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What better way to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day than a visit to our nation’s capital! I traded in one historical revolutionary city for another and traveled from Charleston, South Carolina to Richmond, Virginia for the Fourth of July weekend. In the middle of my trip to Richmond to visit my boyfriend, Avigdor, during his summer internship with Capital One, we journeyed to the Capitol City and celebrated Independence Day in America’s headquarters. In a way, these are my two home states; I was born just outside of D.C. in Falls Church, Virginia and I currently live in South Carolina. I absolutely love visiting DC. As a lover of museums there’s always so much to do and as a broke college student, it doesn’t cost much to do it.
After taking the early morning Amtrak train from Richmond to Washington, D.C., we walked out of Union Station into the bright and sunny Washington morning. Our first stop was breakfast at Buffalo & Bergen, a trendy 1950s style cafe and diner. The food was excellent and their coffee was unique and refreshing. We then headed into the National Mall, walking past the Supreme Court building and the National Capital. While the city seemed empty despite the holiday, the tourists from all over were so nice and kind.
The National Botanical Gardens were a stop I hadn’t done before but was excited to do now. I love looking at pretty things and seeing plants and flowers from all over the country. However I think this visit would have been much more enjoyable if it wasn’t a million degrees outside in the swampy climate of Washington. The rooms of the greenhouse only exacerbated the humidity of outside to protect the tropical flowers inside.
We then traded the heavy humidity of the gardens for the cooling stone and marble interior of the U.S. Capitol. I absolutely love the architecture of this structure, as well as many other buildings in the area. However my experience inside was impacted by my need to use the restroom and inability to do so due to the nature of the tour. You see, liquids are not permitted inside the Capitol building so instead of dumping out my water bottle onto the grass outside, I chugged my 32 oz Owala water bottle in a valiant attempt to not only comply with the Capitol’s security policies, but to stay hydrated in the summer heat. This lead to great discomfort which only grew as the tour progressed and caused me to miss the last part of the tour as I went off in search of a restroom. So take a note, dump out your water before the Capitol tour!
Our visit was off to an uncomfortable start, but up next was one of my personal favorites. The National Gallery of Art is where my love for art museums was born. When I visited DC with my mother in 2018, I was finally mature enough to appreciate such a museum which has led to me seek them out where ever I travel, always leading to a highlight of the trip. One of my personal favorites is housed here; The Railway by Édouard Manet, a painting I recreated myself as part of a French lesson in high school.
We walked around the National Mall for a little as we had time to kill in between the National Gallery closing and our dinner reservation. We saw (and even touched) The Washington Monument. I had never been so close to this Monument before. Then we hiked up the stairs to the massive Lincoln Memorial. Of course, we had to make one quick stop to take our dirty shoes off and relax our feet in the pools of the World War II Memorial. I cannot emphasize enough how much of a must do this is, to peel off sweaty socks and alleviate our aching heels after a long day of walking in the sun. We also paid a visit to the Vietnam Memorial where we found the name of a man who was killed in action on the day my father was born. Because my dad was also in the Air Force, he received a silver band with this man’s name and information on which he still wears to this day.
Our dinner spot was found curtsey of a recommendation one of my friends gave me. The Hamilton is an upscale dining restaurant and we LOVED it! Located only a quick three blocks from the White House, The Hamilton serves classic American fare, from New England seafood to grass-fed steaks to even sushi. And we thought it was reasonably priced too. We would definitely emphasize the recommendation and I would 100% return.
After dinner, we walked a short distance to the White House just the see the outside. I hadn’t been to the White House before and this visit was enhanced by a beautiful sunset on the opposite side of the sky. It was the perfect way to end our night after a long day exploring.
The next morning we started with coffee at Tatte Bakery & Cafe. I did not know that Tatte is a chain or how well known it is but I loved it I thought it was absolutely adorable and I love their unique latte combos. We then headed to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Avigdor really wanted to visit we were the only ones in there without children. Nonetheless, we made the most of our visit before continuing on to the next spot.
The Spy Museum was another of Avigdor’s requests. I went into it expecting this place to be geared towards children but I was very wrong. I really enjoyed this experience and would definitely go back, there’s so much to learn! I find spying and counter intelligence to be very interesting and this museum does a good job of showcasing the history of spies and different operations which have since been declassified.
After two fun museums, we headed towards the Holocaust Museum. While a bit darker in tone compared to some of our other spots, this is a very interesting museum which we wanted to experience. I was a bit nervous going in. Avigdor is Jewish and I was worried about how he would feel during his experience. But he really wanted to do it so we made it work. At first, they almost didn’t let us in because they were full for the day and we didn’t have reservations. Luckily, because I am a military dependent, we both got in for free and right away.
The first time I visited this museum I was in awe of the presentation and story this museum tells. I was just beginning to learn German and now a couple years later when I can confidently say I know a more now than I knew then, I can say having an understanding of the German language alone adds an extra layer to this museum. Throughout the exhibitions is audio recounting the speeches and discourse of the German political party at the time. As if the written rhetoric showcased isn’t jarring enough, being encompassed by this hate speech, understanding what these hateful people are saying, and not being able to escape the surrounding audio adds a totally new level to this museum.
I really do love Washington, D.C. and we both had such a good time here. There’s just so much to do, so much to see, and so much history to experience. I will definitely be back, of course, and can’t wait to see what I experience then!
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