Washington DC has always been confusing to me as there is also a state in the US named Washington. So here’s the thing, the state of Washington is on the west coast, a 5 hour flight from New York City but Washington D.C. (aka District of Columbia) is just an hour flight from New York. It is the nation’s capital city and federal district which houses the executive (president), legislative (congress) and the judiciary (supreme court) branches of the government of the United States. While Washington State on the other hand houses those red delicious Washington apples. lol

Lucky for us, we got the chance to visit the nation’s capital and made a little side trip to Maryland, Virginia and Philadelphia as these are close to each other.

The photo below illustrates the route we took from New York City to Washington DC. I remember making a pit stop at Maryland. For this trip, we did a rental as we have a friend with us who can drive.

Across the Lincoln Memorial is the Washington Monument built to honor George Washington, the first president of the United States.

We got a glimpse of the White House from afar.

Then we went to the Capitol after. The scenery reminds me of the series Designated Survivor 🙂

The visit made it clear to me that the White House and the Capitol are two different entities I always confuse the two as they seem to look alike. From this photo, on the left side is the Smithsonian Museum (although not seen in the photo), it was closed during that time due to the pandemic.

We had a free accommodation set up in Virginia and on our way there, we past by the Pentagon (sorry no photo).

Going back to New York, we made a stop at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC. It is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America and one of the largest in the world.

Another side trip we made was in Georgetown, a quaint town in Maryland where the historic Georgetown University is located.

Last side trip was in Philadelphia, a city in Pennsylvania where the Liberty Bell (iconic symbol of American Independence) and the Independence Hall (were the US Constitution was ratified).

The trip was very informative. Coming here was like a two- day educational tour since we learned a lot about the nation’s history.