Our Nation’s Capitol

Washington, DC has to be one of my favorite places on this trip. It’s cosmopolitan, diverse, easy to navigate, filled with history and there are so, so many things to do. We spent more than two weeks exploring and didn’t scratch the surface. On top of that, the anchoring situation in DC is excellent. We motored up the Potomac (past George Washington’s house) and anchored off of the Capital Yacht Club. Each day, we took our dinghy to the CYC dinghy dock, tied up and were within walking distance to the National Mall. We could also use all of the facilities at the CYC (clubhouse, wifi, laundry, showers) and the people at the club couldn’t have been nicer. Sometimes you get to a port and what you love about it are all the things to do. Sometimes what you remember about a port are the people you meet. In Washington DC, we will fondly remember both.

We made a dent in the Smithsonian museums (American History, Air and Space), visited memorials and monuments (WWII, Lincoln, John Paul Jones, Vietnam, Washington, Navy, Arlington), toured National Park Service museums (Post Office museum, Ford’s Theater, National Archives), made a pilgrimage to the symbols of our balance of power (White House visitor center, Supreme Court, Capitol building) and sought out other interesting museums (Newseum, International Spy Museum).

The impact of learning American history by being in our nation’s capitol can’t be understated. Local news here is national news, and often international news. In DC, you are expected to know the basics of how government works, and will often get into discussions about current events or history. We could spend another month here and not see all there is to see. As someone at the Capitol Yacht Club said, “If you are bored in DC, there is something wrong with you.”

We were also fortunate to be able to visit with family and friends while in DC. We packed a lot into two weeks, and are truly sad to leave this city. We will definitely be back.

For more pictures on our adventures in DC, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/easethemain/sets/72157646028134405/