MINI GUIDE
Museums in Washington DC
COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM KARLA ZIMMERMAN AND REGIS ST LOUIS. PHOTOGRAPHS: JOE VOGAN/ALAMY, JAMES DI LORETO/SMITHSONIAN, ERIC LONG/NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, RON BLUNT, SMITH COLLECTION/GADO/GETTY IMAGESWashington essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely Planet’s Washington
DC (US$19.99) has in-depth
coverage of DC’s museums,
while Pocket Washington DC
(US$13.99) and Make My Day
Washington DC (US$9.99)
are more condensed guides.
The Smithsonian app (si.edu/
apps/smithsonianmobile ) is a
handy tool to search the
institution’s collections and
access tours and podcasts.
Empire of Mud by JD Dickey
(Amazon) is an account of
tenements, slave trading and
corrupt
politics in
the capital’s
early days.IN MEMORIAM
DC is the USA’s memorial capital;
don’t miss these:
OLincoln Memorial Abraham
Lincoln (pictured below) gazes
peacefully along the Mall from his
Doric-columned temple.
OVietnam Veterans Memorial
Simple and moving, this black
wall reflects the names of the
Vietnam War’s 58,000 or more
Americans who gave their lives.
OMartin Luther King Memorial Dr
King’s likeness emerges from a
mountain of granite.
ONational WWII Memorial
Soaring columns and stirring
quotes mark this memorial smack
in the Mall’s midst.
OFranklin Delano Roosevelt
Memorial FDR’s monument is an
oasis of alcoves, fountains and
contemplative inscriptions.
OMarine Corps War Memorial
A statue group recreates the
famous photo showing the
capture of the Japanese
island of Iwo Jima in 1945.Chester A Arthur House B&B
offers four rooms in a beautiful
row house. The 1883 abode is
stuffed with crystal chandeliers,
antique oil paintings, oriental rugs
and a mahogany panelled
staircase (chesterarthurhouse.
com; 23 Logan Circle NW;
US$145).
Chrome-and-glass furniture
and modern art frame the bold
interior of The George. Its Capitol
Hill location is perfect for
museum sightseeing. There’s also
a limited number of free bicycles
available for guests (hotelgeorge.
com; 15 E St NW; from US$309).WHERE TO STAY
On a shady residential street
in the lively suburb of Adams
Morgan, Adam’s Inn has inviting,
homey rooms in two adjacent
townhouses and a carriage house,
plus a garden patio (adamsinn.
com; 1746 Lanier Pl; from US$89).TRANSPORT
Washington Dulles airport is 24
miles west of central DC. Fly on
Qatar via Doha or United with
one stopover in San Francisco or
Chicago from Singapore or
Kuala Lumpur (united.com).
From Dulles, the Silver Line
Express bus runs to Wiehle-
Reston East metro station, from
where it’s possible to catch a
train to the city centre, taking
60–75 minutes in all (bus US$5;
flydulles.com/iad/about-
washington-flyer). A taxi from
the airport is US$60–US$68.
Fares on DC’s metro system
start at US$1.70 (wmata.com).
SmarTrip cards entitle users to
US$1 off the paper metro fare.The George is one of the best
boutique hotels in WashingtonSights Sleeping