When you’re in Washington, DC, for only a few days, and you want to see, do and learn as much as you can, what do you do? You join a tour, of course! And that’s exactly what I did last week.
But not just any tour. To see the nation’s capital in a unique way, I joined the “Washington DC Unveiled” Urban Adventures tour to introduce me to DC on an all-electric Red Roadster! These bad boys are kind of like golf buggies, only about three times the size and ten times the fun. They also go much faster – probably because they’re painted red.
For the next two-hours, me, along with a couple from Florida who were visiting their nation’s capital for the first time, got to learn about the city’s fascinating history and the interesting – and (mostly) free – museums that line its grand avenues.
Random fact #1: The layout for DC was designed by a Frenchman called Pierre L’Enfant.
Starting at the National Mall (sorry shoppers, this isn’t the mall you’re used to), we’re driven past the main monuments and museums that line this grassy rectangular chunk of land in the heart of DC, such as many of the Smithsonians, the Capitol Building, and the Washington Monument.
After zipping past the Holocaust Museum and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, we make our first stop at the FDR Memorial beside the Tidal Basin. This memorial is dedicated to the only American President who served four consecutive terms, due to America being roped into WWII during FDR’s second term as President. We take our time walking through this outdoor memorial, reading inspiring words that encapsulate the spirit and philosophy of America.
Right next to the FDR Memorial is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, symbolising the struggles African-Americans have endured for generations. We pause here for some moments of quiet reflection before hopping back into our Roadster for some more unveiling.
Pro tip #1: Most of the museums in DC are free and open everyday. But keep in mind that they are only open from 10am to 5pm.
But things don’t go to plan. Unfortunately, one of the roads we need to use to visit the White House and the Lincoln Memorial is closed to traffic for some reason, and the whole city is diverted through downtown. This slows us down somewhat but our professional and friendly guide tells us that this kind of stuff happens all the time in DC. And you can understand why: from security risks, to escorting important people around town, DC’s roads are for official government business first and foremost.
After experiencing some DC rush hour, we finally make it to the Lincoln Memorial, and boy is it as impressive as it appears on TV. The building and statue of Abraham Lincoln inside are massive, and it all feels a bit surreal to actually be here in person.
Our guide tells us that originally, the statue of Lincoln was much smaller, but the sculptor made the executive decision to make it bigger as the size of the building was huge and he didn’t want it to dwarf the statue that pays tribute to the assassinated President Lincoln. And so just like that, Lincoln was made huge!
We finish the tour with a visit to the sobering Vietnam War Memorial, with its 58,307 names of fallen soldiers or those who never returned back home…
What surprised me about DC
Okay, I’ve got to be honest here. There were A LOT of things I came to realise I didn’t know about the capital of the USA.
Firstly, it’s embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t realise DC wasn’t actually one of the 50 United States of America. It’s actually a federal district, and as such does not get to vote in the US electoral college come election time.
I also didn’t realise it was so small (only about 170 square kilometres), and that many people live in neighbouring Virginia and Maryland but commute to the capital for work.
Surprising again was realising that the White House isn’t located some distance away from the city. No, not at all. It turns out that the oval office is extremely close to the downtown area. So close, in fact, that it would be possible for Obama to duck down to Starbucks and be back in the office writing his handover notes for Trump within five minutes.
I also found out that DC is currently in the midst of an insane food truck craze. – it’s quite incredible! You’ll see these vans parked along many of the major streets in the capital, and the selection of food is amazing. There’s Vietnamese, Thai, Greek, Turkish, Fish & Chips, and more.
Believe me, I did not go hungry in DC!
**The writer travelled courtesy of Urban Adventures.
