Doing DC in a Day

It's possible to 'Do DC in a Day."  I just did it Monday, but I know I had but a teaser of all the city had to offer . . . there's a lot more out there to see - next time. I was in our nation's capital for a conference and had most of a day for sightseeing - thanks to flight and meeting schedules not meshing.  So, with temperatures in the 80's and blue skies above, I set out to see as much of  Washington D.C. and its neighbor where I was staying, Arlington, Virginia as I could in a few hours.

DC' area Metro Map got me where I was going

I used  Metro which provided a cheap and safe alternative to a taxi.  DC, however, could learn from Paris where a simple carnet (ticket) system gets you where you want to go on the Metro.

But with the help of some very nice humans who work for DC Metro, I mastered their computerized ticket machine (figure out destination, then figure out fare, then load money into machine to load ticket). I should have purchased a day-pass which would have simplified the purchase and saved me money. Even with help, I didn't quite do it right and  ended up spending more than I should have, but for my $8 (the pass was $7, a fellow tourist told me) I had a great afternoon's outing.

(Note:  After last fall's Athen's Metro pickpocket experience, I enter any big city train with arms firmly wrapped around my bag and ready for battle. I noticed on this subway, women with large bags wide open -- one woman had her wallet sticking out of the top -- and no one seemed to pay any attention to them - except me; I was flabbergasted. Maybe there is something to their 'safe form of travel' claim? Still made me nervous seeing all those open bags).

The Washington Monument from the Metro entrance on The Mall

I love DC. Emerging from the depths of the Metro tunnel (and it is a deep one) on to The Mall, I was again reminded of why: 

The U.S. Capitol

My afternoon was filled with the sights and sounds along The Mall. It cost me nothing more than my Metro fare.  And speaking of fare, we ate some of the best culinary fare I've had in a long time. Guaranteed to make your mouth water, watch for my next post.

This carousel has operated on The Mall since 1967