Our Favorites in Washington DC

Washington, DC, has always been one of our favorite destinations. As the nation’s capital, the federal district has a distinct character unlike any other country. With a large federal workforce and many cultural institutions, Washington is well known for its youthful dynamism and diverse demographic. On average, we visit once a year and always plan for the next return. This city never ceases to impress us, and we often joke that we should relocate there. And why not? It is cosmopolitan, liberal, cultural, and well-connected to the rest of the world.

Washington is also a city primed for derision around the country because of the dysfunctional political system in today’s America. Depending on your politics and the party currently in power, Washington, as a concept at least, is never popular in the country’s imagination. Americans always project their distrust or frustration on Washington unfairly. Ironically, the residents of Washington are the least to blame for national politics. To the shock of most foreigners, the people of Washington, DC, have no real political representation on the federal level.

Because it is not part of any of the fifty states, the city has no senator and has one lone “non-voting representative” in the House of Representatives. What does “non-voting” mean? Well, she (or he) could vote in the congressional committee but not on the house floor. The city’s motto is “Taxation Without Representation”. There has been a powerful movement for DC statehood, making it the smallest state in the union by area but still more populous than the state of Vermont or Wyoming.

United States Supreme Court

While the White House and Capitol Hill have long been on the must-see list of most visitors, there is a third branch of the federal government, and the independence of the judiciary is a major pillar of the country’s stability. For any student of history, some of the most momentous events in the United States took place at the United States Supreme Court. Contentious decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, and Bush v. Gore were made, and they sure changed the course of history. These marble steps and the front plaza are part of the public consciousness for all Americans. In just any political space, you will likely encounter demonstrations of some kind from across the political spectrum.

The current marble-clad edifice was completed in 1935 under the supervision of architect Cass Gilbert. This neoclassical temple to justice certainly looks intimidating, and it is not a space you would linger in or have a picnic in. But unlike Capitol Hill, just across the street, it is surprisingly accessible via the doorway just under the marble steps. The permanent exhibit includes the official portraits of the justices and the statue of Chief Justice John Marshall, who established the “judicial review” concept in the United States.

Anyone visiting when the court is in session can attend the oral argument session and observe the justices in action in a relatively close range. And if you are a political junkie like me, seeing one justice in real life would have been a big deal. But seeing all nine is a dream come true. A seat for the oral argument is free and is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. As a result, people often arrive as early as the night before to secure a spot for landmark cases. Your surest bet may be those mundane cases, such as those involving water rights or retroactive social benefits. Unfortunately, our visit to Washington never coincided with the active court session. To sit through an entire oral argument remains at the top of my bucket list.

Embassy Row

Embassy Row is arguably one of the most unique “attractions” in the district. Due to the United State’s status as a superpower internationally, Washington hosts an impressive 177 national embassies. All UN member states, except Cuba, Bhutan, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, all have a diplomatic representation in Washington. In the 19th century, a section of Massachusetts Avenue near DuPont Circle started attracting well-heeled business and political elites, earning the nickname the “Millionaires Row.”

During the Great Depression, financial distress caused many owners to auction off their grand mansions. Naturally, many of these magnificent buildings were gradually acquired by foreign governments for their use as embassies. Today, the neighborhood between DuPont Circle and Georgetown is one of the capital's most sought-after and architecturally magnificent neighborhoods.

To take a walk down Embassy Row was a thrill for anyone interested in international politics and world culture. One fun thing is to size up the wealth and prominence of each nation. For sure, prominent nations such as the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Russia would have their embassy in a more suburban setting due to the space requirements and the necessary security measures. Many embassies also incorporate national culture and symbolic elements into their architecture. For instance, many Nordic embassies, like Finland and Denmark, heartily embrace Modernism. Many of the contemporary purpose-built embassy buildings, like those of China and Morocco, often fuse elements of their traditional architecture into the otherwise anonymous institutional architecture.

But as the official place of business and sovereign territory, our visits were limited to the building exterior from the street. But a visit to Embassy Row is necessary if you are in Washington on the first two Saturdays of May. Officially called Around the World Embassy Tour (AWET), the event is part of the month-long festival celebrating Washington’s international cultural scheme. The “embassy tour” is comprised of open houses from a couple of dozens of embassies. Although the participating nations may vary yearly, it always seems to be a good mix and allows Americans to explore many lesser-known nations like Botswana, Azerbaijan, and Gabon.

