Washington DC in 40 Hours

I went to Washington from New York in October. It was my second stop in the USA. I arrived at Union Station by bus and walked around, seeing many shops and restaurants both inside the station and outside. There was a view of the Capitol and a nice park where I saw many squirrels. Then, I planned to go to my hostel. I took the underground to U Street Hostel, had dinner at a pizza shop, and rested a bit in the hostel.

In the evening, I visited the White House area and walked around, then proceeded to the Washington Monument. It was a huge monument and quite a crowded area. I took some pictures there and also saw the Lincoln Memorial from the monument. After that, I walked around the National Gallery of Art for 2-3 hours, then took the metro back to the hostel to sleep.

On the second day, I started by visiting the Capitol in Washington. There were free tickets and guides to explain the history of the Capitol and America. It began with a short movie followed by a guided tour of the building. When the guided tour finished, I went to the Library of Congress via a tunnel from the Capitol. The library was beautiful, and I took many pictures there. I also learned that I could enter the main part of the building if I were a reader. I quickly went to the administration to register as a reader and explored the area. I even borrowed a book and spent some time reading. After visiting these places, it was around 3 pm, and I realized I wanted to see more places.

I then walked to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I also visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture and walked through the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Later, I visited the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I also walked to the White House and explored the area, seeing some shops and visiting. It was interesting to see some products in the US as well.

In the evening, I walked around the Penn Quarter area and took the metro back to the hostel. I rested a bit, and then, in the evening, I walked down U Street. The neighborhood was lively even at night, with bars, restaurants, and more. The next morning, I walked down 14th Street NW to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, as I had some time before my bus departure.

There were some nice memories for me in Washington. Surprisingly, I saw some white squirrels in the park, which a photographer told me was quite rare. I also saw a hawk near the Smithsonian Pollinator Garden, which was very exciting for me. Additionally, I met some nice people in the hostel and had conversations about Washington, which added to my experience.