2007 - 2008
- I am on a long term assignment with the United States government. Beginning in October 2007, I started spending each week in the Washington D.C. area. I normally fly home to Atlanta on the weekends.
August / September 2005:
- Went to Washington DC (actually stayed in Bethesda MD) to teach a training class. The city is pretty much the same way I left it years ago. I did some touring while I was there and enjoyed it. I did notice that most of the city is locked down a bit more now, most assuredly due to post-9/11 trauma and precautions.
Since my company has the facilities in the DC area I think I'm going to try and set up a regular training class there. I might be able to attract some more business from the Northeast.
Original posting on Washington follows:
Capital of the United States of America. This is a great place to visit with lots to see. Our government allows you to tour most of it's offices and buildings. If you plan to visit the White House be sure to call ahead and see what day it's open for tours. The last time I was there it was limited to a specific day and certain hours.
The Smithsonian is one of the great institutions of this country. It consists of many museums covering all sorts of subjects from air/space to natural science to American history. The American History museum even has an exhibit of Archie Bunkers chair from the TV Sitcom "All in the family."
The Capitol Building is quite a site to see. Be sure to take a guided tour here or you will miss out on some interesting topics.
The Washington monument can be further enhanced if you can arrange a walking tour from the top to the bottom. This takes much longer obviously but you will gain insights into how and why it was built. You will also see many monuments within the monument donated by states and countries to assist in the construction. There is an interesting story behind the monument donated by the Vatican.
Of course your trip won't be complete without a visit to the Vietnam Memorial. (Also known as "the wall")