At Global Alliance, we take the “Worldwide” in our company name very seriously. We pride ourselves in offering premium limousine services to our clientele not only in our home base of Toronto but around the globe. Through our sophisticated network of trusted worldwide affiliates, Global Alliance can provide professional chauffeured services in hundreds of international cities. We will discuss many of the major worldwide destinations served via our affiliate network on this blog. Today’s entry takes us to the monumental public spaces and the corridors of power of the capital of the United States, Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. (the D.C. stands for District of Columbia, as the federally-administered capital region is officially and often unofficially called) is the capital city of the United States and the centre of its federal governmental operations. It was the first purpose-built national capital in the New World, with its site along the banks of the Potomac chosen for its neutral, central location in comparison to the major economic and political centres of the northern and southern states. A similar capital-founding approach would be taken by other states of contemporaneous age, such as Canada (Ottawa), Australia (Canberra), New Zealand (Wellington), Brazil (Brasilia) and Turkey (Ankara).
Chartered in 1790, Washington D.C. saw the first session of the United States Congress take place in the Capitol building 1800. Its early growth was stunted by the War of 1812, which saw the Capitol and White House burned by invading British troops, but the structures were rebuilt and greatly added to as the 19th Century advanced. Although Washington D.C. proper is only the 22nd largest city in the U.S., the larger metropolitan area stretching into neighbouring states of Virginia and Maryland counts around 5.8 million inhabitants, making it the 7th largest metro region in the country.
In addition to the iconic U.S. Capitol, where Congress meets regularly to craft legislation to govern the nation, and the White House, official residence of the President of the United States, Washington D.C. features many of the most famous and frequently-visited monuments, museums, and institutions in the country. Many of these are dramatically placed along the vast public park space of the National Mall, with its manicured green spaces and massive reflecting pools.
Most famous is the neoclassical Lincoln Memorial, an American Parthenon dedicated to the eloquent President that won the Civil War and was assassinated for his trouble (Ford’s Theatre, where Honest Abe was shot, is a National Historic Site in the city). The towering obelisk of the Washington Monument is another well-known landmark, as are memorials to Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the nation’s dead in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
In addition to the White House and Capitol Hill, major government institutions in Washington include the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, as well as the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, both located across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia. Numerous national museums are also located along the National Mall, including the National Gallery of Art and the 19 free museums of the Smithsonian Institution (which also runs the National Zoo in the northern suburb of Woodley Park).
Although driven by federal governmental operations, Washington D.C. is a varied and rich modern city, with many fine shops, boutiques, restaurants, and bars, often in historic neighbourhoods featuring notable heritage architecture. Some of these areas, including Georgetown and Logan Circle, are local bywords for style, luxury, and success.
Washington D.C. is served by three major airports. Washington Dulles International Airport in Fairfax, Virginia is the main international hub for the region, while Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport handles more domestic air traffic. Most distant but still proximal to D.C. is Baltimore-Washington International in Maryland, the busiest airport in the Capital Region.
Please feel free to contact Global Alliance Worldwide Chauffeured Services for all of your transportation needs in Washington D.C.