Washington DC: The City Built for Government and Nothing Else
Washington DC exists because a compromise put it there. Northern states wanted the capital in Philadelphia or New York; Southern states wanted it closer to them. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison cut a deal over dinner in 1790: the capital would go to the Potomac, and Hamilton would get his financial plan. The city that emerged was purpose-built for government - Pierre Charles L'Enfant's grand diagonal avenues, the ceremonial mall, the institutions of federal power arranged in white marble. The result is a city unlike any other in America: dominated by a single industry, its architecture designed for imperial ambition, its residents perpetually denied full citizenship in the democracy they administer.
The Plan
L'Enfant's 1791 plan for Washington was radically ambitious: diagonal avenues radiating from circles, a central mall connecting the Capitol to the Potomac, grand spaces for monuments yet to be conceived. The plan was too grand for its time; L'Enfant was fired for being difficult, and the city developed slowly. The Mall remained scrubby parkland until the early 20th century, when the McMillan Plan restored L'Enfant's vision. The monuments that define Washington - Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington - rose between 1885 and 1943. The city as experienced today is the matured version of an 18th-century vision, its monumentality finally matching its ambition.
The Mall
The National Mall stretches two miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, lined with museums and monuments that are free to enter. The Smithsonian Institution maintains 17 museums here, including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Gallery of Art. The Washington Monument anchors the center; the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam memorials occupy the western end. The experience is democratic in the best sense - anyone can walk in, no admission charged, the nation's history and art accessible to all. The Mall is crowded because it deserves to be.
The Residents
Roughly 700,000 people live in Washington DC. They pay federal income taxes. They serve in wars. They have no voting representation in Congress - a license plate slogan reading 'Taxation Without Representation' captures the frustration. The District was granted a vote in presidential elections by constitutional amendment in 1961; it gained an elected mayor and city council in 1973. But statehood has been denied, and a single non-voting delegate represents the District in Congress. DC residents have less political power than residents of any state, administering a democracy that doesn't fully include them.
The Power
Washington's economy is government: federal agencies, lobbyists, contractors, think tanks, law firms, consultants. The industry shapes everything - the restaurants cater to expense accounts, the housing prices reflect government salaries, the conversation at every dinner party turns to policy. The city is paradoxically insulated from national economic swings; federal spending continues regardless of recession. The result is a prosperous, highly educated, politically engaged city where everyone knows their congressman's voting record and nobody agrees about anything. Washington is the city where the arguments happen, which makes it either essential or exhausting depending on your appetite.
Visiting Washington DC
Washington is served by Reagan National (closest), Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington airports. The Metro system connects most tourist destinations; the Mall is walkable but long. The Smithsonian museums cluster on the Mall; allow a full day for the American History or Air and Space museums alone. The White House tours require advance planning through your congressional representative. Arlington National Cemetery lies across the Potomac. Georgetown offers restaurants and nightlife. Cherry blossom season (late March to early April) is beautiful and crowded. The experience is uniquely American - free museums, open government buildings, the machinery of democracy on display for anyone who wants to look.
From the Air
Located at 38.91°N, 77.04°W on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. From altitude, Washington's L'Enfant plan is visible - the diagonal avenues radiating from circles, the Mall extending from Capitol to Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon's distinctive shape across the river. The White House sits north of the Mall; the Capitol anchors the east end. The Washington Monument obelisk is unmistakable. Reagan National Airport lies just south of the city. What appears from altitude as a city of monuments and government buildings is exactly that - purpose-built for administering a democracy that still hasn't granted its residents full participation in the democracy they serve.