in 1888, as the tallest structure in the city, with no internal structure but supported by the stones forming the monument. It is surrounded by flagpoles, with each flag representing one state. The monument is open to the public, where an elevator brings you to the observatory at the top of the obelisk from where you can have a magnificent view over the capital. Admission is free, but you have to reserve a ticket.


On that day of our visit, the flags were drawn half way because one of the longest-serving senators, Robert Byrd, had pass away.

4) World War II Memorial
This is a national memorial dedicated to the Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during WWII. Located at one end of the Reflecting Pool, and between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, it consists of 56 pillars and a pair of arches surrounding a plaza and fountain.


The Freedom Wall is on the west side of the memorial. It has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. In front of the wall lies the message "Here we mark the price of freedom". The Memorial lies lower than the street level, with waterfall and fountain to hide the traffic noise. It is designed to have still water on site, which means 'reflection'.


Kilroy was here - a popular culture expression used by U.S. soldiers who tread and traced their presence in countries they landed for their military missions. This expression originated from James Kilroy, a shipyard inspector, who used the signature to mark the rivets after his inspection.

5) Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Memorial honours those soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War. It consists of 3 sections: Three Soldiers Statue, Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.


When a visitor looks upon the wall, his or her reflection can be seen simultaneously with the engraved names, which is meant to symbolically bring the past and present together. One wall points toward the Washington Monument, the other in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial, hence meeting at an angle.

6) Korean War Veterans Memorial
This Memorial is in a form of a triangle (ie. squad patrolling in a triangular pattern) intersecting a circle (ie. pool), and it commemorates those who serves in the Korean War.


From our tour guide, the figures represent a squad on patrol, drawn from each branch of the armed forces, and each figure is uniquely looking at one angle, and thus it seems like someone is looking at you wherever you moved.


The circle contains the Pool of Remembrance (again we see still water that represents 'reflection'). Also 3 bushes of Rose of Sharon hibiscus plants represent the national flower of South Korea. A further inscription notes "Freedom is not free"...

7) Lincoln Memorial
The Memorial is built as a tribute to U.S. 16th President Abraham Lincoln. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address.


According to our guide, the sculpture exhibits at least two features that caused controversy. Some claimed that the face of General Robert E. Lee was carved onto the back of Lincoln's head, and looked back across the Potomac towards his former home, Arlington House. Another popular belief is that Lincoln is using sign language, with his left hand shaped to form an 'A' and his right hand to form a 'L', hence showing his initials.


The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963 during a rally for jobs and freedom.


The Reflecting Pool stretches from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument.

8) Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President and an influential founding father of U.S. It is situated on the west Potomac Park, on the shore of the Tidal Basin of the Potomac River, which is lined with soft pretty cherry blossoms trees in the spring.


According to our guide, the building of this Memorial required that cherry trees be unrooted, and this sparked protests amongst the socialites, who tied themselves to the trees. Unfortunately, they fell into the trick of the authorities who fed them water, and caused them to eventually released themselves from the trees to go to washrooms.

9) White House
The White House is the oldest public building in Washington DC. Since 1792, the White House has become symbolic of the American Presidency throughout the world. While the Capitol Building represents the freedom and ideals of the Nation, the White House stands for the power and statemanship of the chief executive.


When the British burnt down the executive mansion in 1880s, it was painted white and thus took on a new name as the White House.


Statues in the Lafayette Park in front of the White House.


Adjacent to the White House stands the Old Executive Office Building and the First Division Memorial.


On the other wing of the White House is the Department of Treasury, opposite of the Bank of America.

10) Capitol Building
Located atop of Capitol Hill, the Capitol Building is the meeting place of the Congress, and legislature of the federal government. Major events like presidential inaugurations are also held there.


The colossal statue on top of the dome represents the Goddess of Freedom. No other statues in the District should be taller than this 19ft statue.

11) Museums
Majority of the museums in the District are free admission, and they line along the National Mall, hence easy accessibility.


National Museum of American History


United States Department of Agriculture


Smithsonian Information Centre


Smithsonian Institution Arts and Industries Building


Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden


National Gallery of Art


National Archives


National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden - opposite of the National Archives. People hang out around the fountain to enjoy the outdoor jazz band.


National Portrait Gallery


The Great Hall in the National Portrait Gallery - Once the largest room in America, the Great Hall was originally conceived to display miniature models required of investors when the building housed the U.S. Patent Office. The space also served as the first national museum, and it was here that the Declaration of Independence was publicly displayed between 1841 and 1871.


Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery

12) Union Station
Union Station is the grand ceremonial train station designed to be the entrance to the District.



13) Chinatown
A small Chinatown in the downtown of the city.



14) National Aquarium
A good collection of specimens and species. Good afternoon event with kids!



15) Food!
No fantastic restaurants, but some nice stuff to snack on...


Finally I met up with Sumin and Leonard on the last day to catch up. Had dinner in their friend's house, and saw twinkling fireflies in their garden. Blue Moon is my favourite! A pity it's not sold in Toronto. Fro.zen.yo is interesting because you can mix and match various yoghurt ice-cream with different toppings!


Took the bus back to New York for transit to Toronto, and dropped by the Korean restaurant Kunjip again for a feast, where they gave so much side dishes that it was spilling onto the next table. Overall, the District is clean and spacious, with huge buildings and wide roads, which reminds me of London and Vienna.