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City Guide - Washington, DC - Key Attractions | ||
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Key Attractions White House The most famous building in the city and home to the first family, the White House is a high spot on any visit to Washington, DC. Very little of the building is on show but most enjoy the opportunity to enter the powerhouse of the USA. The self-guided tour takes around 15-20 minutes passing by the Vermeil Room and Library and through the rooms on the State floor. Information on the rooms can be obtained from the US Secret Service Tour Officers stationed there. More information on the architecture, first families, social events etc can be obtained from the White House Visitor Information Center on the southeast corner of 15th and E Streets. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 456 2200. Website: www.whitehouse.gov Transport: Federal Triangle and Metro Center Metro stations. Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1200 (occasionally closed at short notice for official events); (Visitor Center) daily 0730-1600. Admission: Free. In summer, visitors have to obtain free tickets from the Visitor Center, distributed on a first-come first-served basis early in the morning. National Mall Many of Washington's most important monuments and institutions, described individually below, are located in the National Mall, a green park area extending three kilometres (two miles), from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument. The area known as the Mall was originally planned by Major Pierre L'Enfant as a Grand Avenue lined with mansions, but lack of funds meant that the site was just left as an open area used for grazing animals. It was not until the beginning of the twentieth century, when many more public institutions and monuments had been constructed in the immediate area (including the White House), that they were linked with the series of gardens that now make up the Mall. It is an ideal place for people-watching from one of the many benches shaded by 200-year-old elm trees, and is also the site for many celebrations throughout the year, such as the Independence Day Celebrations on 4 July. Lincoln Memorial The imposing 5.8m (19ft) marble statue of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, gazes from the Lincoln Memorial across the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument. The style of the memorial is that of a Greek temple with 36 doric columns but it is the statue of Lincoln, sculpted by Daniel Chester French, that steals the show. On the interior walls, there are inscriptions from the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural speech. West Potomac Park at 23rd Street, NW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Website: www.nps.gov/linc Transport: Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800-2400. Admission: Free. Korean War Veterans Memorial Located adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the marble and limestone Korean War Veterans Memorial was built entirely with funds donated from individuals and dedicated in 1995. The sculpture features 19 foot-soldiers in combat with the American flag as their symbolic objective. A mural wall is inscribed with the words 'Freedom is not free' and the images of thousands of the ordinary personnel who supported the combat troops in the military operation. Independence Avenue Tel: (202) 426 6841. Website: www.nps.gov/kwvm Transport: Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800-2400. Admission: Free. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Although one of the simplest memorials, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is perhaps one of the most moving. The 70 separate panels of the V-shaped black granite walls, 150m (493ft) in length, are inscribed with the names of the 58,209 Americans missing or killed in the Vietnam War. On a daily basis, since its dedication in 1982, relatives can be seen taking rubbings of the names of their loved ones. Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive, NW Tel: (202) 634 1568. Website: www.nps.gov/vive Transport: Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 24 hours. Admission: Free. Washington Monument Dedicated to the first president of the United States, the Washington Monument dates from 1885 and is 169m (555ft) tall. There is a lift that takes visitors to the top to enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding area. Although currently closed for restoration, the monument will reopen in late spring 2001, containing new exhibits about the nation's Founding Father and the history of the monument. Also, the new lift will allow visitors to witness several of the 193 restored Memorial Stones. These stones have been donated over the years (from July 1848) by states, cities and foreign countries, all paying tribute to the character and achievements of George Washington. 