Visit to Washington DC

Washington Monument 

Coming to the US without visiting its capital is like leaving behind a curiosity unsatisfied. There are many reasons why; Washington DC as the Capital of the US is distinctively a pleasing city for those who try to pause to visit hustle bustle cities like New York, Chicago, and others; it is a city that offers America’s political history for visitors to learn, to experience, to even dissent on some events that the country has caused in the world. We, each of us, might have been indirectly affected by the US foreign policies or decisions at some point. It could be bad or good.

Thinking about Washington DC reminds me of my own country’s history that a US former Secretary of State made a decision to support Indonesia to invade East Timor. The decision was made down there, DC, and this is something to which I connected myself psychologically before landing my feet on its ground to explore more and more and more.  Nevertheless, I was not going there to probe. Instead, to see how Americans built a capital city in which federal government servants and politicians live and work.

Washington is a thematic city designed and built dedicated as the decision center of the US politics. I assume that architects, engineers, and city planners and their predecessors like Pierre L'Enfant, the person whose story I just read, the man behind the current existing layout of the city probably had something like this in mind. “The White House is here, The Capitol is here, and The Justice Department office is here, etc. so let’s set a proportional public space aside so that people can come assembling to support or protest about anything they would like to express.” Politicians might agree with this principle that’s why Washington has adequate public space in almost every corner of the federal government office, and this characteristic has not changed as it was designed.

Federal government buildings in the city are different than those in modern cities like New York City and others. They remain intact with their original shape and classical carvings. Buildings pillars are huge propping their structure to function as strong as America’s image as the super power nation. They are mostly monochrome yet ornamented with either curvy or horizontal lines pattern or animal carves run across the building. They show not only the masterpiece of the innovative architects at the time, but also show an impressive commitment of the government or whatever institution in charge of maintaining them. Those buildings would have gone, if they were in a country where its leaders are too hungry for economic growth because, often, such buildings in the city center is a mecca for business to venture and thrive, thus historic buildings are prone to be bulldozed. 

You know people went to moon?

Most buildings are open for public; they are museums, governmental offices that open another path for people, the new generation to learn the history of the US. Military, science, art, and archaeological records can be traced in there. We will learn in DC the chronicle of the nation, US founding process, air and space science first invention and missions. These venues can abundantly inspire young brains once they walk in. Even the White House is open for public although visitors are restricted only in the outside of the fence, from the front and the back side of the white house block. This was something that debunked my attitude about the super tight security that the White House should have.   

Each individual building makes up the super block connected with wide streets. The Pennsylvania Avenue, for example, connects the White House with the Capitol building. This pattern is seen in all of the government building or office. The National Mall is a respiratory patch located right in the middle of the city. People promenade easily from the Capitol to the Washington National Monument and turn right to the White House or straight to the Lincoln Museum under the cooling shades; if they are exhausted they can use bicycles in the nearby bike share station. This makes the area is so convenient for walking. I feel like this city was designed for politicians to just walk from one place to another given the automobile was scarce at the time, or for gofers, guards or other auxiliary workers to get around to distribute information, or do other important mobility just by walking or bicycling..  

Tourists in front of Lincoln Museum

Now the advantage of this convenience is for tourists as well. There are millions of tourists flocking to Washington each year. I was a fraction of them, and that I would say the city deserves it because it holds thousands of world’s secrets that make people are more curious to see. Tourists come to see the White House, a building in which the commander in chief make decisions on Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. that can eventually affect the whole world’s security. Or maybe they want to see the Treasury building, I guess, where US dollars are managed, and other economic decisions are made that can impact the world’s economy.

With friends
(The White House)

As I pointed out at the beginning that DC is a must visit place if you ever come to the US, my friend made it. He made a right decision to see it because he could have chosen other cities to visit considering his short time visit in the US. I met him there and we were touring the city, and we shared some feelings that are actually similar on what I have described about. I made this trip at the end of May, 2015. However, I just wrote it down because I had no chance to do it soon by the time I returned home in Lawrence, Kansas.    

**Hope this gives you an inspiration