Washington DC travel Video

Chosen by George Washington for its tactical location between the South and the North, and for its accessibility to the sea via the Potomac River, the capital of the United States is situated in a district specifically created to avoid the establishment of the capital city in any one state. Washington, DC (District of Columbia) with its low-profile skyline, is a city of green parks and open spaces, grand buildings, historic landmarks, marbled monuments and impressive museums, with character-filled neighbourhoods that support a thriving cultural scene with scores of top-notch restaurants, shops and night time entertainment.This thriving cosmopolitan city is an international hub of power and diplomacy, commanding the political centre stage for one of the most powerful nations in the world, and representing all the democratic ideals that the country takes pride in.

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Washington, DC was one of the targets of the terrorist attack on the USA on 11 September 2001, when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, the heart of national and international security. Since then security has remained high aroundWashington’s key monuments and police checks at top city attractions have lent a sober air to this pleasant city.After politics, tourism is the capital’s main industry. The city plays host to millions of people annually who come to explore famous sights such as the domed US Capitol, the stately White House, Lincoln Memorial and the soaring Washington Monument. The most well-known sights are located along the National Mall, a green park stretching from the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial on the Potomac River, and include several memorials to great US presidents of the past, as well as the outstanding museums of the Smithsonian Institute. Almost all major attractions are free.Besides political sights, Washington is also a city of interesting neighbourhoods, each with its own character and culture. The most famous of these is historic Georgetown, with elegant colonial houses, boutiques, fancy restaurants, and a lively nightlife. One of the most colourful neighbourhoods is the bohemian district of Adams-Morgan with an assortment of funky shops and ethnic stores, while the arty suburb of Dupont Circle is an affluent business and residential area, with excellent restaurants, art galleries and shops that makes up the centre of DC’s gay community.

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Washington dc Video Guide

National Mall Video Guide

National Mall
Extending for over two miles (3km) from the US Capitol to the Potomac River, the tree-lined grassy strip known as the National Mall is the central hub of tourist activity in the city, containing many of Washington DC’s most famous attractions. It is home to the tapering Washington Monument, the Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials, the Capitol, White House, the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art. The Mall is at the heart of the city’s social life, the site for many celebrations and festivals throughout the year, and used by scores of joggers, picnickers, food vendors and strollers daily. The Tidal Basin, a beautiful lake famous for its spring show of blossoming Japanese cherry trees, lies to the south.

US Capitol Video Guide

US Capitol
The heart of American government is also Washington, DC’s most prominent landmark, the US Capitol, which is sited on the top of Capitol Hill, its giant white dome visible from all over the city. It is the city’s top tourist attraction, as well as the most recognised symbol of democracy, and contains the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. Under the magnificent dome, US governmental policy is shaped and the law of the land is practiced. The interior is richly embellished, with hundreds of statues filling Statuary Hall in honour of important people in the country’s history, while paintings and murals decorate the hallways and walls of the Rotunda, depicting 400 years of American history.

The White House Video Guide

The White House
The White House has been the private residence and administrative headquarters of every President of the United States since 1800. Today an American flag flies over the house whenever the president is in residence. Situated at the edge of the National Mall, the palatial building has undergone numerous alterations over the years, which have included refurnishing and expansion, the addition of the first toilets by Jefferson, and electricity added during Harrison’s presidency, as well as personal inclusions by each of its presidential occupants. The White House was adapted to the needs of Roosevelt who suffered polio and a swimming pool was installed; Jacqueline Kennedy developed the famous Rose Garden; Clinton added a jogging track, hot tub and humidor; and the most recent addition is Bush’s horseshoe-throwing lane.

Washington Monument Video Guide

Washington Monument
In recognition of his leadership in the fight for American independence, George Washington earned the title ‘Father of the Nation’, and was the first president of the United States. The Washington Monument was built in memory of this great leader. As the tallest structure in the city, situated at the western end of the Mall, it offers 360-degree panoramic vistas with some of the most familiar sights in the world in view, including the White House, US Capitol, Smithsonian museums and the Lincoln Memorial. Constructed out of loose granite blocks without the use of cement to hold them together, the monument is the tallest freestanding masonry structure in the world, a 555ft (169m) marble obelisk that stood uncompleted for 37 years. A change in the colour of stone is visible about halfway up and marks the two building phases.

Lincoln Memorial Video Guide

Lincoln Memorial
The grandiose Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to the 16th US president who preserved the Union during the Civil War and ended slavery. It also serves as a Civil War memorial, symbolising the idea of Freedom and American Democracy. The use of classical architecture, modelled on a Greek temple, is to remind people of the ancient Greeks who were the first modern culture to have a democratic government.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Video Guide

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Officially named the J Edgar Hoover FBI Building after its notorious long-time director, the ugly concrete structure that is headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Washington, DC. A one-hour guided tour takes visitors through the Material Analysis Unit and crime laboratories where fingerprinting, DNA and ballistics testing takes place. There are displays of thousands of confiscated weapons, and illegal items seized during narcotics operations, exhibits on crime fighting techniques and counterintelligence operations, as well as other presentations on terrorism, agent training, some famous cases, and photographs of the FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted List’.

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Smithsonian Institution Video Guide

Smithsonian Institution
One of the world’s finest research centres, the Smithsonian Institution incorporates 13 excellent museums and galleries, nine of which line the Mall, and a zoo. The centre was the idea of British scientist James Smithson who stipulated in his will that lacking heirs his entire fortune would go the United States ‘to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men’. The Institute’s original home was in the red brick building known as The Castle that stands on the Mall.

National Gallery of Art Video Guide

National Gallery of Art
Two buildings, the West and East Wings, make up the visually stunning National Gallery of Art that is the most popular art museum in North America. Together they house one of the world’s leading collections of Western paintings, graphics and sculptures from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, and walking from the West wing to the East provides a near chronological display of European art. The West Wing, the original building, is a marble architectural work of art with a domed rotunda over a fountain that houses most of the permanent collection.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Video Guide

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
When it was unveiled in 1982, nothing but controversy met the design of Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the 58,000 Americans who died in the Vietnam War or remain missing in action. Maya Ying Lin may have been no more than a 21-year-old graduate student when she won the design contest for this memorial, but her work is now etched in the memories of countless visitors who have walked along this black granite wall filled with names.

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