Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Birthplace of
Duke Ellington (1899-1974), Marvin Gaye (1939-84), Dave Chap-
pelle (b 1973)
Home of
The Redskins, cherry blossoms, all three branches of American govern-
ment
Politics
Overwhelmingly Democrat
Famous for
National symbols, crime, partying interns, struggle for Congressional
recognition
Unofficial motto and license-plate slogan
Taxation Without Representation
Driving distances
Washington, DC, to Baltimore 40 miles, Washington, DC, to Vir-
ginia Beach 210 miles
National Mall
When you imagine Washington, DC, you likely imagine this 1.9-mile-long lawn.
Anchored at one end by the Lincoln Memorial and at the other by Capitol Hill, intersec-
ted by the Reflecting Pool and WWII Memorial, and centered on the Washington Monu-
ment, this is the heart of the city and, in some ways, the American experiment.
Perhaps no other symbol has housed the national ideal of massed voice affecting radic-
al change - from Martin Luther King's 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech to marches for gay
marriage in the 2000s. Hundreds of rallies occur here every year; the Mall, framed by
great monuments and museums, and shot through with tourists, dog-walkers and idea-
lists, acts as loudspeaker for any cause.
National Air & Space Museum
MUSEUM
(
http://airandspace.si.edu
/
; cnr 6th St & Independence Ave SW; 10am-5:30pm daily, to 7:30pm
Jun-Aug; Smithsonian, L'Enfant Plaza, Federal Center)
The Air & Space Museum is
the most popular Smithsonian museum; everyone flocks to see the Wright brothers' flyer,
Chuck Yeager's
Bell X-1,
Charles Lindbergh's
Spirit of St Louis
and the
Apollo 11
com-
mand module. There's also an IMAX theater, planetarium and simulator (adult/child $9/
7.50 each).
National Museum of Natural History
MUSEUM
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
