Washington DC is by far America's most majestic city. Beauty abounds here in so many forms. It's hard to visit Washington DC without gaining inspiration at some point, and if one leaves the city without a certain pride and loyalty, I speculate one has missed the point and perhaps has not paid attention at all. Washington DC is the most magnificent city in the US in that no other city more readily and enthusiastically celebrates. . . well, celebrates America! Sure, other cities have monuments and memorials that evoke patriotism, like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia or the Statue of Liberty in New York City, but only Washington DC is dominated by these icons. You can scarcely look anywhere in D.C. and not see some monument, or gift, or remembrance, or tribute to someone or something.

Washington is a truly remarkable city. It's only a 45-minute drive from my home in Gaithersburg, Md. and I go there often to walk, sit, think, and reflect. Washington has a special significance to me as I have been though a lot in that city; several good times, and many bad times. Since I often use the district as a sort of cathartic hideaway, I have come to associate it with a degree of depression, confusion, and remorse. When times are tough and I'm feeling sad, you will often find me there; sitting by some statuette or symbol, gazing off into God knows where, daydreaming or flashbacking, trying to think or remember or feel.

In D.C. you can do that. It's like no other city I know. Except for maybe Paris. Most cities are strewn with hundreds and thousands of skyscraping buildings jetting non-scenically into the sky above. You won't find that in Washington DC. There's a city ordinance that prohibits such Goliath structures, making for a scene that resembles more a rural theme-park than an industrial state. Supposedly, when L'EnFant laid the plans for Washington DC, he designing it in the mold of Paris, complete with grassy fields, long reflecting pools, and a sense of beauty that would be lost in an urbanized relative. Unfortunately, he never saw his brilliant plans come to pass, dying penniless and poor, in the city he loved. Some years ago, his remains were moved to a special location in Arlington National Cemetery. The new site lies on a hill across the Potomac opposite the monuments, where his grave forever gazes upon his completed vision.