My Tour to Washington DC

Sham S. Misri 

(From: Washington D.C.)

Tuesday, 2nd July, 2002

I started my journey from Austin (Texas) to Washington D. C. on Tuesday, the 2nd of July, 2002, by air up to New York. I was accompanied by my wife, Sarla. My son Sandeep and his wife Suprigya also joined the tour with me. Having landed at LaGuardia Airport, We proceeded towards the area where from we had to pick up the rental car that we had booked for travel from New York Air Port onwards. LaGuardia airport is located in the northern part of the New York City. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay. It is the busiest airport in the United States without any non-stop service to and from Europe.

Having done some paper formalities to   take the possession of the car, we soon started to go to Washington D.C. Going to Washington DC did not prove that easy for us, as some wrong turn somewhere made us to reach Brooklyn….

This place was never in our itinerary. When we read the banner!

Welcome to the City of Brooklyn! A strong and vibrant community located centrally in the heart of …...

Some moments of fear and confusion prevailed in my mind. I recall somewhere someone saying that tourists may not venture roaming in unknown places in Brooklyn. I kept this thing only to me, giving moral courage and support to my son, Sandeep, who was on the steering wheel. We went to fill the tank of the car, and cooled down. There was calm for some moments. Some cold drinks and snacks made me along with other members to settle and regain confidence. 

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with approximately 2.5 million residents. Since 1896, Brooklyn has the same boundaries and is the most populous county in New York State. It is the second-most densely populated county in the United States, after New York County (Manhattan). Brooklyn was an independent city until it was annexed by New York City in 1898. It continues to maintain a distinct culture. Many Brooklyn neighbourhoods are ethnic enclaves where particular ethnic groups and cultures predominate. Brooklyn's official motto is written in the Dutch language, and translated "Unity makes strength". The motto is displayed on the borough seal and flag, which also feature a young robed woman bearing fasces, a traditional emblem of republicanism. Brooklyn's official colours are blue and gold.

However, after lot of map study we got onto the right track and reached Washington D.C. safe. Officially founded on July 16, 1790, Washington, DC is unique among American cities because it was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation’s capital. From the beginning it has been in conflicts, issues of race, national identity, compromise and, of course, power.

The choice of Washington’s site along the Rivers was a well thought plan. The planners wanted the capital in a location, friendly to slave-holding agricultural interests. George Washington, the first president and namesake of the city, chose the site in 1800. The places visited by us were;        

Capitol:

The United States Capitol is among the most important and architecturally impressive buildings in the nation. It has housed the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate for two centuries. The Capitol, which was started in 1793, has been through many construction phases. It stands as a monument to the American people and their government.

Before the Civil War, the city was home to a growing number of blacks who worked as skilled craftsmen, hack drivers, businessmen and labourers. It also included enslaved African Americans and was the site of slave auctions. Slaves owned in Washington were freed on April 16, 1862. Washington remained home to a large African-American population who created vibrant communities.

Washington, DC, was planned by its founders as a commercial centre as well as the seat of government. The location on the Potomac River was chosen, because it already included two existing port towns of Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia which served as regional shipping centres for tobacco and wheat. Alexandria was returned to Virginia in 1846.

After the Civil War, Washington did grow, eventually absorbing Georgetown and the surrounding farms and rural areas. The first neighbourhoods were those that grew up around the Capitol, the Centre Market, and the White House. During the Civil War, Washington was an armed camp with soldiers everywhere. The public buildings served as hospitals. Bread for soldiers was baked in ovens located on the White House grounds.

During World War II, “government girls” were recruited to fill office jobs to replace men who had gone to war. Washington is a cosmopolitan city. It has an increasingly diverse ethnic population. The population represents every Central and South American country. New ethnic groups have brought new restaurants, as well as new residents. Washington is the capital of the world’s most powerful democracy, USA. After 217 years as the nation’s capital, Washington is a place with a unique history of its own.

There is an interesting story about the capitol, which is an example of 19th-century architecture. In 1792, the architect who was to design the Capitol, refused to cooperate with the commissioners of the Federal buildings. He was dismissed because of this attitude and a competition was suggested by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and President George Washington that would award $500 and a city lot to whomever produced the winning plan by mid-July. None of the 17 plans submitted were satisfactory. In October, a letter arrived from Dr. William Thornton, a Scottish-trained physician living in the British West Indies, requesting an opportunity to submit his plan after the competition was closed. The Commissioners granted his request and President Washington commended the plan that was soon accepted by the Commissioners. The cornerstone was laid by President Washington on September 18, 1793.

During the War of 1812, most of the city was burned to the ground. British forces invaded the city and burned public and government buildings, including the White House, in response to American forces invading York, now known as Toronto, and burning most of it to the ground. However, the British left the residential areas untouched and also spared the home of the Commandant of the Marines, located on Marine Barracks, as a sign of respect. This is now the oldest government building in continuous use in the nations’ capital. The Patent Office and the Post Office were also spared because of Superintendent of Patents, pleading with British officers that the knowledge lost therein would be a disservice to mankind.

In 1815 repairs were made and returned to Washington. Then a Boston architect was appointed who was able to make the chambers of the Senate and House, as well as the Supreme Court, ready for use by 1819.

