June 30, 2007
Visiting our nation’s capitol on the Fourth of July or anytime during the summer months is sure to make any red, white, and blue American proud.
History comes alive in DC, and soon one wants to see every single bit of it. That, however, is quite impossible unless one goes at it relentlessly for at least a month. Just too much to see on one short trip but still worth a valiant attempt.
Some DC traveling tips are in order if one is a first-time, unsophisticated, and slightly bumbling visitor as I was on my first stay.
Start with the basics.
Enjoy a picnic on the National Mall or a walk along the Potomac, but not at night.
Watch the fireworks on The Fourth from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the absolutely best spot to view “the bombs bursting in air.”
Observe with quiet amazement the precision of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. I hope you do not have a noisy, clicking camera. You will not have it for long. By the way, take the hop-and-go trolley to get there.
Marvel at the handwriting on the original document, the Declaration of Independence, displayed in the National Archives. If you have seen the movie “National Treasure”, you will certainly experience déjà vu. Go ahead and buy a copy of the Declaration and pretend to sneak it out of the building, just like in the movie.
Visit the International Spy Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Art Galleries, and innumerable others.
There is something for everyone and something just grand about DC in the summer.
It makes one bust one’s buttons as the saying goes. DC in July however is not for the faint of heart. The humidity can be crushing and the crowds annoying. Do not get me started on the cabbies. Well, I may talk about the cabbies later on anyway.
For the uninitiated and first-time visitor, Washington DC can be confusing. On my first visit, for example, I was so naïve that when I saw the term National Mall on the map I expected to find a Macy’s. For the seasoned DC traveler, such a silly thought is probably unimaginable since “everyone” knows the National Mall is a walking mall that connects the Capitol to the memorials and monuments and all points in between including the White House. I must have slept through history class.
My first DC trip was in the sweltering month of July. I was alone for the better part of two days awaiting a family reunion, and I thought it would be a good idea to get some sightseeing accomplished in the meantime. Go a couple of days early and enjoy the monuments and memorials, see the National Mall, shop Macy’s. Sounded like a great plan to me.
Did I mention the fact that it was so hot and humid it might as well of been Houston?
Luckily, I survived two days alone in this hot, busy, crazy city where people are always going somewhere fast and talking fast on their cell phones and crossing intersections very fast as they try to not to get hit by traffic.
I caught on just as fast.
And, I learned a little something about cabbies.
I learned which cabbies to engage in conversation and which to leave alone. Generally speaking if a cabbie is listening on the radio to something that sounds a lot like Al Jazeera, it is a good idea to get out at the next possible stop and not talk about the weather in the meantime. Those cabbies are not interested in small talk. They are busy talking on their cell phones to someone in some language I cannot understand, presumably about the radio show. They are not watching the road very well. Other cabbies that are not doing three things at once may be quite enjoyable. I learned to be discerning.
I also learned to take a pocketful of five-dollar bills for tipping. Everyone in DC expects a tip, just like in Vegas. Consider the tip money part of your trip cost and get over it. Do not grumble, just pull out the fives. You are far better off to tip, and I mean to tip everyone. Five to the guy who gets the cab for you, five to the cabbie, five to the greeter who opens the cab door at the hotel, five to the porter at the hotel, five to the maid with a note saying “thanks” written on the free notepad by the phone. At restaurants, DC waiters expect 20 per cent, so no skimping.
If this does not sound like your “cup of tea”, take heart. There are so many things to do and see that are free in our nation’s capitol, it makes the tipping seem inconsequential.
For example, a walk through the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials will make the hair stand on your arms, and you will realize that you feel proud indeed to be an American.
Heads up though from this now-seasoned and regular DC visitor. Do not linger after dark on the National Mall. Find any cabbie no matter what they are listening to on the radio and get moving.
Traveler’s tip: if you hurry, you can still view the Giant Pandas at the National Zoo.
