Washington, D.C. aka: dc, washington, washington dc

Great sights, great museums and great atmosphere. I wish I could have spent longer here.

I was hired for a sculpture session. Didn’t get to do much sight seeing as I was working the whole time, but had fun all the same.

I’ve been planning to go for a couple years now, for the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument. It’s been pushed back year after year because more money was needed to build the thing. But now the date has been set and I’m set to go.

I booked my flight, made lodging reservations, and will be leaving in August. I. Can’t. Wait.

!!!

If it hadn’t been over 100 degrees when we visited several years back, I would have really enjoyed visiting our nations capitol. We had a fabulous time at the Smithsonian, but many of the monuments and buildings didn’t live up to what I’d imagined, but then again with all the walking and intense heat, my judgment was skewed. I’d like to go back during the fall of the year or early spring.

Washington, District of Columbia is the United States capital. It was founded on July 16, 1790. There were, first, two different cities: Washington and Territory of Columbia, but an act of Congress in 1871 made the two cities into one, know known by the name mentioned above or simply by Washington or District of Columbia. When the Europeans first arrived, around the 17th century, the area around the Anacostia River where Washington is now located, was inhabited by the Algonquian people known as the Nacotchtank. One century later, this Native American people moved from that location. There was a need for a federal district since1783, but only on July 16, 1790, the Residence Act provided for a new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by President Washington. On September 9, 1791, the federal city was named in honor of George Washington, and the district was named the Territory of Columbia.

In 2008, the city had 591,833 residents, but during workweeks, with the number of people who work in it, the population increases incredibly in 71.8%. The district is located in the transition between the humid subtropical climate zone and the Humid continental climate. The weather is mainly temperate. During spring and fall, it is mild with low humidity while winter is cold with snowfalls. The annual rainfall is of about 1.400 mm.

The city is of 177 km2. Its territory was granted by the state of Maryland, which is one of the surroundings countries, together with Virginia. Approximately 19.4% of Washington, D.C. is parkland. The major parks are Rock Creek Park, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the National Mall, Theodore Roosevelt Island, the Constitution Gardens, Meridian Hill Park, and Anacostia Park.

Together with the National Mall are the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the National World War II M.emorial at the east end of the Reflecting Pool, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Albert Einstein Memorial. The National Air and Space Museum is amazing, even for the ones who dislike things related to the space. In it, you can touch a piece from the moon and has the largest collection of aircraft and spacecraft in the world. Other sites to visit are National Museum of Natural History, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Arlington National Cemetery, which, even though is a graveyard, is extremely beautiful and the Kennedy brothers were buried in it. Regarding arts, you may want to visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum (formerly known as the National Museum of American Art) and the National Portrait Gallery. But, of course, I couldn’t forget about the White House, which serves as the President of the United States home and principal workplace, but unfortunately, is closed to the general public visitation.

The main economic activities are services, business services and media (TV channels, newspapers, magazines).

Washington, D.C. is a very important city and great for people involved in politics to live in. But all ages can have fun and learn a lot of history in this enchanting city.

By: Roberta