New York & the Mid-Atlantic Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

Library of Congress

To prove America was just as cultured

as the Old World, second US president

John Adams established the Library

of Congress, now the largest library

in the world. The motivation behind

the library is simple: ‘universality,’

the concept that all knowledge is

useful. Stunning in scope and design,

the building’s baroque interior and

flourishes are set off by a Main Reading

Room that looks like an ant colony

constantly harvesting 29 million books.

The Walk » Head across the street to the

underground Capitol Visitor Center.

Capitol Visitor Center

The US Capitol – that would be the

big domed building that dominates

the eastern end of the National Mall

• is the seat of the legislative branch
  of government, otherwise known as
  Congress. The underground Capitol
  Visitor Center (www.visitthecapitol.gov;
  1st St NE & E Capitol St; h8:30am-4:30pm
  Mon-Sat) is an introduction to the
  history and architecture of this iconic
  structure. Use the center’s website to
  book tours of the Capitol itself.

The Walk » Walk along the edge of the Capitol

towards the Washington Monument (the big

obelisk in the middle of the Mall). At the traffic

circle, walk onto Maryland Ave; the Botanic Garden

will be on your right.

United States Botanic Garden

Resembling London’s Crystal Palace,

the United States Botanic Garden (www.

usbg.gov; 100 Maryland Ave SW; h10am-5pm;

c) provides a beautiful setting for

displays of exotic and local plants.

Check out titan arum, also known

as Amorphophallus titanum (‘giant

misshapen penis’). If you’re lucky, the

plant’s ‘corpse flower’ will be on display.

This Sumatran native only blooms

every three to five years; when it does, it

smells like rotten meat. Mmm!

The Walk » Continue on Maryland Ave for a little

over 500ft; the National Museum of the American

Take this walk on Trips

STRETCH..

YOUR.LEGS

f i n

Start/Finish: Library of

Congress

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 3 hours

WASHINGTON,

DC

Washington,.DC,.is.more.than.

monuments,.museums.and.

memorials,.but.it.is.still.partly.

defined.by.these.structures..All.

along.the.National.Mall,.you’ll.find.

symbols.of.the.American.dream,.

the.physical.representation.of.

the.nation’s.highest.ideals.and.

aspirations..