Washington, D.C. Review

I just returned from a trip to Washington, DC, and I would have to say that overall, I had a very good time. I think the best way for me to write my review is to just list the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. It's a great place to learn about history and government.  There is a tremendous amount of museums, monuments, and other tourist attractions devoted to that purpose.
2. Most of the aforementioned attractions are have free admission.
3. The city has an excellent mass transit system.  The metro will take you to, or at least close to, just about anything you want to see.  It's also an easy system to navigate.  I learned how to get around very quickly.
4. The city, for the most part, is clean and safe.  I've heard that there are some seedy areas away from the national mall, but what city doesn't have some kind of bad area?  (The national mall, for those who don't know, is the area where the vast majority of the monuments, as well as the bulk of the Smithsonian, is located.)
5. Washington's Reagan National Airport is located on a metro line, so it's very easy to travel from there to the rest of the city.  Be warned, though, that the metro doesn't start running until about 8:00am on weekends, so you might want to take that into consideration when booking your flights.  I wound up having to take a taxi back to the airport on the morning I left.

Cons:

1. They say New York is the city that doesn't sleep.  Well, Washington is the city that likes to sleep in.  Most of the museums and attractions don't open before 10:00am.  That's maddening to a morning person like me.
2. The museums may be free, but the food sure isn't.  You know how expensive it is to eat at an airport?  Well, imagine staying for a week at the airport, and that's what it's like to eat in the national mall area.
3. There are a lot of hotels in the area, but it's hard to find a good, well situated hotel at a reasonable price.  I wound up having to name my own price on Priceline, and I got very lucky in the process.
4. Washington is a very popular tourist destination, especially among school children, so expect to have to deal with crowds.  I'm not crazy about crowds, but some people don't mind.

It has been said that the traffic in Washington is terrible.  I used public transportation for my entire trip, so I can't say for sure.  What I can tell you is that the mass transit system is very well developed to the point that with some planning, you shouldn't need a car.

I think every American should visit Washington at least once in his or her lifetime.  It's important to understand what it means to be an American, to understand the principles on which this nation was founded, and to understand the sacrifices that were made to preserve what we have.  Washington is great place to do those things.  There may be some annoyances along the way, but what you gain from the experience will more than outweigh those annoyances.