As King Charles concludes his state visit to the United States this week, there’s no better moment to reflect on the shared history, pageantry and politics that have long defined the relationship between Britain and America. In this evocative feature for the Arb, Sophie McLean traces the stories of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia, uncovering the people, places and moments that shaped a nation as it approaches its 250th anniversary…
‘If only these walls could talk’ so says a placard inside the Old Ebbitt Grill, a restaurant and bar – and oldest Saloon in Washington D.C. What was once also a hotel still makes its home on ‘newspaper row’ where the good and the bad have cast and weaved their real life stories as much as those that also made it into print. Hacks still hang out here, alongside visitors to the District of Colombia eager to catch a glimpse of life as it once used to be through its ever-colourful modern day lens.
Photo by Brandon Mowinkel (courtesy of Unsplash)
As the U.S.A gears up to celebrate its 250th anniversary this July there is undoubtedly much history to be considered in this country-across-the-pond’s relatively short lifetime. Not only is Washington D.C, home to POTUS, key locations and sites made famous for different significant reasons, but there are also no fewer than 82 museums documenting everything that the U.S.A has come to stand for and beyond.
After arriving at Dulles international, on our second day we find our way towards the impressive National Museum of the American Indian which offers a must-visit poignant look at this community’s experiences through the Trail of Tears, the ‘real’ story of Pocahontas (who is buried in Gravesend, Essex), the vibrant impact the community still has on current society, as well as serving up American-Indian cuisine in the museum’s café restaurant.
Little Bighorn gallery at the National Museum of the American Indian (photo by Studio Joseph, courtesy of NMAI)
The same evening, we take the very excellent USA Guided Tours dusk excursion around the city, smashing through over 18,000 steps over the course of the whole day and, care of our guides, filling ourselves in on what the capital city has to offer against a slowly setting sun. War memorials and presidential statues abound, giving nods to the role that the U.S has played across these many significant global events, and those who guided them from a U.S perspective.
Views onto The White House, where we also glimpse the Marine One helicopter arriving under the roof snipers’ watch, are witnessed from underneath the huge Grecian style columns where Jefferson’s enormous statue sits – his gaze looking onto a different part of history from that of his own course, instigated 200 years earlier.
More social history is documented later that night back at the Round Robin bar in the opulently decorated Willard InterContinental hotel, otherwise dubbed The ‘Residence of Presidents’ for having hosted every U.S. President since the 1850s. Abraham Lincoln was smuggled into the hotel here shortly before his inauguration; while guests often found Ulysses S. Grant in the lobby drinking whiskey and smoking his signature cigars.
Hotel concierge tells us the word ‘lobby’ was coined here for the number of lobbyists who would take their chances on persuading the views of these such high-level guests. We order Mint Juleps, where the cocktail was first created in 1847, served up in silver cauldron style cups, and enjoyed with as much refreshment from a long day of history as if it was the first time.
Stepping outside of the city we make our way over to the neighbouring state of Maryland, reached by crossing the scenic Chesapeake Bay, ascribed to history for being the place where the first English were received into the U.S. This scenic destination, like The Willard, is also known for being a favourite destination for hosting society weddings. With beautiful weatherboard venues such as Kent Island Resort, where we sip sundowners on the verandah, it’s not hard to see why local brides and those from further afield are attracted to coming.
Whilst colonial history can be found inside state courthouses and the model-village ambience of Stevensville where historic buildings are open to the public every first Saturday of the month, more modern slices of history can be fished from the water. The tinned crab and oyster trade has thrived here since the late 1800s, manufactured in Baltimore slightly further north, a household vision as prevalent in kitchen pantries here as Campbell’s tomato soup.
Boat trips with a local storyteller out onto the bay provide the perfect prelude to lunch or dinner at local eateries that rightly pride themselves on crustacean and mollusc-mad menus – with September to November being the best time to find the hallowed sweeter Blue Crab. Try the Jetty Restaurant and Dock Bar or The Narrows, each with pretty views onto the water and their watermen, some belonging to the african-american community ‘making a way out of no way’ who continue to contribute to Queen Anne’s county modern day makeup.
Thomas Point Lighthouse, Chesapeake Bay (photo courtesy Visit Annapolis)
On a third state stop we make our way into Virginia, which neighbours Washington D.C on the other side, driving further north up the Potomac river whilst admiring the astounding wealth that the mansion houses here depict viewed through their leafy estates in McLean county (I am yet to discover any known personal familial connection, alas). We arrive at The Great Falls – another site of enormous dimensions, this time of natural creation. As vast amounts of water tumbles from great heights down onto the landscape below, its furore reminds us there is no greater power than that of Mother Nature.
This pretty pit stop invites thoughts of long summer days under the cool shade of enormous Virginia pine and eastern red cedar trees, picnics and familial gatherings. A little way further south we pass through Richmond and arrive at Williamsburg, colonial home and first Virginia state capital, defined by pretty historical buildings, 80% of which are original and the town’s thriving University.
Dinner at Christina Campbell’s tavern reminds us of times gone by in of-the-era fashion, both in attire and cuisine. With previous presidents counted amongst original guests of the tavern, as well as the backdrop to this town’s history, we enjoy a glass of Barboursville Virginia Chardonnay – wine, like tobacco and corn, a subject close to President Jefferson in particular’s heart.
A final stop spits us out of our bus onto Mount Vernon, George Washington’s summer home, and his final place of rest – frequently celebrated with wreath laying ceremonies outside his tomb. A new visitor centre will open here this year as extensive renovations also take place on the house itself – a ‘mere’ ten bedrooms in size, made of wood and rusticated with sand to make it look like stone.
West Front of the Mansion at Mount Vernon (photo courtesy of mountvernon.org)
Washington loved cricket, was a fan of reading Capability Brown whose work spans stately homes back in the U.K. A sympathetic air of such English ambience is recalled in the layout and structure of this Estate – plum trees and kitchen garden included. From the front of the house overlooking views of the river, even with groups of 8th graders getting under our feet, there is a feeling of calm here.
If Washington was a man to be admired, a quote in the exhibition neatly threads his character “I had rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the Seat of Government by the Officers of State, and the Representatives of every Power in Europe.” Politics aside, it is good company and impressive countryside that remains to keep a man in good spirit, and provides many reasons still to visit.
Sophie flew with British Airways from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles. Her trip was arranged through Purely Travel, specialists in travel to the United States, offering packages including hotels, car rental and itineraries. For more information, please visit www.PurelyAmerica.co.uk. For more eye candy and information about the Capital Region, visit their social handles at Facebook.com/CapitalRegionUSA and Instagram.com/CapitalRegion_USA.
Header photo by Jeffrey Clayton (courtesy of Unsplash)
