Washington DC, where Presidents are born

What’s important about this state is the ‘DC’, without it, you could inadvertently find yourself in a Grey’s Anatomy episode or stranded atop the Olympic Range; similarly those that have accidentally traveled to the East coast in search of Seattle might find themselves sat opposite Obama, discussing matters of international political significance. I know that this sort of mistake is highly improbably, but I’m using it as a segue into my recommendation that should most definitely visit DC if you get the chance.

Until now, my proclivity for city-dwelling has been at odds with Lucan’s inherent dislike of crowds, concrete and cars - that was until we spent the day wandering around the President’s neighborhood. With clean, expansive roads; a plethora of free and fabulous museums as well as super friendly locals it’s not hard to see why the tourists flock.

Our serendipitous arrival, late on a Saturday night, in December, meant that not only were the streets clear, the parking was free - perfect for two gypsies with an otherwise expensive pastime. The following day started with a trip to the White House, which is smaller than most Walmarts, and a little less hectic; but thrilling nonetheless. From there we walked down ‘The Mall’, which is home to fifteen Smithsonian institutions, including the American History Museum, Natural History Museum and Air and Space Museum. Impending Christmas plans meant that we could only stay for the day, and so we were limited to the three museums listed above. As you might expect, twenty-four is at least a week short of what you actually need to explore this area properly, but trust me, it’s twenty-three hours more than you need to decide on a return trip.

Of all three museums my favourite, without doubt, was the Air and Space one. It’s worth noting at this point that my grievances with the film Interstellar withstand, perhaps more so, now that I have experienced how truly compelling space talk can actually be. I’m sorry Hollywood, but maybe you should let Nasa do all the talking from now on. In less than two hours I developed an interest in space, that had it been harnessed earlier, might have resulted in a career as an astronaut. Well maybe not, but let me put it this way: if British students had the chance to look at Apollo rather than the high street of Walton on Thames, how many headaches do you think would have been feigned on the day of that school trip?