National Portrait Gallery

Our favorite museum in the whole district must be the National Portrait Gallery, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution. Opened in 1968, the museum is America’s semi-official repository of portraits of prominent Americans, but its origin can be traced back to the late 18th century. The concept of a national portrait museum originated in London, and it took both acts of Congress and bequests from noted industrialists like Andrew Mellon. The permanent collection includes portraits of America’s political elites like presidents or Supreme Court justices and titans of American life and industries. From architect Henry Hobson Richardson and explorer Henry Hudson to poet Maya Angelou, the gallery’s vast collections serve as just as good of a survey of American history as any other museum in Washington.

Housed in the Old Patent Office Building near Chinatown, the stately building was one of the largest federal buildings at the time. Since the early days of the Federal Patent Office, extensive space for the archive of physical models was submitted with each patent application. As a result, the building interior is well-organized and perfectly suited for modern adaptation into a portrait gallery. In 2006, the gallery installed a modern steel and glass canopy designed by British architect Norman Foster. Despite his great track record at Queen Elizabeth II's Great Court of the British Museum, the modern addition generated much controversy among American preservationists and architects. Personally, I think the courtyard is one of the most relaxing public spaces in the city and a tranquil place for relaxation.

The ground level of the museum also houses many temporary exhibitions. During our several past visits, we found them to be extremely thought-provoking and timely. This exhibit, UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar, addresses the invisibility of Black Americans’ experiences in the canon of American portraiture. The artist purposefully defaces or “peels away” the widely recognizable portrait of the founding fathers to reveal the life and struggle of their enslaved persons. These artworks seem particularly poignant in a museum where traditions and orthodoxy historically prevail.

The official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama is one of the most popular piece in the whole Smithsonian.

In recent years, the museum began to attract a new generation of visitors. Many attribute it to the interest in the Official Portraits of President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama. Unveiled in 2018, these two portraits are striking and indicative of the chic images they cultivated. To illustrate their popularity, signage directs people to these two portraits from the moment they enter the building. Also, judging from the merchandising offers in the gift shop, there is little doubt the stardom of the Obamas has elevated the status of the National Portrait Gallery as an emerging and unlikely tourist hotspot.

Although many visitors go straight toward the Obamas, the presidential portrait gallery on the top floor is well worth spending an hour or so. From George Washington to Barack Obama, the presidential portraits often embody the spirit and personality of each leader. This is particularly true in the post-war era. The contrast between the conservative style of Republican presidents and the avant-garde style of their Democratic counterparts is striking. I could not even imagine what an official portrait of Donald Trump may look like. I am sure there will be a golden statue and some ungodly references. I know the day that MAGA crowds descend on the museum is coming, and I am certainly not looking forward to that.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The largest holocaust museum and memorial outside of Europe and Israel, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum may not be on the list for many first-time visitors to Washington, DC. After all, many American considers the memory of the Holocaust to be a European affair, far removed from home. Many Americans think of this country as the liberators that freed the oppressed Jews from the evil of the Nazi regime. As I mentioned in my previous post about my visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, many Americans seem to have a blind spot on the horror of the Holocaust. For many, it is easier not to think about it. And that seems to be especially the case for those on vacation. After all, it is easier to gloss over than confront the atrocity head-on.

Created after a presidential commission led by Elie Wiesel, perhaps the most famous Holocaust survivor, the museum is a national museum and memorial and an educational foundation dedicated to global peace and reconciliation. Typical of a Holocaust museum, the exhibit flows in chronological order from the economic collapse of the Weimar Republic to the rise of Nazism. But of course, the museum's goal is not to document the atrocity but to remember not to repeat it ever again. Today, the significance of the museum has been elevated, given the rise of anti-Semitism here in the United States since the election of Donald Trump.

The museum building is a post-modern masterpiece in its own right. Designed by James Ingo Freed, the long-time partner of I.M. Pei, the museum interior is a physical metaphor for the Holocaust. Freed, himself a Jewish refugee from the Third Reich, researched extensively the architecture of Germany and the visual memory of concentration camps. From the outside, the building exterior resembles the imposing facade of Washington D.C. or the austere Fascist architecture of Albert Speer. Once inside, you entered a different world. The grandiose facade quickly dissolved into a post-modern interpretation of the concentration camp. The steel and glass interior is reminiscent of the cage barbed wire and broken glass of the concentration camp. I dare to say it is perhaps the most thoughtful piece of museum architecture in the country.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Washington D.C., has its fair share of memorials dedicated to various political figures and historical events. From the towering Washington Monument to the recently inaugurated Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, the city’s collections of memorials are immense and may be somewhat overwhelming. From the design point of view, the quality of architecture and memorials is wide-ranging. On one end of the spectrum, you have the neoclassical but generic World War One memorial, which is austere and traditional. Conversely, Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial is modern and deeply moving. But if I were to pick a memorial that is the most underrated, it would undoubtedly be the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

The fireside chat with FDR’s beloved Scottish Terrier, Fala.

