Easy D.C

Yesterday was a great day, and showed why it was definitely worth having a few days in the American capital. I met a lad called Brian in the hostel, who is undertaking a trip that has me very jealous. Starting in his home town of Fort Collins, Colorado, he is biking around the perimeter of the U.S.A. That's right, the whole shebang. He's already crossed Texas, Florida and more and he's now heading up the East coast. I've totally been put in my place.

We both went down to the White House initially. It's pretty cool to say you've been but it is what it is: a house that's white. More interesting was a woman who has camped across the street protesting nuclear weapons since 1981! She wasn't actually sat there when we walked past; some hippies were looking after it while she went to a nearby cafe for a shower. A much more interesting Washington residence in my opinion. Probably stinks inside though.

Around the city you are treated to a slew of sights. There's the giant Washington memorial which is very big, very phallic and very American. There's the more impressive Lincoln Memorial, which gave some great views of the city and with a more poignant message. There's also various war memorials, which I guess is to be expected with America - World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. There's statues of war generals on just about every street, most of whom I don't know, and even a memorial to Albert Einstein. All around were memorials and Asian people taking photos of them, most bizarre being the smiling Koreans at the Korean War memorial. They were probably looking for the Hard Rock Cafe.

Perhaps the most interesting area was the Arlington Cemetery, resting place to thousands of fallen soldiers and containing the remains of JFK. Americans can be a bit sentimental but this is one tragedy that really was and remains tragic. Just as moving was the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, where one lonely guard patrolled the mausoleum - much like the old lady patrolled the gates of the White House, both seemingly suspended in time. (You might note the use of parallels there - that English degree is really getting its money's worth).

Food is never far from the mind in America, and Brian had a tip from some jazz singer he met about a place called 'Ben's Chili Bowl.' What a find! Completely off of the tourist trail, it was a black-owned and operated diner specialising in 'half-smokes' (fat hot dogs essentially) that are covered in onions, mustard and some incredible chili. Better still were the famous patrons of this place. Bill Cosby got to eat there for free, but even cooler was the big picture of Obama laughing away in the restaurant. It's apparently one of his favourite places in the city and he even bought that French idiot Sarcozy there. I washed it down with some sweet tea, which is iced tea...but sweeter. As an Englishman I should have hated it but it worked a treat.

After finding an ice-cream place that did cake batter flavour - as good as it sounds - we wandered the city and took in more sights. Some, such as Ford's Theatre where Lincoln was assassinated, were a little too touristy, but there were enough interesting buildings and local nutters to keep us occupied. Again, I would recommend a visit here; the amount I covered in one day shows how compact it is and easy to get around. And I'll say again: 'Ben's Chili Bowl.'

Today I'm off to see some of the Smithsonian museums, which are all brilliant and best of all...free! Keep reading away while you can, because you'll have a day without me when I take a nice and easy seventeen-hour train to the Windy City!