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For much of the 20th century, U Street, NW was the main street of this bustling and prosperous African-American neighborhood. Opened as a movie theater in 1922, the Lincoln Theater has now been refurbished and presents performances of every kind. Next door is the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl, turning out great simple food for capacity crowds. The legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington played his first paid performance at True Reformer Hall at the junction of 12th and U Street, NW. The poignant sculpture and plaza of the African-American Civil War Memorial commemorates African-Americans who served in the Civil War.

Opened in 1907, this magnificent Beaux Arts building is still a fully functional transportation hub. The lofty barrel-vaulted concourse, decorated with 70 lbs (32 kg) of gleaming gold leaf, is one of the great public spaces in the city – the Washington Monument, laid on its side, would easily fit within its length. Over 23 million people pass through the station each year. A $160 million restoration, completed in 1988, made the terminal an important retail and entertainment center, with over 130 shops, numerous restaurants, and a 9-screen cinema, as well as expanding its transportation role.

Long valued by Capitol Hill residents as a quiet retreat, the Botanic Garden conservatory is better than ever after its recent four-year restoration. The 4,000 living plants here are arranged into themes and biosystems, such as Plant Exploration, Jungle, Oasis, Medicinal Plants, and many others. The wedge-shaped National Garden, adjacent to the west, includes glorious outdoor displays in a water garden, a rose garden, and a showcase garden.

Symbolizing both government power and the control of that power by the people, the Capitol crowns the east end of the National Mall (see Events in the US Capitol’s History).

The view from the 555 ft high (170 m) monument (see Jefferson Memorial) is spectacular. The ride in the elevator is interesting because high-tech windows become transparent or opaque in a wink.

Dockside cafés, good restaurants, lovely views of the Potomac and the Kennedy Center, the Watergate complex, and the Thompson boathouse, walkways for strolling, and benches for resting make the harbor a magnet for Georgetowners on warm evenings. The Washington Harbor residential and commercial building is an architectural exuberance designed by Arthur Cotton Moore and Associates.

This noble hand-crafted church is so faultless that the cathedral seems to have belonged on its elevated site forever.

Highly interactive exhibits and scheduled demonstrations at the National Air and Space Museum explain the principles that make flight possible. Kids can understand natural animal flight and human flight in contraptions from balloons to the space shuttle (see National Air and Space Museum).