6 November 14, 2021The Sunday TimesTravel America
→Continued from page 5
dinosaurs. The Trump
International Hotel appears
empty but for a single light in
a fourth-floor room, but the
ex-president’s malevolent
spirit lingers like a bad smell.
“Washington is a gentle
city,” says Sarah Deam, a
director at the Hay Adams —
a hotel so close to the White
House that I could sing Irish
Joe a lullaby from my window.
“I’ve lived here for 22 years,
and when I cycle in from
Arlington I still stop at the
Lincoln Memorial to gaze into
the pools and reflect on what
a privilege it is to work here.”
At the start of the year the
high-minded assertions of life,
liberty and the pursuit of
happiness established as
inalienable rights in the US
Declaration of Independence
faced their gravest threat.
Trump-supporting mobs had
been gathering for days and on
Wednesday, January 6, they
stormed the Capitol.
The violence and fury hit
DC’s confidence hard, but
there’s faith now that the city
and US democracy are once
more secure. Gazing at the
Capitol from the roof of the
nearby Charlie Palmer
Steakhouse is like looking at
an ancient battlefield but, says
DC resident Julie Marshall, theQAnon hordes once welcomed
to America’s home of
democracy won’t get another
chance. “Washington is ready,”
she says. “If they return,
we’ll kick their butts.”
After dinner I take
the long route back
to the Hay Adams,
through the Mall
and past the
obelisk of the
Washington
Monument,
gleaming white under
a waxing moon. I want
to do what Sarah Deam
does and sit on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial, my back to
the old man and my eyes on
the pool, but when I get thereChris Haslam was
a guest of Capital
Region USA
(capitalregionusa.org)
and the Hay Adams
Hotel, which has room-
only doubles from £
(hayadams.com). Amtrak trains
from New York to Washington
take 3½ hours, with fares from
£22 one way (amtrak.com)I’m not alone. The steps are
occupied not by tourists but by
DC’s people of the night — the
waitresses, taxi drivers, and
shift workers — all sitting
in quiet contemplation
of a small city
with enormous
responsibilities.VISITING THE US WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
What are the entry requirements
from the UK?
You must be in possession of an Esta
(Electronic System for Travel
Authorisation) or a valid visa; proof that
you’ve been vaccinated for at least a
fortnight; and proof of a negative Covid
test. To apply for an Esta you must fill in
a seven-step form (esta.cbp.dhs.gov).
It costs $14 (£10) and is valid for two
years or until your passport expires,
whichever is sooner. US authorities
advise applying at least 72 hours
before your flight, but acknowledge
that “in most cases, a response is
received within seconds of submitting
an application”.
For the proof of vaccination, the
official advice makes it clear that “if you
are not fully vaccinated against Covid-
19, you will NOT be allowed to board a
flight to the United States”. If it has been
more than 14 days since your last dose,
US Customs and Border Protection will
accept the NHS digital Covid pass or
the EU digital Covid certificate on your
smartphone as proof. Paper certificates
or digital photos of certificates are also
acceptable, but in all cases they should
include your full name and date of birth;
the name of the issuing authority; the
name of the vaccine used and the date
it was administered. AstraZeneca is
accepted, along with Covishield,Janssen/J&J, Moderna, Pfizer,
Sinopharm and Sinovac.Which Covid test do I need?
The Centers for Disease Control
(cdc.gov) advises that all travellers to
the US must present a negative test
result at check-in. The test can be the
rapid antigen type (we know them as
lateral flow), a PCR or a Lamp test and in
all cases it must be no more than three
days old at the time of presentation.
Home testing is not accepted unless it
includes “real-time supervision
remotely through an audio and video
connection”, and certificates must
include your full name and either your
date of birth or your passport number.And what are the rules on the ground?
It depends on where you land. In New
York and Los Angeles you need to
show proof of vaccination to enter bars,
restaurants and other indoor spaces,
so print a hard copy to carry alongside
your digital certificate. In California,
Washington DC, Hawaii, Illinois,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and
Washington, face masks are mandatory
in all indoor spaces — yet in Florida
it’s illegal for a business to ask for proof
of vaccination, and mask rules are
inconsistent (Disney insists on them
being worn indoors, Universal doesn’t).
The Lincoln Memorial and, top, the nearby Korean War memorialSBORISOV, JAMES WHITE/GETTY IMAGES