I spend so much time visiting and exploring other cities that I often forget how remarkable my own town is. DC is incredible. I can’t imagine any other city that fits me better. I love the history and the culture. I’m not crazy about the crowds and the humidity, but the monuments, museums, and green spaces more than make up for it.
Unfortunately, I often get in the habit of going directly to my office and coming directly home at the end of the day. I work 4 blocks away from the White House, but I haven’t been down there in over a month! Same with the Capitol and the monuments. I know they’re there, but I rarely see them. I’m grateful for the excuse to play tourist in my own town when friends come to visit.
Several weeks ago, my friends Jack and Micah came into town. You might remember them from my Smoky Mountain birthday adventure. This time, we did our best to see everything DC has to offer over the span of 3 days. We didn’t even come close to uncovering all of the treasures stored here, but we saw a lot. And walked A LOT.
My favorite stop didn’t include any walking. Instead, it was a boat tour of DC. Our tour with Capitol River Cruises left from Georgetown and we sailed down the Potomac River. The river doesn’t offer the best vantage points if you’re trying to see all of the monuments, however this tour covered topics that were not addressed on the several bus tours I’ve taken.
I’ve lived here for 2 years, I’ve taken several tours, read some guidebooks, and even began studying for the Tour Guide Exam, but even I learned some new facts about DC. Here are 4 things I learned on our tour:
4 Surprising Facts About Washington, DC
1. The Washington National Cathedral is the 6th largest cathedral in the world. It can be seen towering above Georgetown in the right, center of the photograph below.
2. The famous Watergate Complex is so named because of an actual watergate located next to it. The gate is where the C & O Canal empties into the Potomac River.
3. The set of steps behind the Lincoln Memorial and along the Potomac River are also called Watergate. They were built with the intention of welcoming dignitaries arriving by boat to the city. The problem was, most dignitaries didn’t arrive by boat.
4. The Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world.
Your Turn
Go explore! There’s something to learn even in your backyard. When you’re finished, come to DC. Showing you around will be the perfect excuse for me to visit all the monuments again.
Go. Live.
