Washington DC

Last Saturday, I visited Washington DC with my parents. A short history of the US: Philadelphia became the capital in 1790 because it was the largest city at that time. Many states disagreed with this, so a new district was born: the District of Columbia, existing of only one city (Washington DC). Locals call it simply DC to avoid confusion with the State of Washington in the Northwest. In 1800, DC became the capitol of the US.

Over 200 years later: DC is a huge metropolitan area (nr. 8 in the US – see a list of the largest metropolitan areas in the US ). If DC were to be a State, it would be the smallest state in the US by far, with the highest population density! I noticed that DC, compared to other cities in the US, misses a nice skyline, but the city is very clean. The heart of the city is the National Mall: the area of the Washington Monument, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool and of course the White House, surrounded by many government buildings. It is unique to walk around here and think about all the movies that were recorded here, especially when we came home in the evening and the protest-scene from Forrest Gump was on TV (which was recorded at the Lincoln Memorial, while his girlfriend jumps into the reflecting pool)!

Klik hier voor de foto’s!