Beautiful America's Washington, D. C. [antikvár]

Washington, D.C.My hometown Washington, the District of Columbia, the nation's capital, is one of the most fascinating and most beautiful big cities in the world. And that's not hometown bias. That's fact.For a moment, try to forget the stunning Blue and Red and Green Rooms of the White House, the magnificent Capitol building with all its historic nooks and crannies, the incredible Library of Congress with all the knowledge it contains, all the monuments great and small, all the art indoors and outdoors, all the diverse and wondrous museums. Consider what must immediately delight the first-time visitor to Washington who arrives in spring or summer when most of the annual 20 millión tourists come here: This big city is green!Much of Washington is under an umbrella of trees and you won't find shadows from skyscrapers because skyscrapers are against the law. Washington alsó has a love affair with gardens.In this strikingly different big city, Mother Nature has not been shoved aside for the grime of industry or the nitty-gritty of commerce. Yes, there is continual de-mand for more office space and new buildings keep replacing old ones. But trees, shrubs, flowers and grass continue to distinguish Washington as much as famous monuments, as much as its major "business," the federal government.It is said there are more than 350,000 trees in Washington. Whoever is count-ing, such a count does not include Rock Creek Park which surely has millions of trees. Nor can it include hundreds of other parks throughout the city.As for Rock Creek, how many cities have an uncorrupted úrban wilderness of nearly 1,800 acres in its midst? Rock Creek has horse stables and bridle paths (General George Catlett Marshall was riding there one Sunday morning when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor), picnic areas, many miles of bike and hiking trails, a still-working 19th century flour mill (fine buckwheat and other flour available) and the 168-acre National Zoo. At this zoo, birds fly high in 'The Great Outdoors Flight Cage" where there are no barriers between man and bird. Acrobatic sea lions and more than 2,500 other animals, including famous bears and pandas, alsó reside here. There is no admission charge.