Visiting Washington at the moment is somewhat interesting. COVID-19 means that a lot of things have changed, many things are closed, and almost everything has some restrictions. On top of this there are still a number of protest happening, especially close to the White House.

I stayed in Arlington so to get to DC I walked across the Key Bridge into Georgetown. The nice view above is from my walk over the bridge last night. Transit is running in DC but it is reduced at the moment due to low ridership numbers. Indeed, there have been several metro trains that I have taken with only myself and a handful of other people on them.

Walking remains a good way to get around and I have done a lot of that. I find Washington and Arlington to be very walkable and bike friendly places. Bike rentals are all over the place and so are those scooters from Lime, Lyft, Bird and others.

The US Marine War Memorial is right next to the Arlington Cemetery so if you are visiting the cemetery then make sure to make a stop to see the Marine Memorial as well. There is also a good view from here across the river to DC.

The only place I went on the DC side was the National Museum of Women in the Arts which is a fantastic art gallery. It’s one of the few museums in DC that is open right now after the latest restrictions shut down all the Smithsonian museums.

This museum presents works from many women around the world and is a highlight since women are unfortunately often underrepresented in the art world.

It’s easy walking distance from the metro and is well worth checking out. There are numerous coffee places and restaurants in the area but at the moment most of them are closed.

If you travel South from Arlington, VA and continue past Alexandria you will come across the home and also the tomb of George Washington and his wife. It’s a lovely plot of land that is now a protected area on the Potomac River. There is a nice museum here which details the history and you can take a tour inside the house itself.

George Washington was an avid gardener so there are lovely gardens to walk though as well as a barn that he built and a few nice trails through the forest. Close by the barn you can also view his tomb and the tomb of his wife.

During pre-COVID times you could take a boat trip from DC and you would end up at the ferry dock seen here. This would be a very scenic trip. The plan is to resume service in 2021 but whether that happens remains to be seen. Still, you can walk the path along the river and take the short walk down the pier.

The story is that one Christmas George Washington had a camel delivered from Alexandria. We only know this because of one short journal entry showing that he paid for the camel. Nothing else is known about it. However, each year around Christmas time the bring Aladdin, as he is called, back. If you visit in December you will see him.

George Washington built this 2 story barn (the original is gone, this is a recreation) in an attempt to process wheat from his farm. The horses would trott along the top floor of the barn and the separated wheat would fall into the lower part of the barn.