The White HouseA man of great importance lives here, but his name escapes me.
We were not eased gently into travelling and it took 5 hours to reach our first destination. My first impression of the city was not what I expected. It could be compared to an American going to visit London, expecting Buckingham Palace, the streets to be paved with gold and then being dumped in Hackney. This maybe an unfair comparison but this is how it seemed. I had visions of white picket fences and mini mansions due to the city’s title of the country’s capital. Benji gave us a brief overview stating that Washington was a predominantly poor black community and looking out the bus windows this is what we saw, slightly ironic seeing as the countries most powerful men lived just down the road. Many homes and shops looked run down and the area looked liked it needed a good face lift.
Reaching the heart of Washington you hit the epicenter of America’s history. The countless attractions are centered on the political past and growth of the country.
We parked up by the Memorial Tower and Benji gave us a brief introduction and a few tips on where we could visit. We were positioned in the Smithsonian District; along this strip of land was where all the museums and important landmarks you could visit for free.
If you ever needed to do a crash course on American history this would be the place, there are memorials dedicated to many previous presidents. For those that are interested in the military and war past there is the National World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Even though you may not be an enthusiast of America’s sometimes violent past its hard not to be swept away by the vastness of how much history is on offer and to see how this country has been built to become what it is today.
Out of all the attractions the biggest is the White House. I am not sure whether it was a deliberate tactical move, but the house was not easy to spot from foot. Hidden behind what seemed a forest, the White House slowly makes its presence known. Nearing the house you are then confronted with a barrage of people clamouring behind the gates trying to get a good view. Making my own tactical moves I stayed quite a distance back to take some pictures.
Although something with this much hype their was bound to be disappointment because it did not seem as huge as it did in the film Independence Day and maybe it was down to the film why I kept a safe distance?!
National Museum of the American Indian http://www.nmai.si.edu/
For the less patriotic of us, there is National Museum of the American Indian. The museum shows the lifestyle and culture of the Native Americans the different tribes and past and present and how they have adapted to modern living. There are daily exhibitions and performances dedicated to the Native American heritage.
National Air and Space Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu/
This huge museum works its way chronologically from the humble beginnings of the Wright Brothers first airplane to the today’s space discoveries. I found this museum the most impressive due to the vast scale of the place. It is hard not to be impressed by the eerily realistic display of the moon landing complete with artifacts from the Apollo missions and authentic space suits. The scene is made complete by genuine space recordings being played, you can hear the beeping and static while the astronauts talk to us from space, I found myself hovering around the space landing exhibition just to hear the immortal words ‘Houston we have a problem’.
National Museum of Natural History http://www.mnh.si.edu/
Despite it seeming like every major city in the world has a Natural History Museum; it’s hard to bypass entering one because once inside we regress to our inner child the endless exhibitions satisfy our need for knowledge and they never seem to disappoint in the ‘wow’ factor.
Unique to the Washington museum there is an Ocean Hall which is the largest exhibition here, allowing you to explore the connection between humans and all the species that live in the sea.
Another key exhibition is the IMAX theatre that shows various films based on the natural world around us and bringing it to life on the big screen.
United States' Flag
Map of United States