Washington D.C. is not only the capital of the USA, it’s also a fantastic city in its own right. Last week, it was the focal point of the world as the nation celebrated the inauguration of the new President of the United States. Like the millions of other people in D.C., I was thrilled to be a part of one of the most important moments of my generation, and the beginning of a new American movement.

Golden tickets

Unlike most of the millions of people in D.C. that week, I was in possession of not just one, but four golden tickets. Thanks to my incredible friend, who shall henceforth be called K.W., a staff member on the Obama campaign, I had tickets to the We Are One concert (yes, it was free, but there was a VIP section close to the stage), the swearing in of the president, the Western States Ball on the evening of the inauguration, and even the Staff Ball on Wednesday night. Talk about lucky.

By the end of the week I had seen almost every artist I have ever wanted to see live, from U2 and Stevie Wonder at the concert, to Aretha Franklin at the inauguration, from performances by J. Lo and Marc Anthony at the Western Ball, to a Jay-Z concert at the Staff Ball. I also heard President Obama speak four times, and each time was more inspirational and challenging than the next.

History in action

I have spent a lot of time in Washington D.C. in my life but even during the height of tourist season I have never seen anything like the chaos and joy of two million people crowding a city to celebrate history. I have always wondered what it would have felt like to stand on the Mall to watch Marian Anderson sing or hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak and finally I was able to experience something just as incredible. Standing with one million people listening to the President two days before his inauguration was remarkable. Fifty years from now, when the photographs and videos are playing on the History Channel, I will finally be able to say, “I was there”.

Sightseeing

Along with the inauguration activities, K.W. had never been to D.C. so we did a little sightseeing. Our first day was absolutely freezing so we took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus ride around the city. We didn’t actually hop on or off but we did pay $32 each to ride around the city and see it from cloudy bus windows. The tickets are good for 48 hours and if we had taken advantage of the on-and-off feature of the tour it would not be the worst way to see the city if you’re unable to walk a lot. However, the D.C. metro system is much better and for about $7 a day or $39 for a week-long pass, you can take unlimited metro rides all over the city and see it at your leisure.

All but a few of the Smithsonian museums (all free) line the National Mall so you can easily walk from one to the next without having to bother with transportation. My personal favourite museums are the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, which is amazing, and the new National Museum of the American Indian, which is absolutely beautiful. The American Indian cafe is incredible, they have delicious food all based on traditional Native American dishes. I have never seen such a delicious and freshly cooked spread at a museum cafe before, it is definitely worth a lunch stop.

Although not a part of the Smithsonians, the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave is brand new and wonderful. It is well curated, beautifully built, and is full of the history of the news (which is of course, the history of the world), stories about journalists, and the best use of technology that I have seen in a museum. Other museums worth visiting in D.C., if you don’t have time to see all of them, are the Holocaust Museum (bring tissues), the National Portrait Gallery and the National Zoo, which is sort of a museum of animals.

There are few cities in the world as beautiful as Washington D.C. From the Supreme Court, which has always sent chills down my lawyerly spine, to the Library of Congress, my favourite building in the world, to the breath-taking Capitol Building and beautiful presidential monuments, there is enough to see to spend months and years exploring and still not see it all. Whether a new president is being inaugurated or not, Washington is an incredible city to visit. And now that we have a new President and a new feeling of hope and purpose in America, the city is alive and providing inspiration for us all.

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This article was written by Kat Calvin

Kat Calvin is a law student and BAP traveler extraordinaire from mostly Seattle and Arizona. As an Army brat she has lived in all five regions of the country and Europe. She plans to spend the rest of her life after law school traveling, writing, working towards equal voting rights, and obsessing over the Obamas.