Standing in the grand rotunda of Washington’s Capitol, the sacred heart of American democracy, there is an almost palpable sense of awe.
It’s felt in the crowds of American citizens who bring their children to pay their respects here. In the guides, the security staff, even the cloakroom attendants. Our loquacious tour guide, Danny, sums it up clearly: “This is the Capitol, man. There’s no other place like it.”
Thanks to strict building height regulations, the dome of this secular cathedral, topped by the 5.8-metre-high Statue of Liberty, is visible from all over the city. This has special resonance at a time when Joe Biden and Donald Trump begin their battle for control of the White House to see who will have bragging rights in this great city.
For a sitting parliament, it is remarkably accessible. Even as casual visitors, my wife Isabel and I sat in the public gallery to listen to a key Senate debate. A Republican is railing against government spending at a time of spiraling national debt. Sound familiar?
We are lucky to be in The District at the peak of the blossoming season, when some 3,000 cherry trees, gifted from Japan in the early 20th century, bloom in the city’s Tidal Basin.
Towering monuments: Neil Darbyshire believes Washington exudes a “natural warmth.” Above, the city’s Jefferson Memorial in full cherry blossom season
It is a truly glorious spectacle, attracting large crowds and creating a festive atmosphere, with music, street food and street stalls proclaiming the beauty of cherries.
Washington probably doesn’t rank high on most Brits’ list of must-see destinations in America, behind the bright lights of New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the beaches of Florida and the natural glories of New England.
Home to thousands of government employees, politicians and their staff, lobbyists and think tank members, it has a reputation for being aloof and withdrawn.
Washington’s imposing neoclassical buildings and wide boulevards are reminiscent of Paris, says Neil
Pictured are the Lincoln Memorial and the National World War II Memorial, with the reflecting pool.
But to us, the city seems to radiate a natural warmth. Almost everyone we meet is pleasant and easy on the eyes of the British, surprisingly forgiving considering we burned the city to the ground in a fit of imperialist spite during the War of 1812.
Isabel and I are visiting our daughter and her partner, who have been living in the Navy Yard neighborhood south of the Capitol for almost a year. Like London’s Docklands, this was a rundown area that has been flattened and then gentrified with chic residential and office buildings, lively bars and restaurants.
At The Wharf we stroll through the open-air fish market (the oldest operating in the country), where you can buy seafood of all kinds and watch giant shrimp being theatrically tossed in huge woks.
After a couple of cocktails at one of the many riverside bars, it’s time for dinner. My favorite meal is at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, Washington’s most fashionable neighborhood. This family-run restaurant dates back to the 1930s, and presidents and other politicians have gathered in intimate booths to gossip and conspire. There are plaques detailing which booth each one preferred.
JFK proposed to Jackie here, Tricky Dicky loved the meatloaf, Ted Kennedy had his “cozy corner.” We were placed in Lyndon Johnson’s booth. I wonder, as I sip my Manhattan, if he talked about the massive bombing of North Vietnam while we ate succulent lamb chops and small potatoes.
Neil visits the Watergate Hotel (pictured), which was embroiled in the biggest political scandal in US history.
The fish market at The Wharf, where you can watch giant shrimp being theatrically tossed in huge woks.
Washington, a purpose-built capital, was clearly designed to impress and inspire. Imposing neoclassical buildings line wide boulevards reminiscent of Paris. Towering monuments are set around pleasant, spacious public spaces, the most popular being the National Mall. This green promenade stretches more than two miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol, taking in the 550-foot obelisk dedicated to George Washington and passing by the White House.
Getting around the compact city centre is easy. Much of it is walkable, but there are also Ubers, electric bikes and a cheap, clean and efficient metro.
There is no shortage of museums here celebrating everything from the Bible to the space race. And for a journalist who grew up on the 1970s film All the President’s Men, a visit to the Watergate Hotel is a special treat. My daughter and I take a tour of the “Scandal Room,” from where the famous burglary that toppled Richard Nixon was planned and executed.
In an election year, and with the storming of the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump still fresh in our memories, the room offers a warning from history about how power can be abused.
But none of this seems to bother our taxi driver, Fidelise, who arrived here eight years ago from troubled West Africa. “What do you think of Washington?” I ask him. “A paradise on Earth,” he replies, without the slightest trace of irony.
