EYEWITNESS TRAVEL TOP 10 WASHINGTON, D.C F National Theater E ST R E E T Metro Center ST R E E T STREET ST R E E T NW NW G FREEDOM PLAZA 10 R K National Mus of Women in the Arts 10 10 Ford Theat NW 11T H AV E N U E ST R E E T ST R E E T Willard Hotel NW VE I 8T H UT Corcoran Gallery of Art The White House EX E C W ST R E E T Octagon STREET NW NW W YO NW NW W ST R E E T ST R E E T L A FAY E T T E SQUARE NE PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW Treasury Old Executive Building ffice Building NW 13T H H NW Renwick Gallery NW ST R E E T PEN National NSY Aquarium Old Post LV A 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Must-see museums & galleries Best restaurants, bars & clubs Most fun places for children Places of politics & intrigue Liveliest festivals & special events Best hotels for every budget Historic homes open to the public Best shops, malls & markets Most important monuments Insider tips for every visitor YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING TOP 10 WASHINGTON, D.C RON BURKE & SUSAN BURKE EYEWITNESS TRAVEL Contents Left Lincoln Memorial Right State Dining Room, The White House Contents Washington, D.C.’s Top 10 US Capitol Produced by Sargasso Media Ltd, London Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound by South China Printing Co Ltd, China First American Edition, 2003 11 12 13 14 10 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Reprinted with revisions 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Copyright 2003, 2011 © Dorling Kindersley Limited, London All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress The White House 12 National Air and Space Museum 16 National Museum of American History National Gallery of Art 18 20 Library of Congress 24 National Cathedral 26 National Zoo 28 Arlington Cemetery 30 Mount Vernon 32 Moments in History 36 Presidents 38 Art Galleries 40 Museums 42 Historic Homes and Buildings 44 ISSN 1479-344X ISBN 978-0-75666-948-5 Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy of quality or popularity is implied All 10 are, in the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL, or email: travelguides@dk.com Cover: Front – Alamy Images: David R Frazier Photolibrary, Inc cib; SuperStock: Bruce Dorrier main Spine – DK Images: Scott Suchman b Back – DK Images: Kim Sayer c, cl, cr Around Town Places of AfricanAmerican History 46 Memorials and Monuments 48 Green Spaces 50 Children’s Attractions 52 Around Capitol Hill 70 Contents Left Renwick Gallery Center US Botanic Garden Right Iwo Jima Memorial The Mall and Federal Triangle 76 Penn Quarter 86 The White House and Places of Politics and Intrigue 54 Foggy Bottom 90 Shopping Areas 56 Georgetown 98 Theaters 58 Outdoor Activities 60 Nightspots 62 Restaurants 63 Festivals and Beyond the City Center 106 Streetsmart Practical Information 116 Cultural Events 64 Places to Stay 126 Day Trips 66 General Index 134 Left Washington Monument Right Red Fox Inn, Middleburg Key to abbreviations Adm admission charge Free no admission charge Dis access disabled access WASHINGTON, D.C.’S TOP 10 US Capitol 8–11 The White House 12–15 National Air and Space Museum 16–17 National Museum of American History 18–19 National Gallery of Art 20–23 Library of Congress 24–25 Washington National Cathedral 26–27 National Zoo 28–29 Arlington Cemetery 30–31 Mount Vernon 32–35 Top Ten of Everything 36–67 WASHINGTON, D.C.’S TOP 10 Washington, D.C.’s Highlights 6–7 IA ST R E E T E NW CONSTITUTION The Ellipse AVENU E NW Refl ecting Pool ST R E E T The Mall m ac 14T H We s t Po t o ma c Pa rk to Tidal Basin R iv er The Capitol’s design combines ancient tradition and New World innovation, perfectly invoking the spirit of US democracy (see pp8–11) Po ! SW Constitution Gardens United States Capitol 500 yards meters 500 White House @ The The most elegant and familiar of all the world’s political residences, the White House has witnessed some of the most consequential decisions of modern history (see pp12–15) Air and Space Museum £ National Reportedly the most visited museum in the world, and with good reason The artifacts of one of mankind’s greatest quests – flight above and beyond Earth – are rendered even more impressive by the hangarlike architecture (see pp16–17) $ National Museum of American History This museum combines the “America’s attic” approach with contemporary exhibits The artifacts range from political campaign buttons to early locomotives, as well as the Star-Spangled Banner (see pp18–19) RK Share your travel recommendations on traveldk.com AV E 13T H ST NW YO F R E E DOM PLAZA NW UE W 14 T H EN 15 T H ST R E E T AV NW NW STREET IN 17 T H RG NW VI NE STREET NW ST R E E T NW L AFAY E T T E SQUARE STREET H 23R D Washington, D.C.’s Top 10 Washington, D.C.’s Highlights A symbol of democracy the world over and the seat of American government, Washington, D.C confronts visitors with stirring icons and monuments at every turn This sparkling self-styled city on the Potomac River is full of marble and light, with beautiful landscaping touches and centuries-old architecture Built on top of former swampland, Washington was deliberately designed into quadrants, with the US Capitol at its hub Its many unmissable sights provide unparalleled access to the workings of government, internationally famed museums with priceless exhibits, and the cultural and FR ANKLIN S Q U AR E spiritual foundations of the city and the nation *HRUJHWRZQ $)342)#4Ž/& #/,5-")! :$6+,1*721 $UOLQJWRQ Mount Vernon ) George Washington’s estate 67 ( ( 6: $QDFRVWLD LN -!29,!.$ National ( Arlington Cemetery Four million people each year visit these rolling lawns studded with the headstones of America’s war dead A moving and reflective experience (see pp30–31) 6( 5 ' 6: 67 ( ( ' 67 ( ( ( $9 ( 7 +676: ( < 7 + 6: - ( 7 + 67 ( ( 6: & $3 ,72 / 67 1(: :DWHUIURQW ( $67 $9( ( 1PUPNB D 7KH0DOO ,1'(3(1'(1&( $5 ( $9 &DSLWRO +LOO 1: 7 + 67 $9( ( ' (/ $: 1: &2167,787,21 NJMFT 1( 67 ( ( 1: 1: 67 ( ( 67 ( ( 18( 1: 1: $9 ( 8( $9 ( 7 + 7 + 1: (1 PLOHV NP 57 + & $3 , / 67 $9 6(