That the marshy swamp where WASHINGTON DC
now stands was chosen as the site of the capital
of the newly independent United States of America says a lot about
then-prevalent attitudes toward government. Washington, District
of Columbia (the boundaries of the two are identical) - also known
as " DC " and " The District
" - can be unbearably hot and humid in summer, and
bitterly cold in winter. Such an unpleasant climate, it was hoped,
would discourage elected leaders from making government a full-time
job. This disdain for politics is still apparent: DC is run as
a virtual colony of Congress, where residents have just one, nonvoting
representative and couldn't vote in presidential elections until
the 23rd Amendment was passed in 1961.
Other than the federal government, tourism
is DC's biggest industry. The city attracts almost twenty million
visitors each year. Conveniently, most arrive in midsummer, when
the lawmakers have gone home, so overcrowding is rarely a problem.
The nation's showcase puts on quite a display for its guests,
and admission to virtually all major attractions is free. The
most famous sites are concentrated along the central Mall
, including the White House, individual memorials to
four of the greatest presidents, and the superb museums of the
Smithsonian Institution. Downtown, however (broadly speaking the
area immediately north of the Mall, between the White House and
the Capitol), can seem very empty, even intimidating, at night,
and you're more likely to spend your evenings in the hotels and
restaurants of the city's more motherly neighborhoods, such as
historic Georgetown , arty Dupont Circle
and the funkier Adams -Morgan district
