“I can’t believe anybody would actually go to Washington, D.C. for a vacation!”
So said the traveler I struck up a conversation with in a hotel lobby on our way to our nation’s capital. He had just helped his son move from Texas to Washington, and obviously he didn’t find the city exactly restful.
But I think rest can come in many forms. For our family, a vacation is more about getting away from the regular routine and the obligations of home than about actually taking it easy for a few days. We find a little escape from the norm to be very restful in its own way, even if it doesn’t involve a lot of downtime.
We walked 47 miles in 6 days in Washington. Obviously physical rest wasn’t high on our list of priorities.
But we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation in D.C.! Though I had been once before as a teenager, I had always wanted to take my family there, and we’ve been talking about it ever since our last Virginia trip. (Read about that here.) I’m so thankful we finally got the chance to go.
So may I share some observations about our nation’s beautiful capital city?
1. Washington, D.C. is an amazing place I wish every American could visit at least once in their lifetime.
The entire city is like a giant museum of American history, government, and military. And it’s an amazing cross section of American culture, too. If you ever get the chance to go, GO!
2. Washington is really, really busy.
Yes, it’s a government center and a tourist trap, but it’s also an active and thriving city. For small town, middle Americans like me, stepping into such a fast-paced world was overwhelming and strange, but completely fascinating, too.
Though I have to admit I would never want to live like that long-term.
3. Overall, Washingtonians were very nice.
We all carry our biases and, let’s be honest, sometimes we small town/country folk may make certain premature judgements about “city people” and how kind and friendly they are. (Or aren’t.) But for the most part the people we met and dealt with there in D.C., the ones actually living and working there, were very friendly and helpful.
4. People in big cities really do play instruments on street corners with a suitcase thrown open to collect tips.
Really. It’s not just something that happens on T.V. And there’s a haunting kind of beauty to it, especially when they do it in long corridors where the music can echo and be heard a couple of blocks away. I don’t know that musicians make a lot of money at this, but it is a little hard to walk past without tossing in a dollar or two, so who knows?
5. The number of foreign tourists in D.C. is staggering.
We expected a lot of tourists, but I think the number of foreign, particularly European tourists did surprise us just a little, especially at sites I would have thought appealed mostly to Americans, like the war memorials and the National Museum of American History. At some of these places it was almost surprising to hear someone speak English, particularly if they were Caucasian!
I think I found it flattering somehow, that tourists from the other side of the world would be so interested in America’s past. And my kids were fascinated to hear more languages spoken in one week than they had heard in their entire lives!
6. D.C. is a wonderful place to play the license plate game.
You mean you don’t do that? No matter how old my kids get, we can’t go on a trip without looking for license plates. We found 42 of the 50 states, along with several Canadian provinces. Not bad.
But Hawaii, Montana, North and South Dakota, Maine, Rhode Island, and Alabama: I am very disappointed in you. You let us down.
Of course there were also the diplomat plates. We were curious, but resisted the urge to knock on windows in the middle of traffic to ask people what country they were from.
7. People really can live their lives without cars.
I knew this, of course, but, sheesh, in rural America, having no car is a serious disability! We were able not only to visit the inner city, but to stay there, and it really gave us a glimpse into a life dependent on public transportation. In fact, we lived like a local and left our car parked for our entire stay! That kind of living is so foreign to us, but it was something worth experiencing, too.
8. Washington, D.C.’s subway system, the Metro, is fast, clean, and convenient. And it’s a little bit terrifying.
I realize I’m qualifying myself as the most backwoodsy of women here, but the safety, (or lack thereof,) in Metro stations was a little baffling to me. I’ll get to that in a minute….
I’m not sure what I expected, but the stopping of the trains, then the unloading and loading of passengers, happens much, much, MUCH faster than I ever dreamed.
The speed of the whole process was a little less frightening in the later morning when the crowds were smaller, but we rode a few times in the evening rush and I saw then how easy it could be to be separated from a group. Even my husband barely made it on a train one time before the door slammed shut behind him. And these aren’t like elevator doors that will reopen as soon as you stick your hand in! Once that door shuts, it is SHUT and the train is leaving!
For a mother with children in tow, how is that not supposed to be utterly terrifying? If I had dwelt too intently on the very real possibility of being separated from one of my kids, I think I would have spent the entire trip hyperventilating. I’m not sure I could ever have done it with smaller children unless they were all strapped to my person.
9. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish…
Blue line, red line, silver line, orange line…. In the beginning it all sounded a little Dr. Seuss-ish, but eventually the color thing began to make sense and we were riding the Metro like pros. By our last day we were learning station names and knew instinctively to ride the blue, orange, or silver back to Metro Center to board the red that would take us back to the station nearest our vacation rental.
It is not impossible for country bumpkins to get a handle on the subway! The whole color system, once you understand it, really does make it a lot easier.
10. If you are a local under the age of 25, I’m pretty sure earbuds are a requirement when riding the Metro.
I’m kidding. Kind of.
11. Among the hundreds of people we saw on the subway, I counted TWO reading physical paper books.
And one of them was no older than 25! I wanted very much to hug this crazy young nonconformist…
12. There are men and women who can ride the Metro standing up and keep their balance, even without holding onto anything. I am still in complete awe of them.
The few times I had to stand on a moving, (and especially STOPPING,) train, I felt like I would be flung from one end of the car to the other if not for grab rails or the random strangers who stood in my way. I’m sure they are the only reason I didn’t do a face plant into the floor or the far end of the car.
And yet some brave souls stood there with their phones in hand, (and usually earbuds, too,) casually steadying themselves through multiple starts and stops, at most reaching a hand to the touch the ceiling while I was holding on desperately and still being whipped around like a limp rag doll.
As a woman who sometimes struggles to cross an unmoving concrete floor without tripping, these brave men and women have my undying respect.
13. Let’s be real here: If Metro was a privately owned and operated business, safety regulations would have shut them down long ago.
Most subway stations were dimly lit caverns lined with huge, gaping trenches in the ground that contained live electrical wires and had no railings. That IS NOT OKAY anywhere in the world of private business. But, hey! It’s public transportation and it’s run by the government! Especially when you’re operating under the guise of saving the planet, you can conveniently ignore principles of public safety that apply to every other business in the nation. #Thingspracticalpeoplethinkabout
14. Some quick favorites?
Favorite war memorial: The World War II Memorial is stunningly beautiful, though the Vietnam Wall has personal significance.
Favorite Smithsonian exhibit: The Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History. Hands down.
Favorite museum: The Museum of the Bible. It is truly impressive.
Favorite sites overall: We visited Mount Vernon, too, but since it isn’t actually in D.C., I guess I have to leave it out. The National Archives Building was one of my favorite places. Something about seeing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution firsthand is just amazing. And it has a pretty awesome gift shop, too!
The Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress was a close second. Just a remarkable place.
15. What would I consider the more “meh” stops of our visit?
Multiple people had recommended the International Spy Museum. Parts of it were interesting, but I didn’t think it was worth the money we paid for it, even with the discount we got through Groupon. Maybe we were just spoiled by all the cool stuff we had already done for FREE. My 10-year old loved the place though!
The United States Botanic Garden didn’t impress us either. The conservatory was lovely, but I’ve visited zoos and arboretums that might not have been quite as diverse, but were probably just as nice. Fortunately we were able to stop by on our way to other things, so we didn’t make a special trip there.
So there you have it – one small town girl’s view of Washington, D.C.. Truly, our nation’s capital is an extraordinary place. So much to see and do and experience!
Is it too soon to be thinking about a return trip? 😉
