Washington

Fülszöveg

To foreigners, Washington, D.C. is the
most powerful capital in the world; to Ame-
ricans, Washington is everyone's city, a
place where they can touch base with their
heritage. Few Washingtonians are natives
of their city, yet no matter how different
their backgrounds, they all take great pride
in their adopted hometown, the Washing-
ton in which they live and work.
Pierre L'Enfant originally designed the
city with dimensions "proportionate to the
greatness which the Capital of power-
ful Empire ought to manifest." It is not
difficult to envision this from the western
terrace of the Capitol, where the view
sweeps out over the city, past the monu-
ments and, in the mind's eye, stretches
west out across the rntire country. Though
parts of L'Enfant's design have been ig-
nored or altered, the basic pattern remains,
and more recently, efforts have been re-
newed to conform to the original plan in
which space and nature play such an im-
portant part.
For all... Tovább

Fülszöveg

To foreigners, Washington, D.C. is the
most powerful capital in the world; to Ame-
ricans, Washington is everyone's city, a
place where they can touch base with their
heritage. Few Washingtonians are natives
of their city, yet no matter how different
their backgrounds, they all take great pride
in their adopted hometown, the Washing-
ton in which they live and work.
Pierre L'Enfant originally designed the
city with dimensions "proportionate to the
greatness which the Capital of power-
ful Empire ought to manifest." It is not
difficult to envision this from the western
terrace of the Capitol, where the view
sweeps out over the city, past the monu-
ments and, in the mind's eye, stretches
west out across the rntire country. Though
parts of L'Enfant's design have been ig-
nored or altered, the basic pattern remains,
and more recently, efforts have been re-
newed to conform to the original plan in
which space and nature play such an im-
portant part.
For all the quiet grandeur of this city of
imposing monuments and government
buildings, spread out along the Potomac
River and surrounded by spacious malls
and gardens, one immediately senses the
driving pulse, the intense vibrations that
seem to emanate fom Capitol Hill, the
White House, the State Department, the
Pentagon and Embassy Row.
The many beautiful color and black-and-
white photographs portray these outward
symbols of power as well as the many
other facets that make up Washington.
Here also is historic Georgetown with its
colorful curio shops and cafés and its
charming Federalist row houses, now the
homes of many congressmen and sena-
tors. Many other enclaves add their partic-
ular flavor — Capitol Hill, now the hottest
area of restoration; Foggy Bottom with the
Kennedy Center and Watergate; China-
town, and Alexandria, across the river in
Virginia.
Breathtaking panoramas of the city are
seen from the Washington Monument and
from Arlington House, above the Kennedy
grave sites, across the river in Arlington
National Cemetery.
(Continued from front flap)
Washington is a growing cultural and art
center with more museums, art galleries,
openings and international exhibitions
than in any other American city of com-
parable size. The largest museum in the
world, the Smithsonian Institution, has a
collection numbering over 75 million items,
only 2 percent of which are on display at
any one time. Here also is the Freer Gal-
lery, the National Art Gallery, Dumbarton
Oaks, as well as the Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts.
Washingtonians can be seen taking re-
creation as serioustly as their work —
boating on the Potomac, kite-flying on the
Ellipse, jogging and biking through Rock
Creek Park and along the old C. & O.
Canal.
The entire commentary is given by the
people who live here, reflecting a genuine
enthusiasm for their city. Fresh from its
refurbishing to celebrate the bicentennial
and to welcome in the new administration,
Washington, D.C. is truly brought up-to-
date in this American photo album. Vissza