Washington DC

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (the boundaries of the two are identical) can be unbearably hot and humid in summer, and bitterly cold in winter. It was chosen as the site of the capital of the newly independent United States of America because of a compromise between the northern and southern states and, basically, because George Washington wanted it there – 16 miles upstream from his Mount Vernon estate. The other side of DC, with a majority black population, is run as a virtual colony of Congress, where residents have only non-voting representation and couldn’t vote in presidential elections until the 23^rd amendment was passed in 1961 – the city’s official license plate reads “Taxation Without Representation”.

The best times to come are during April’s National Cherry Blossom Festival and the more temperate months (May–June and Sept). The nation’s showcase puts on quite a display for its guests, and, best of all, admission to all major attractions on the National Mall is free; the most famous sites include the White House, memorials to four of the greatest presidents and the superb museums of the Smithsonian Institution. In recent years, even the once-blighted area known as Old Downtown (north of the eastern side of the Mall), has had a dramatic uptick in visitors and nightlife around its Penn Quarter, centred round 7th and F streets. Still, you’re more likely to spend your evenings in the hotels and restaurants of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods: historic Georgetown, arty Dupont Circle and funky Adams Morgan.