By 1850, the Capitol could no longer accommodate the increasing numbers of senators and representatives. An architect was chosen to complete the task. In 1856, the old dome was removed and work began on a replacement with a new, fireproof cast-iron dome. Construction was suspended in 1861 so that the Capitol could be used as a military barracks, hospital and bakery for the Civil War.

The 20th century has seen even further changes for the Capitol. The appointed Architect of the Capitol added 102 more rooms from 1959 to 1960. The stonework was also changed from sandstone to marble during the process. Today, the Capitol has a floor area of about 16.5 acres. In addition to its use by Congress, the Capitol is a museum of American art and history.

The Capitol is located on Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall. The Capitol Visitor Centre is open to visitors from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Saturday except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Inauguration Day. Tours of the U.S. Capitol are conducted from 8:50am to 3:20pm Monday through Saturday. All visitors to the U.S. Capitol are required to go through security screening.

The Washington Monument:

The next place of our visit was The Washington Monument. It was built between 1848 and 1884 as a tribute to George Washington's military leadership during the American Revolution. Its construction took place in two major phases, 1848-56, and 1876-84. Plans for a national monument, that a statue of George Washington be erected began in 1783. Site was selected in 1791. Washington's 1799 death brought public aspiration for an appropriate tribute to him. In 1848, the cornerstone was laid. Lack of funds caused delay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the War Department was charged with completing the construction, and the monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885, and officially opened to the public on October 9, 1888.

Weighing 81,120 tons, the Washington Monument stands 555' 5-1/2" tall. The walls of the monument range in thickness from 15' at the base to 18'' at the upper shaft. They are composed primarily of white marble blocks from Maryland with a few from Massachusetts, underlain by Maryland blue gneiss and Maine granite. Inserted into the interior walls are 193 memorial stones presented by individuals, societies, cities, States, and nations of the world. Attached to independent iron framework, flights of 896 steps surround an elevator which takes visitors to the observation level, where they can gaze over the city from the monument's windows. The project was completed in 2000.

Normal operating hours for the Washington Monument are 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; free, timed-entry tickets are required and can be reserved for a transaction fee by calling. One person can obtain up to six tickets.

Pennsylvania Avenue:

A walk through the Pennsylvania Avenue is certainly among the world's most famous streets. I took an opportunity to walk on these famous streets, making sure not to miss the beautiful shots capture in my Nikon. The Avenue is known the world over as the heart of the Nation's Capital. Many Presidential inauguration parades and political protest marches have taken place along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Pennsylvania Avenue became Washington's first downtown street with shops, markets, and a financial district growing along it during the 19th century. However, at the end of the 19th century, and continuing into the 20th century, the Avenue became eye sore to local residents with tattoo parlours, rooming houses, and cheap hotels lining the street. An early attempt at improving Pennsylvania Avenue occurred when the construction of a new combined Post Office Department and City Post Office building in 1892 took place. The Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site is located between the Capitol and the White House.

Treasury Building:

The present Treasury Building was built over a period of 33 years between 1836 and 1869. The most architecturally impressive feature of the design is the row of pillars running the length of the building. Each of the 30 columns is 36 feet tall and is carved out of a single piece of granite. The north wing is unique as the site of the Cash Room -- a two-story marble hall in which the daily financial business of the U.S. Government was transacted.

The Treasury Building is the oldest departmental building in Washington and has had a great impact on the design of other governmental buildings. At the time of its completion, it was one of the largest office buildings in the world. It served as a barracks for soldiers during the Civil War and as the temporary White House for President Andrew Johnson following the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. The Treasury Building is unquestionably a monument of continuing architectural and historical significance. In acknowledgment of the building's significance, Treasury was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

White House:

The White House, one of the most recognizable buildings in Washington DC, was designed by James Hoban, an Irish-born and-trained architect. Hoban's inspiration for the house was drawn from an Anglo-Irish villa called the Leinster House in Dublin. Although President Washington saw the construction, he never lived in the house. President John Adams, elected in 1796 as the second President, was the first resident of the White House. President Adams' wife was known to have complained about the largely unfinished new residence. President Thomas Jefferson, upon moving to the house in 1801, was also not impressed, and dismissed the house as being too big. Jefferson made several structural changes under architect Benjamin Henry such as the addition of terrace-pavilions on either side of the main building and a single-story for storage. In addition to replacing the slate roof with one of sheet iron, Jefferson further improved the grounds by landscaping them in a picturesque manner. When James Madison was President from 1809 to 1817, the White House was torched by the British in the War of 1812. Although the fire was put out by a summer thunderstorm, all that remained were the outside, charred walls and the interior brick walls. Madison brought Hoban back to restore the mansion, which took three years. It was during this construction that the house was painted white. Hoban later added the South and North Porticos, using a slightly altered design.

Expansion and further alterations were made when President Theodore Roosevelt declared the house unsafe to inhabit. He had the original building remodelled, by making the third-story attic into habitable rooms. Roosevelt separated his work space from his family life. Although used informally for some time, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who gave the White House its official name. The White House, an architectural symbol of the American presidency and the nation's power, remains a stylistically simple residence and an example of the republican ideals of the Founding Fathers.

The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Tours of the White House are currently limited to parties of 10 or more people, requested through one’s Member of Congress and will be accepted up to six months in advance.

The visit to Washington to see a global capital is a great experience. It was great to explore Washington DC as it is spectacularly lit up at night. There are hop on, hop off trolley tours also available, but since we had our rented car we did not avail of this facility.