Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/821088
SPRING/SUMMER 2017 DREAMSCAPES 33 those seen in Paris. The master plan draws on baroque models, with anchored axes that clarify power centres such as the legislative and judiciary buildings. Pennsylvania Avenue, the primary axis, runs from the Capitol Building to the White House. L'Enfant designed a 1.6-kilometre-long Grand Avenue with open, green spaces that ran west from the congressional building. Today, this has evolved into the three-kilo- metre National Mall, one of the most ambitious urban landscapes in the world, lined with elm trees and the nation's greatest monuments and museums. The mostly pristine parkland runs from the Capitol to the Potomac River, and includes landmarks such as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial with its masonry and concrete cylinder and Corinthian portico, which was inspired by the Roman Pantheon. D.C.'s most notable column, the 169-metre- tall Washington Monument obelisk features a marble and masonry exterior and an alu- minum capstone. Further down, the Lincoln Memorial at the mall's west end serves as a counterpoint to the Capitol Building. There are also grandiose Smithsonian buildings, America's most exquisite collec- tion of museums. Twelve museums are found across 11 city blocks. Frugal travellers should be delighted to know entrance is free. The mall is the monumental core of Washington and attracts millions of visitors. The city's architectural styles are diverse, ranging from neoclassical standouts like the Jefferson Memorial to minimalist, modern structures such as the National Gallery East Building by legendary architect I.M. Pei. With its H-shaped, lavender-pink marble façade, this is one of the most distinct buildings in Washington. Numerous events take place in the National Mall. This is America's front yard, where people from all walks of life gather to tour, rally or just gaze at the confluence of nature and human-made structures. A FAMOUS RESIDENCE Moving onto 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, America's most famous house is geometri- cally diagonal to Capitol Hill. The building's 18 th -century British Colonial architecture features the work of Irish immigrant and artillery captain James Hoban who was inspired by a mid-18 th -century Irish palace where Ireland's current parliament is held. Except for George Washington, all U.S. pres- idents have lived in this storied building. Its semicircular south portico was added in 1824, creating the building's signature façade. President Theodore Roosevelt for- mally named this residence the White House, back in 1902. The building not only represents the president, but the entire fed- eral executive branch. Simultaneously a source of national pride and political scorn, the White House has a diametrical quality. During my first visit to D.C. in the winter of 1994, I noticed a multitude of tourists having photos taken OPPOSITE TOP: The dome situated above the United States Capitol is 29 metres in diameter. LEFT: Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the White House has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ABOVE: The World War II Memorial is situated in the National Mall's central axis. Courtesy washington.org