Washington D.C.

My recent visit to Washington D.C. left me feeling warm and loving towards our nation’s capitol. There are three main reasons why I feel that way about this special place, which isn’t really a city, isn’t in any state, and whose citizens don’t have the right to vote like the rest of us.

Reason number one - There are so many beautiful, historic, and famous places to see, to learn about, and to visit. This trip, my friend, Karen, and I, took the opportunity to visit and tour The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It is a beautiful building, filled with outstanding artwork of all kinds, gifted to the United States by other nations and by U.S. companies and citizens. Each of the theaters we toured was exquisitely and perfectly designed, and full of amazing treasures. The views from the terrace are breathtaking.

Reason number two - The city is easy to move about using the metro system, a system of public transportation that really works. Karen and I, two women of a certain age, neither of whom is gifted with a wonderful sense of direction, were able to get from Alexandria, Virginia to Washington D.C.,and all around the district, using the metro. The signs that show the maps and each metro line, are large and fairly easy to read. When travel is during non-rush hours, it is very affordable. All the ticket machines work well, although some of them are somewhat picky about wrinkled dollar bills (the kind many of us have in our purses or pockets.) The trains are clean, and everything seems to run smoothly. It is a great way to avoid big city traffic without the chaos or danger involved in public transportation in other places.

Reason number three - I was surprised and delighted by the kind, friendly, helpful people of Washington D.C. From the family at our motel, waiting for the Fairfax Connecter with us in the morning, who advised us about all day passes, to the woman, waiting for another connecter at the end of the day, who realized that we were at the wrong level of the Huntington Station, and told us how to get to the correct one, people helped us every step of the way. They helped without being asked, and because of them, we were able to find our way all over D.C, and back to our hotel in Alexandria. Later in our trip, we managed to get lost several times, driving in Williamsburg, Virginia. At the time, I kept saying we needed a GPS, but we didn't need one in Washington D.C., because of the assistance of so many wonderful people.