9/25/10 – D.C. Could be a Great City if it Were a City

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I slept well last night and this morning I did laundry before taking lunch in the hotel’s Jamaican restaurant. Everyone who works in the restaurant is Jamaican and their jerk chicken is awesome. In previous trips to the D.C. area, I stayed in hotels in D.C. proper and in Tyson’s Corner, VA that cost around $200/night. The Days Inn where I’m staying is brand new and every bit as good as the expensive places. It has a 40” HDTV, granite throughout and even an analog thermostat built into the shower so you know when it’s at your desired temp [Ideal is 98 to 102 degrees]. The Metro is within short walking distance and it’s only a 12 mile ride to the National Mall [15 minutes on Saturday with little traffic, but probably much worse on weekdays]. Next time you’re here, try staying at the Lanham, MD Days Inn for $71/night and use the metro to get around.

I decided not to fight the crowds and heat to scurry around all the museums, capitol Building, Library of Congress, FBI, etc. I’ve done all that stuff and it’s fantastic; In fact, if you have not spent at least 3 full days in D.C seeing all these things, you should add them to your Bucket List right now. My previous visits were in summer, during which D.C. is generally under oppressive heat and humidity. Fall is definitely much nicer and although it’s still warm [around 90] the humidity is down and it cools a bit in the evening. My plan was to see my favorite museum, National Air and Space, and then cruise around the monuments in the evening. I think the monuments are more beautiful when lit-up at night. Also, it’s cooler and the crowds are smaller. My strategy was a good one and I really enjoyed seeing the Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and FDR memorials at night. The Air & Space Museum was fantastic as always and I watched an IMAX film about the Hubble Telescope that was a real treat. One of the great things about D.C. is that everything is free, except IMAX, and the place draws people from everywhere. I heard more foreign languages here than in any other place I’ve ever been.

I spent a fair amount of time contemplating whether D.C. is a Great City. Fortunately, I don’t have to answer this question because D.C. is a District, not a city. If it were a city, I think the architecture, history, arts, sports and its overall world importance would qualify it for Greatness status. Never mind that D.C. has too many bureaucrats, too much crime and all the problems of foul weather and decay that plagues most the northeastern U.S. Let’s also ignore the fact that the entire place is funded with your tax dollars. The District was well planned-out by Washington and Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson provided plans of cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Milan, which he had brought back from Europe in 1788. The plan for Washington was modeled in the Baroque style and incorporated avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping. The National Mall is not on par with Central Park, Stanley Park or Golden Gate Park, but it’s a great place for millions to gather and protest. The Beltway that surrounds the District provides very easy access, except during commute hours and the Metro is excellent. I was also surprised to learn that D.C.’s population peaked in 1950 at over 800,000 and its population today is down to less than 600,000. More importantly, the District’s per capita violent crime rate is down 50% since 1995 due to Gentrification, which is a fancy way of saying the slums are being turned into luxury lofts and the gangs have relocated to Maryland and Virginia. Overall, my vote is that Washington is the Greatest District in the world.

The only new thing I saw today was the FDR Memorial, which is really a narrow park that has lots of water features and relatively small bronze sculptures. The park is separated into quadrants that portray each of his difficult terms in office. After seeing several monuments I headed to Capitol City Brewing Company that’s housed inside the U.S. Postal Museum. I had a delectable appetizer selection and a couple of their award winning beers while watching the Auburn and SC State football game.