The District of Columbia is unlike any other city in the country. The district is not only home to the Nation’s capital, but it is also not a part of any state. Have you ever seen a D.C. license plate? They have “taxation without representation” written on them. While Washingtonians pay taxes like everyone else, we have no one to speak up for us in congress. Even our budget has to be approved by congress.
Other than all the political reasons, D.C. is different from everywhere else because it brings history alive and combines a variety of cultures. You’ll never run out of things to do in the district as a college student. Here are the best free things to do right now:
1. Go to the zoo.
Lions, and tigers, and bears oh my! You’ll find all of those and more when you visit the Smithsonian National Zoo. What could be cuter than baby pandas (panda cam!!), otters and tigers? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Visit with friends or go on a casual date here. The zoo will have plenty of animals for you to see no matter what season. Make sure you go when it’s not too cold out so that you get to see what it’s like when the animals are in the outdoor enclosures. If you’re lucky you’ll get outside the ape house and see an orangutan climbing the ropes above your head. Plus walking back up the giant hill at the end of you visit will definitely be just the workout your calves needed!
2. Visit the Georgetown Waterfront
Recently reopened after what felt like years worth of renovation, the new Georgetown Waterfront is one of the best places in town to spend a sunny afternoon. Whether you enjoy a picnic in the grass, read on the stairs by the water or sit on the ledge and watch the crew teams row by, the waterfront is the perfect spot for the quiet and relaxing afternoon you need after a week of classes.
If you get hungry or decide you need some retail therapy, the waterfront is a short walk away from the heart of Georgetown and everything it has to offer.
3. Walk Embassy Row
While most people have been “monumenting”, very few people have ever gone embassy hopping. How many of the houses on Embassy Row can you name without reading the plaque? Can you tell by the flags or decorations?
Embassy Row is the best example of all the different cultures that D.C. welcomes and supports. While not every embassy is located here (Swedish Embassy, I’m talking about you), a good portion of them are. Turn it in to a competition by seeing who can figure out which country it is the fastest or who can get the most right.
Embassy hopping is “monumenting”’s ugly step sister that everyone forgets about. Yet this just might be one of D.C.’s best kept secrets. There’s no other city in the country where you can do this, so make sure to add this one to your list of weekend activites.
While you may have to wait for the president’s motorcade to pass by or groan at the sight of the red line being delayed again just remember that’s how things are in the District. We wouldn’t have it any other way!