That the marshy swamp where WASHINGTON DC now stands was chosen as the site of the capital of the newly independent United States of America says a lot about then-prevalent attitudes toward government. Washington, District of Columbia (the boundaries of the two are identical) - also known as " DC " and " The District " - can be unbearably hot and humid in summer, and bitterly cold in winter. Such an unpleasant climate, it was hoped, would discourage elected leaders from making government a full-time job. This disdain for politics is still apparent: DC is run as a virtual colony of Congress, where residents have just one, nonvoting representative and couldn't vote in presidential elections until the 23rd Amendment was passed in 1961.

Other than the federal government, tourism is DC's biggest industry. The city attracts almost twenty million visitors each year. Conveniently, most arrive in midsummer, when the lawmakers have gone home, so overcrowding is rarely a problem. The nation's showcase puts on quite a display for its guests, and admission to virtually all major attractions is free. The most famous sites are concentrated along the central Mall , including the White House, individual memorials to four of the greatest presidents, and the superb museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Downtown, however (broadly speaking the area immediately north of the Mall, between the White House and the Capitol), can seem very empty, even intimidating, at night, and you're more likely to spend your evenings in the hotels and restaurants of the city's more motherly neighborhoods, such as historic Georgetown , arty Dupont Circle and the funkier Adams -Morgan district.

Because the city was built from scratch, Washington's regular town plan is easy to grasp. Centered on Capitol Hill and its governmental monoliths, the District is divided into four quadrants - northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. Dozens of broad avenues , all named after states, run diagonally across a standard grid of streets , meeting up at monumental traffic circles like Dupont Circle. North-south streets are numbered, east-west ones are lettered. There's no J Street, an intentional slight to early Supreme Court Justice John Jay, or X, Y or Z Street. I Street is often written Eye Street. Be sure to note the relevant two-letter code in any address (NW, NE, SW, SE), which shows its quadrant; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW is a long way from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave SE.

Until you get your bearings, stick to the established tourist trail; almost all the most famous sights are on Capitol Hill or in the comparatively affluent northwest quarter. To the west of the Capitol, the broad, green Mall holds monuments to presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt , as well as the White House , official home of the current president. Also here are the bulk of the city's many marvelous museums, including the national collections of the Smithsonian Institution .

However, there is more to Washington than an endless succession of museums and monuments, and it's well worth your time to search out the many attractive neighborhoods . Despite its reputation, most of the city is in surprisingly good shape, with row after row of nineteenth-century brick-fronted houses set along leafy boulevards. Between the Mall and the main spine of Pennsylvania Avenue - the parade route connecting Capitol Hill to the White House - the Neoclassical buildings of the Federal Triangle offer a sobering contrast to the rest of the city's neighborhoods. North and east of here, what's known as Old Downtown has been revitalized after years of neglect, and now features new plazas, galleries and restaurants alongside its traditional attractions, like the FBI Building, Old Post Office and the theater associated with President Lincoln's assassination. The area around the MCI Center , particularly along Seventh St NW, is fast developing as an entertainment and nightlife scene, with a good selection of bars and restaurants. The oldest area, Georgetown , where popular bars and restaurants now line M Street and Wisconsin Avenue above the Potomac River , actually precedes the establishment of the District. Georgetown is a fifteen-minute walk from the Foggy Bottom -GWU Metro but its Federal-era and Victorian townhouses and the towpath along the C&O Canal make it a fine target for a day's poking about. Other neighborhoods to check out - especially for eating and drinking - are Dupont Circle at Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire avenues, which pulls a dynamic mix of urban professionals of all stripes, and the gentrifying Latin immigrant community of Adams-Morgan , a favored destination of the weekend party crowd that's a short walk from Dupont Circle up 18th Street at Columbia Road.

Most DC visitors also take the short Metro ride to Arlington in Virginia to see the National Cemetery, President John F. Kennedy's burial place and the Pentagon.