Sandwiched between the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial could easily be overlooked. Instead of a single towering monument, this memorial is composed of a series of sculptures spread out across a landscaped park. Described as a series of ‘outdoor rooms,’ the park depicts key moments from Roosevelt’s 12-year presidency. As the longest-serving American president, FDR presided over the most dramatic historical moments in the 20th century.

From the breadline of the Great Depression to the famous fireside chat radio broadcast, the story of Roosevelt is communicated through intimate and thoughtful settings. Designed by the noted landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, this memorial sought to tell a story through carefully chosen quotes on the walls and various schemes from the momentous events that shaped his character. As we made our way through the park, it was moving that many of his quotes still apply to our society today:

“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 20, 1937

At this particular political juncture, we are in the legacies and political achievement. Roosevelt’s words and deeds never seem so pressing and inspiring. The belief in good governance and working toward common goods seem so simple and universal back then. It was only through both shared sacrifice and ingenuity that make America the superpower of the 20th century. Roosevelt’s presidency captured the spirit of collective struggles. The memorial is decidedly reserved and humanizing for the most accomplished and beloved president in modern history. The very first sculpture you encounter is a life-size statue of Roosevelt sitting in his wheelchair. His physical frailty seems to come through in all physical depictions of the president.

Even if you are not a fan of the New Deal and big government, visiting the memorial is a must. On a practical level, the FDR Memorial is the most refreshing public space in a city known for its imposing outdoor landscape. Densely shaded by trees and dotted with soothing fountains, the ground is a refreshing refuge in your long day of sightseeing. There is also a little gift shop at the end, which lets you have a chance to pick up a terrifying-looking doll of the former First Lady.

National Gallery of Art

Branded as the National Art Museum of the United States, the National Gallery of Art is prominent on the National Mall. Its vast collection rivals well-known private art institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Art Museum or the Art Institute of Chicago. And with no admission charge for visitors, it is the second most visited museum in the country. The permanent collection provides a superb survey of Western Art. It boasts an impressive collection of Medieval and Renaissance Art and works of old masters like Albrecht Dürer, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Francisco Goya, and Eugène Delacroix. It is a who and who of the heavyweight of the European art circle. The National Gallery holds the only Leonardo da Vinci displayed in the Western Hemisphere: Ginevra de' Benci.

In typical American fashion, this art gallery for American people was founded as a private institution based on the private collections of the great industrialist Andrew Mellon. After WWII, Mellon made a series of acquisitions abroad, notably through the sales of the Hermitage State Museum by the Soviet government. Among the old masters from the Hermitage collection in the National Gallery are The Annunciation by Jan van Eyck and Saint George and the Dragon by Raphael. The museum has since attracted a steady stream of art bequests from wealthy collectors. I have read that the fundamental difference between American and European cultural institutions is that American museums typically enjoy little or no governmental funding. As a result, American museums tend to be more “innovative” than their European counterpart.

The National Art Gallery comprises two distinctive buildings: a neoclassical colossus by John Russell Pope and a modern wing to the east. The two buildings were connected via an underground passageway. The original building by Pope was the largest marble building at the time and occupied the site of the former station of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad. This spot is most famous for the assassination of President James Garfield.

The modernist architecture of Eastern Wing.

For an architect like myself, the majesty of the original building is no match to the modern East Wing building by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. Clad in pink Tennessee marble, the dynamic geometric shape of the building exudes the dynamism of modernism. From Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol to Roy Lichtenstein, the modern art collection here is also superb and is not to be missed.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Located on the National Mall, the Hirshhorn Museum somewhat stood out as the definite oddball. The striking Brutalist structure is understandably controversial, to say the least. Designed by modernist master Gordon Bunshaft, the museum is commonly described as a bomb shelter or an industrial storage tank. The gallery space is on four massive pillars to provide a free-flowing public plaza below. The blank outward facing facade certainly does not ingratiate itself to the public. However, the exhibition space is spectacular. The circular-shaped building makes getting through the exhibits a breeze; there is never an issue of wayfinding or missing out on any artwork. The curved walls certainly make displaying larger art pieces an interesting feat.

The dramatic interior courtyard with the central fountain.

The focus of the Hirshhorn Museum is contemporary and late mid-century art. With a relatively small permanent collection, the museum gave us different artwork to enjoy every time we visited. For all the misgivings people have about the visual appeal of this building, there is an amazing terrace on the upper floor. It gives you a sweeping view of the National Mall.

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