The Rough Guide to Washington DC

by Jules Brown

INTRODUCTION As a nation’s capital, Washington DC – showtown USA and self-professed political arbiter of the Free World – takes some beating. Along its triumphant avenues stand historic buildings that define a world view, while on either side of the central Mall sit the various museum buildings of the planet’s greatest cultural collection, the Smithsonian Institution. For an introduction to the United States or a crash course in politics, portraiture or paleontology look no further than the spacious, well-ordered, Neoclassical sweep that is downtown DC. With a population of less than 600,000 residents it comes way down the list of American cities, and is likewise outnumbered by just about every foreign capital you could think of. But though a small fry in terms of population, it’s not small in scale at all. Everywhere Washington boasts the bold expanses and monumental architecture of a carefully planned capital. Given that it would become the consummate political power center, it seems fitting that DC’s very founding was the result of political wrangle. In the late eighteenth century, Congress acceded to the demands of the Northern states to assume their Revolutionary War debts, but squeezed a key concession for the rather than being sited in one of the big Northern cities, the new federal capital would be built from scratch on the banks of the Potomac River, midway along the eastern seaboard. And while not actually in the Deep South, Washington in the Territory (later District) of Columbia was very definitely of the South. French architect Pierre L’Enfant planned the city on a hundred-square-mile diamond-shaped piece of land donated by the tobacco-rich states of Virginia and Maryland; Virginia later demanded its chunk of land back, which is why there’s a bite out of the diamond shape across the Potomac River. Slave labor drained the floodlands and erected the public buildings, and Virginian high society frequented the townhouses and salons that flourished after the government moved in during 1800. But to paint DC as a Southern city is to miss the point. John F. Kennedy famously pointed out its contradictions in his waspish comment that Washington was "a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm." Even more important than its geographical location was its unique experimental nature – a modern, planned capital built for a disparate collection of states seeking security in unity. As a symbol of union, its finest hour came within a generation of its founding – the city that was built largely by slaves became the frontline headquarters of the fight against slavery, as Abraham Lincoln directed the Union troops from the capital’s halls and offices. After the Civil War, thousands of Southern blacks arrived in search of a sanctuary from racist oppression and, initially, to some extent they found one. Racial segregation was banned in public places and Howard University, the first US institution of higher learning that enrolled black people, was set up in 1867. By the 1870s African-Americans made up over a third of the District’s population, but as poverty and squalor worsened, official segregation was reintroduced in 1920, banning blacks from government buildings and the jobs they had come to find. Since the 1930s, DC has been both a predominantly black city and a federal fortress. Shunned by the white political aristocracy, the city is run as a virtual colony of Congress, where residents have only nonvoting representation and couldn’t even participate in presidential elections until the 1960s. Suffering an endless cycle of boom and bust, the city has one of the country’s highest crime rates and appalling levels of unemployment, illiteracy and drug abuse. Fed rates and appalling levels of unemployment, illiteracy and drug abuse. Federal government money props up the city, pays its administrators and affects virtually every aspect of local commerce and industry. That fact is galling in the extreme to the majority of American citizens, to whom "Washington" is a dirty word, a place inhabited only by self-seeking politicians isolated within the fabled Beltway, the ring road that circles the city and is used as a metaphor for all that’s different about DC. Meanwhile, twenty million visitors come to Washington each year for fun, making it one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country. Kept away from the city’s peripheral dead zones, they tour a scrubbed, policed and largely safe downtown swathe where famous landmark – White House, US Capitol, Washington Monument – follows world-class museum – National Air and Space Museum, National Gallery of Art – with unending and uplifting regularity. Even better, most of what you see in Washington is free, and getting around (on a subsidized transport system that has few equals in the United States) is easy. True, a sense of community, or even neighborhood, is rare – especially downtown, where the entire place falls strangely silent after 6pm and on weekends. Bu...

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

I've been a pro travel writer for over 30 years, writing Rough Guides and other stuff, and living in places from Sicily to New Zealand. You might even have had one of my guidebooks along for the ride in your travel bag - in which case, happy to have helped!

I also blog at www.julestoldme.com, sharing travel stories, travel-writing tips, videos and inspiring destinations - see you there, and happy travels.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing on with my intrepid exploration of D.C. travel guides, the journey has brought me to the discovery of the Rough Guides. It's a very orangey brown production published in 2011. There may have been a time when the old boy scout would have jumped at a rough guide, but I think I'll pass on this one. Sure enough, all the usual popular tourist sites are included, but this 'Washington,DC' was not as intimate as the 'Lonely Planet' by Karla Zimmerman, or as colourful and comprehensive as 'Time Out'.

[Jim Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two travel book publishers that I most reliably turn to are Lonely Planet, and Rough Guides. I tend to find that Rough Guides are better for cities, because they're more personal and intimate I feel, while Lonely Planet feel broader in scope.

As with any printed book, the book is a little dated in places (they can't keep things like prices continually updated for example), but this said, it's good at helping you find things to do, and see in Washington. It also gives you tips about where to go out and eat, drink, and have fun. I don't go out as much for that sort of thing, but it feels thorough to me.

In addition it's not too big, so you can slip it into your pocket pretty easily, so all in all, I would recommend.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good information on the "sights" to see in D.C. Pretty good sections on dining, drinking and entertainment options, though this section first tipped me off that the guide is a little dated (declaring that the Washington Capitals hockey team may never be good). I wish there was more information about D.C.'s immediate suburbs, and more about the culture of D.C., especially the African-American and immigrant culture. Interesting side-bars, such as what LP does, are always nice to have too. Still, I will be making heavy use of this book for my trip to the Capitol in January.

[Jolina Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this book - it gives real advice about the areas that you can't miss, or shouldn't venture into. The authors include background and history which will be helpful when we are actually there. Includes places to stay, how to get around, and where to eat. I am cross-referencing this book with the Lost Symbol as the story unfolds.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if it's Rough Guide's style but there wasn't very detailed information on restaurants and I feel like most of the information you will be able to find online. It's also lacking in the graphics department.

[John Weibull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this book when I took a trip to DC. I've always been a fan of Rough Guides so I highly recommend this product.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the best guide to Washington, DC.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for a tourist! Thanks to a loan from a friend, we were able to figure out where we were going and choose things to do. The divided sections were useful and had great maps.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 1st Edition

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Helped me understand where everything was and gave some history to the various locations before I went to D.C.