North America

Washington DC

One of the famous characters you can meet in Washington DC!

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My Visit to Washington

When visiting the United States, I'm always surprised by one thing or another. When I checked into my motel in Washington, I asked about city bus routes. I was a bit surprised when the desk clerk told me there were no buses on that street since that was a predominately industrial district. I didn't bother to ask how the workers commuted to their jobs in that area. Apparently, city buses in Washington aren't intended for working commuters! Anyways, it wasn't a big issue for me since the motel was just a short walk to the Capitol, and most of the places I was interested in visiting.

Washington DC is a great place to visit. It is not only the center of political power in the United States, but it also has some of the best museums in the country. The National Air and Space Museum has some of the United States' most important airplanes and spacecraft. (The second most important can be found at the USAF Museum in Dayton Ohio.) I found myself returning to the Air and Space Museum several times during that week.

The Museum of American History, contrary to its name, is one of the most fun and interesting musuems along the Mall. Not only Charlie, but you can also find such important cultural icons as Archie Bunker's chair and Fonz's leather jacket.

One disappointment, however, is the National Art Gallery. I was hoping to find a good collection of American art. Instead, I found a remarkably unbalanced collection with a heavy emphasis on second-rate European old masters. (To see what a good national art collection is like, visit the National Gallery in Ottawa.)