Very Washington DC: A Celebration of the History and Culture of America's Capital City

by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler

A travel guide with character, this fact-filled keepsake offers all the history, beauty, charm, and culture of our nation's capital city. In eye-catching watercolors and detailed sketches, artist Diana Gessler captures the allure that makes Washington DC one of the most visited destinations in the country. In addition to the national landmarks, stirring memorials, and vibrant neighborhoods, there's the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Twilight Tattoo (a military pageant featuring the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the U.S. Army Drill Team), colorful row houses, famous hotels and restaurants, and more museums than you'll be able to visit in just one trip.

Gessler covers the city's most popular attractions but also heads off the beaten path to share hidden gems, like the quirky Albert Einstein Memorial and Eastern Market, where you can dine on bluebucks and browse for flea market finds. Also included are an index of sites and a useful appendix of addresses, Web sites, Metro stops, and phone numbers.

Very Washington DC is a picture-perfect guidebook―a one-of-a-kind memento for tourists and a cherished reminder of the city's riches for those who have always lived in America's hometown.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Art

168 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2009

About the author

Diana Hollingsworth Gessler is the author and illustrator of Very New Orleans, Very Charleston, and Very California. Her watercolors and oil paintings are represented by Shaw Gallery in Naples and Bonita Springs, Florida. She and her husband live in Melbourne, Florida, when theyre not traveling."

Reviews

[Jillaire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small book full of colorful watercolor illustrations of many of the monuments, museums, sites, and treasures of the nation's capitol. My daughter is going to college in DC starting this fall, and she grabbed this from the library. While not a comprehensive travel guide, this book shares some interesting historical facts and hints of places that will be fun to explore.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the visual art work and the unique facts

[Debra Hofland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchased this on one of our many jaunts to DC between 2010 &
2014. The watercolor paintings, the lettering and the text make this a keeper!!!

[LeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book to guide you through all the things D.C.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to get to know some of the lesser known things to do and see in DC and beautiful illustrations.

[August · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has lovely illustrations, and I learned a few new things about D.C.'s history.

[Megan Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned some fun DC facts and enjoyed the watercolor artwork.

[Danielle Youngblut · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easily digestible guide to Washington D.C., filled with beautiful artwork. Even as a semi-frequent traveler to D.C., I discovered new facts!

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book that gives a good introduction to the sights to see in Washington Dc through illustrations and snippets of copy. I really enjoyed the way the author organized the attractions. It's not a thorough enough review of specific sights, but gives a good indication of what you should investigate further before your travels.

[Tristan Nowicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who isn't a visual thinker, I definitely appreciated the art in this book, not to mention the brief backgrounds and descriptions that the author provided. While not as exhaustive as I'm sure other guides are, the vibrant watercolors did an admiral job of bringing the District to life and of whetting my appetite for more DC history.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all of Diana Gessler's books. Like how she mixes historical info with travel tidbits. Her illustrations are charming and I love to look through her books when I need some "armchair" travel or artistic inspiration!

[Duckpondwithoutducks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book, half-way in between a history book and a travel book, is of note because of the illustrations. They are amazing! Each page has beautiful watercolours by the author, and the book is beautifully designed.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully painted with many interesting facts you probably won't read in the "typical" tourist guide. This book showed me beautiful places I surely wouldn't have found otherwise. I love to leaf through it again and again and again and remember my stay in America's capital.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute guide/history. Loved the illustrations, was annoyed by the numerous typos.

[Jenny GB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

We received this book as a gift and I'm so glad. It's pretty ans sweet. Plus, it's filled with practical and interesting facts. I wish there was one for every city, especially Houston.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for discovering the details and treasures of D.C. I wish I had read it before our spring break trip. The illustrations are great.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming illustrations in this travel guide. Gessler includes interesting tidbits that one is unlikely to encounter anywhere else.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun exploration of DC. Now I am going to be full of random tidbits of information! Yay trivia!

[Tarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet little illustrated book on various DC (area) attractions. Absolutely worth the read for some fun facts on neighborhoods and even some new information-- as well as some beautiful drawings!

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned interesringfacts but the boo k dropped off three fouths through.