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Website: www.nps.gov/wamo Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (winter); 0800-2400 (summer). From late spring 2001. Admission: Free. Entrance by timed tickets only, available from ticket kiosk or reserved in advance (tel: (800) 551 7328). US Capitol Senators and representatives of the United States government meet under the magnificent 55m (180ft) white dome of the US Capitol to shape US legislative policy. The cornerstone of the US Capitol was laid in 1793 but it was not until 1800 that Congress moved into its new home, even though only the north wing was completely finished. The white-painted dome is visible from all parts of the city and is topped by a 5.8m (19ft) Statue of Freedom. Several areas of the building are open to the public, including Statuary Hall, the original Supreme Court Chamber and the Crypt (the intended burial place of George Washington and his wife). Capitol Hill Tel: (202) 225 6827. Fax: (202) 228 0603. Website: www.senate.gov/visiting/index.html Transport: Capitol South and Union Station Metro stations Opening hours: Daily 0900-1630 (until 1800 in summer). Guided tours: Mon-Sat every 30 mins. Admission: Free. Thomas Jefferson Memorial The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a 5.8m (19ft) statue of the third US president, surrounded by passages from the 1776 Declaration of Independence. His memorial was not erected until over 100 years after his death, but it is one of the most attractive on National Mall, built in a neo-classical style and framed by the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin. Tidal Basin, south end of 15th Street, SW Tel: (202) 426 6841. Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800-2400. Admission: Free. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial depicts the 32nd US president in his wheelchair and honours his services to the country during four terms of office. In addition, there are also bronze sculptures of Eleanor Roosevelt, events from the Great Depression and World War II. 1850 West Basin Drive, SW Tel: (202) 619 7222. Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 0800-2400. Admission: Free. Smithsonian Institution Museums The Smithsonian Institution (website: www.si.edu) encompasses many museum and research centres around the city. The museums include: National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of African Art, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of the American Indian, National Portrait Gallery, National Postal Museum, National Zoological Park and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Some key ones are detailed below. At the time of writing, the Smithsonian is implementing an extensive programme of redevelopment, so many museums are closed, such as the National Portrait Gallery (until 2004), the National Museum of American Art (partially closed until 2003) and National Air and Space Museum (partially closed in 2001). Visitors should check the general website for information. National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum is a fascinating Smithsonian museum tracing the development of air and space travel. It houses the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis, the Apollo 11 lunar command module and a vast collection of aviation and space technology memorabilia. The museum also houses an IMAX film theatre and the Albert Einstein Planetarium. Seventh Street and Independence Avenue, SW Tel: (202) 357 2700. Website: www.nasm.si.edu Transport: L'Enfant Plaza and Smithsonian Metro stations. Opening hours: Daily 0930-1730. Admission: Free (museum); US$3.75 (planetarium); US$6 (IMAX); US$8 (combined ticket). National Museum of Natural History The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a superb collection of dinosaur fossils, an insect zoo, the world's largest preserved bush elephant and the 45.5-carat Hope Diamond. The museum also houses an IMAX film theatre. Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 357 2700 Website: www.mnh.si.edu Transport: Federal Triangle Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730 (until 1930 in the summer except Thurs). Admission: Free (museum); US$8.50 (IMAX). National Zoological Park The National Zoological Park is also part of the Smithsonian Institution and is famous throughout the world for its work in species preservation and conservation research. Originally founded in 1889, the zoo, which covers the steep slopes of the gorge cut by Rock Creek, has introduced simulations of the habitats of many of its animals. Habitats include an outdoor primate enclosure, a wetlands area, a pollinarium for humming-birds and butterflies, a reptile centre and a tropical rainforest. 3001 Connecticut Avenue Tel: (202) 673 4717. Website: www.natzoo.si.edu Transport: Woodley Park-Zoo Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1630 (until 1800 in the summer); grounds open 0600-1800 (until 2000 in the summer). Admission: Free. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Visitors to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum cannot fail to be moved by the displays of films, photos, eyewitness testimonies and artefacts that tell the story of the Holocaust. Three rooms cover life in the 1930s, continue through the Nazi rise to power and the subsequent genocide, and conclude with the liberation and the aftermath of the Holocaust. 100 Raoul Wallenburg Place, SW Tel: (202) 488 0400. Fax: (202) 488 2690. E-mail: visitorsmail@ushmm.org Website: www.ushmm.org Transport: Smithsonian Metro station. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1730. Admission: Free. Timed passes are required for access to the Permanent Exhibition; available free on the day in person or in advance (tel: (800) 400 9373; website: www.tickets.com) for a service charge. Federal Bureau of Investigation A fascinating place to visit when in the city is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the headquarters of the famous US law enforcement agency, the FBI. A one-hour guided tour includes crime laboratories where scientific examinations take place, historic exhibits of famous cases and a firearms demonstration by a Special Agent. J Edgar Hoover FBI Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Tel: (202) 324 3447. Fax: (202) 324 1016. Website: www.fbi.gov Transport: Metro Center Metro station. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0845-1615. Admission: Free. |