Washington DC holidays
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Holidays to Washington D.C land you side by side with America’s famous faces – it’s home to The White House, The US Capitol and The National Mall.
Stateless city
Washington D.C. straddles the states of Virginia and Maryland, but belongs to neither. It gained its independence in 1801 when it became a federal district – something not seen anywhere else in America. This place takes its name from the first president of the United States – George Washington. And today it still houses all branches of US government – both The White House and The United States Capitol take their place here. It brings a lot more to the table than that though – there are over 130 neighbourhoods to get your head around and more museums, monuments and memorials than you can fit into a single day.
City Breaks to Washington D.C
The city’s grid format makes city break sightseeing really easy. The US Capitol Building marks the centre of the city’s numbered and lettered streets – east-to-west streets are named with letters, whilst you’ll find north-to-south have numbers. The city’s split into four quadrants – the Northwest quadrant is the big brother of the bunch – it takes in the city’s central business district as well as a big chunk of The National Mall. Then you’ve got Northeast – home to some of the city’s best arts and entertainment venues. Southeast is home to Eastern Market and over in Southwest you’ll find one of the city’s biggest residential areas.
Mall with a difference
Over a fifth of the city is parkland, which gives it one of the biggest green ratios across all US cities. The most famous of them all is The National Mall – it’s often dubbed as America’s front yard. It packs in a lot of famous faces along its two-mile route – it’s bookended by The Lincoln Memorial on its west end and The United States Capitol on its east. Plus, its home to the National Gallery of Art – this place is joined by a huge garden dedicated to sculptures, and between them they house more than 150,000 pieces of artwork.
State sisters
Not only can you tick off America’s capital, but you can hop over the border and cross off a couple of neighbouring states, too. You can drive to Maryland in around 45 minutes – it’s nicknamed Little America because despite its small size it packs in just about every type of landscape you’d expect to find throughout the US. To the south you’ll find Virginia – the drive here will take you around three hours. It’s home to a massive haul of history and the oldest British settlement in North America – the locals here even speak with a British accent.
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