There isn’t a place like Washington, DC, our nation’s capital, the place I used to be born and raised—the place I left in fury and returned with grace. Recognized for embodying contradictions of energy, town itself was constructed on paradoxes—between idealism and corruption, democracy and forms, accessibility and exclusivity. It’s each a political orphan (“taxation with out illustration!”) and a political powerhouse. It belongs neither to the North nor to the South. It’s wealthy with historical past, each tragic and triumphant. It will probably, abruptly, be the heartbeat of change or the stillness of resignation. And whereas on the world stage, we all know it as a city outlined by its politics—the rooms of Capitol Hill, the White House, and the Supreme Court docket—to cut back it to its tortured political area could be to disregard the deeper soul of town, which is way extra fascinating than partisan gridlock. For therefore many, Washington is a house stuffed with creative magnificence, breathtaking landscapes, world-class structure, worldwide range, reinvention, transformation, and, dare I say, glamour—the place previous and future collide and the place all walks of life journey to discover.
Washington, in spite of everything, drew inspiration from 18th-century Paris when French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant was commissioned to design town following his service within the American Revolution. I’m reminded of this on my commute to Off The Record within the Hay Adams, passing the mansions of Embassy Row in direction of DuPont Circle. Town’s grid, not like in New York or Los Angeles, is geometric—diagonal avenues designed to create grand sightlines and join key landmarks, converging at circles and squares to spotlight lovely (and necessary) buildings and monuments. The focal factors, after all, are the White Home, Capitol, and Nationwide Mall, all meant to reinforce town’s grandeur.
However the grandeur can be within the particulars. As an example, stand in entrance of the National Building Museum—a shocking instance of Renaissance Revival structure, as soon as dwelling to many inaugural balls—and look as much as discover intricate gargoyles peering down, silent guardians of town’s historical past. And only a brief stroll away, the National Gallery of Art beckons with its unparalleled assortment, from da Vinci’s “Ginevra de’ Benci” to the modern works of Rothko. One other favourite is the East Constructing’s atrium, the place Alexander Calder’s “Untitled” cell dances within the air, is suspended in good concord with I.M. Pei’s sharp, geometric design—all a testomony to the residing respiration artwork scene that thrives past the politics of the Capitol.
Within the spring, Washington reveals its most poetic aspect as the cherry blossoms bloom alongside the Tidal Basin and the Nationwide Mall. Gifted by Japan in 1912, these delicate pink and white flowers remodel town into one thing nearly ethereal. The air feels softer, the monuments extra serene as petals drift like confetti throughout the reflecting pool. Locals and vacationers flock to the Cherry Blossom Pageant, snapping pictures beneath the blossoms with the Jefferson Memorial within the background or spreading out conventional picnic blankets on the grassy knolls close to the Washington Monument. In case you’d like a extra unique view of the cherry blossoms (a secret solely natives know), drive by means of the Kenwood neighborhood of Bethesda, Maryland, simply over the border, the place 1,200 Yoshino cherry timber had been planted within the Thirties. Cherry blossom season is a fleeting second of magnificence, one which reminds us that even in a metropolis outlined by the folks’s historical past, nature nonetheless reigns supreme.
Washington, DC isn’t made up of solely authorities buildings, as this view of Georgetown makes clear.
From this dreamy panorama, it’s solely a brief journey downtown to CityCenter, a modern, open-air growth that gives a style of cosmopolitan class worlds away from the political theater of Pennsylvania Avenue. And when the day requires a extra relaxed expertise, I like slipping into the elegant environment of the Jefferson Resort’s Greenhouse for a meal, or visiting Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, the previous dwelling of the late cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who had an affinity for French and Russian aristocracy. Her jewellery assortment is a must-see, that includes gorgeous items like Empress Alexandra’s nuptial crown. The property is an oasis of serenity peering over Rock Creek Park and can be dwelling to one of many nation’s most interesting orchid collections. Once I returned to Washington as an grownup, years after my dad and mom had been entangled in one of many metropolis’s many scandals, I sought refuge within the tranquil great thing about Hillwood’s gardens. Amid its sculpted landscapes and quiet class, I discovered each inspiration for my novel The Cave Dwellers and private therapeutic in my many lengthy walks with a household pal across the property whereas reconciling my previous.
Once I consider Washington right this moment, it’s greater than the backdrop of my childhood, however a spot the place I’ve felt solace and curiosity in return. From quiet moments on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to strolling Georgetown’s cobblestone streets with girlfriends, ice cream from Thomas Sweet in hand (a uncommon bipartisan favourite), I understand how town’s contradictions typically mirror my very own evolution between riot and acceptance, ambition and peace. New leaders and new insurance policies could come and go, however the fixed of town’s historical past and timeless magnificence—in all its complexity—remind me that it’s going to at all times be my beloved dwelling.
Christina McDowell is the bestselling writer of The Cave Dwellers: An American Satire and After Good: A Daughter’s Memoir. Her work has appeared within the Washington Put up, the Los Angeles Occasions, LA Weekly, USA Right now, O, The Oprah Journal, and Marie Claire, amongst different publications. She lives within the DC space along with her husband and son. To search out out extra, go to christinamcdowell.com
