A Day in the Washington District of Columbia

I only had about a week to spend in the United States - spending most of my time in New York City. I did not think it was enough time, but unfortunately, it was all I had.

A day trip to the Washington District of Columbia was on the cards to mix it up.

I was with my sister on this trip, which was a lovely experience. We travelled via Amtrak and arrived early in the morning. The train we chose was in the early hours of the morning, to allow more time in Washington D C. We got to D C just in time to see the beautiful sunrise.

When we got to Washington D C, it was absolutely stunning. I was glad we made the trip. Waking up at a ridiculous hour to go to the Washington District of Columbia was definitely worth it.

First things first, we needed breakfast. I was in the US and thus settled on iHop. I have heard about it numerous times. It was the best breakfast I have had in a long time.

We needed to use our time wisely as there was none to spare, and we needed to do as much as possible. 

The second thing we did was buy a metro card for the day - to get around the city. We also booked a Big Bus Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour. We purchased the ticket for the Big Bus online and linked it to the app. I had alreadu downloaded the App while in New York. We had to take a Metro train to the Big Bus bus stop.

The plan was to go around with the Big Bus and then jump off at the stops with attractions we wanted a closer look at. Then find a few museums that piqued our interest towards the end of the day. 

The Hop-on-hop-off buses are a personal favorite of mine. 

I love that as the bus approaches the different sights and attractions, they tell you about the place, give you facts about the area and some of the history. Even if you don’t have a guided tour booked, you will still have information on what you are looking at and a bit of the related history. 

I would recommend these buses for this reason. As a tourist, I feel that they provide a lovely tour experience and have used them in all the places I have visited.

We ended up going to a few places.

We visited the Washington Monument. The pictures at this location are epic.

We then went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin D Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Memorial. It was lovely to see something one usually sees on tv and reads about. The Memorial Site was a chilling experience as you walk in these places allowing one to reminisce over the history. There were plenty of people - as expected - so there was a lot of waiting, especially if you want great pictures, but worth it.

World War II Memorial was next the next stop. This site was great to see. It has all the states written all around. On the bus, they give a brief history so you have a background as you walk around. I thought this was a great way to have the context of the memorial. It was also a realisation that I did not know as many states as I initially thought I knew.

I was eager to go and have a look at the White House. It was a highlight for me. I was disappointed as you can’t see much with the bars and having to stand so far away. Nevertheless, we went there & we saw it.

We went to the Wharf. This place was absolutely gorgeous. We had some iced chocolate at the Wharf. There are lovely places for lunch. We walked around and saw the sights. There is an ice skating place there and a boat cruise. I opted out as it was too cold.

We had planned on going to the museums, but after all the stops and the early start, we were exhausted and called it a day. I would love to see these in future. Here is a list of the ones I would like to see:

* Natural History Museum

* International Spy Museum

* Hirshton Museum

* Holocaust Museum

* National Air and Space Museum

* National Archives Museum

* Smithsonian Museums

We were absolutely exhausted, but it was a lovely day in the Washington District of Columbia. I would go back and next time for an extended period. Next time I would try to book a tour of the White House.

The information I found advised that I have to do this via my embassy between 21 and 90 days before the trip. I am looking forward to trying out something like that.

Washington D C is on a future list.

Please let me know your thoughts.