Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2015 | Page 137

Travel | Washington DC

135

© Cameron Whitman / Shutterstock; © Steve Heap / Shutterstock; ©Lewis Tse Pui Lung / Shutterstock

Celebrate the
National Cherry
Blossom Festival

Find blooms and
bonsai at the
National Arboretum
While the Tidal Basin blooms
draw the biggest crowds, there
are other places to experience
cherry blossoms. The National
Arboretum boasts cherry
blossoms, as well as an extensive
Asian Gardens collection and the
National Bonsai collection.
Selain Tidal Basin,
National Arboretum juga
memiliki bunga sakura serta
koleksi Asian Garden dan
National Bonsai yang lengkap.

Look closely around
DC and it’s not hard
to spot other gifts
and influences from
around the world.

At the centre of this grid is the
Capitol Building, the seat of the US
government. The building’s towering
dome can be spotted from many points
in the city. Yes, it sits on a hill (Capitol
Hill, to be exact), but citywide height
restrictions guarantee the rest of the
buildings in DC will stay below 11
storeys. This has caused the city to
spread out rather than up, meaning
you won’t find the skyscrapers that
characterise other US cities. The
definitive architectural style in DC –
especially of government buildings –
is neoclassical, with tall columns and
strict symmetry giving nod after nod
to the Greeks and Romans.
Even the main avenue of cherry blossom
trees spreads between two monuments
patterned after distant times and places.
The obelisk-shaped Washington
Monument, an ode to the first US
president, is a tapered pillar inspired by
the ancient Egyptians. At the other end,
the Jefferson Memorial has a portico
modelled after the Pantheon of Rome.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial and George Mason Memorial
are also adjacent to the Tidal Basin and
flanked by cherry blossoms. Follow the
blooms for a self-guided, and greatly
abridged, US history lesson.
Another famous gift to DC can be
found in Chinatown, just north of the
National Mall. The Friendship Archway
is a traditional green and gold gate
erected to celebrate camaraderie with
Beijing, a sister city of DC. It wasn’t
long ago that travellers were warned
not to wander in this neighbourhood
after dark. Today, it’s bustling thanks
to the addition of the Verizon Center
sports and entertainment complex,
where the Washington Wizards
(basketball) and Washington Capitals
(ice hockey) play. Nearby, CityCenterDC
is a newly opened mix of apartments,
offices, restaurants and high-end stores,
including Burberry and Kate Spade.
But you don’t need to spend a whole lot
of money to enjoy DC. There are dozens

The city’s Union Station is
one of the busiest train stations
in the country.
One of DC’s newest monuments
is this tribute to civil rights leader
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Union Station is more than
just a place to come and go – you
can also shop, dine and admire
the architecture.

Dine on a traditional
Japanese dish
As an international
crossroads, DC is home to
exceptional global cuisine,
including sushi. A meal at hip
Kushi, family-friendly Tono
Sushi or date-worthy The
Source by Wolfgang Puck at the
Newseum would all complement
a day of flower festivities.
Sebagai tempat perlintasan
internasional, DC adalah
surga kuliner, seperti sushi.
Bersantap di Kushi yang populer,
di Tono Kushi yang pas untuk
keluarga atau di The Source by
Wolfgang Puck, yang terdapat
di Newseum bisa melengkapi
hari Anda saat festival.