Washington DC: That buzzy feel in the city where Potus, power and politics cohabit Smithsonian
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by Sujoy Dhar
IBNS: Securing a vantage seat in the upper deck of a hop-on-hop-off bus (read Big Bus Tours), you can feel like just another average visitor to Washington DC doing some touristy things.
But trust me, to discover the sprawling, green canvas of the US capital that is a blend of Victorian, Georgian and Regency architecture and quite unlike the skyscraper-packed American cities, you need this open bus tour.
So as a first thing before you explore the free Smithsonian museums or take a picture outside the White House or be amazed by the tree-lined Washington neighborhoods like Georgetown with architecturally appealing Victorian rowhouses and townhouses, experience an average tourist thing.
Image: Situated on the Tidal Basin, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, dedicated by President Roosevelt on April 13, 1943, stands in a straight line with the White House. Architect John Russell Pope designed it influenced by Jefferson’s taste in classical architecture. Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, first Secretary of State for the United States of America, and a complex, 19th-century man with a wide ranging impact on the very makeup of America itself.
Hop on to this bus (Big Bus Tours) for a Washington DC bus tour to get that scratching-the-surface introduction to the city’s iconic landmarks from the top deck. And remember, you can always hop on and off. It does not inhibit your freedom to choose. I did exactly that.
Image: Explore Washington DC from the upper deck of hop-on-hop-off tour of Big Bus.
I actually ended up spending most of my time at the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the grand vista of the National Mall.
Lincoln Memorial and a walk to National Mall
