We made it to DC (District of Columbia) early afternoon and bloody hell it was cold as you can clearly see!

The northern and southern entrances of the White House. The White House was built between 1792 and 1800, and is the official home and principal workplace of the President. The White House is believed to be one of two possible targets for the hijacked United Airlines flight 93 that crashed in rural Pennsylvania on 9/11.

As I'd expected there were a few protestors wasting their time out front.

Across from the White House is the huge Washington Monument. It is a United States Presidential Memorial constructed to commemorate the country's first president - George Washington. The monument is 170 metres in height and made of marble, granite, and sandstone. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884 due to a lack of funds and the intervention of the American Civil War. If you look closely in the shot on the left, you can see a slight variation in the colour of the marble about 50 metres up, the point where initial construction stopped before its resumption in 1876.

Across from the Washington Monument is the reflecting pool (as seen in Forrest Gump?) below the Lincoln Memorial - another United States Presidential memorial, built to honour Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham looked like an angry man! Mind you if I was assassinated I'd be pretty pissed myself.

As well as the seated sculpture of Lincoln, there are also inscriptions of two of his well-known speeches. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Looking back towards the Washington Monument - impressive!

Pennsylvania Ave cuts right through the city centre, past the White House and through to the United States Capitol building. This is believed to have been the other possible target for United Airlines flight 93 on 9/11. The Capitol building serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the US federal government.

Every building in the central government area has a common theme: big pillars! What is it with pillars?!

Northwest of the city centre is Georgetown, a neighbourhood located in the northwest quadrant of the city. Just like Brooklyn in New York, Georgetown was once a city in its own right until it was annexed by Washington in 1871. Check out the cool houses :)

If you need oxygen, talk to Robert ;)

The city plan of Washington was largely the work of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French-born architect as can be clearly seen by some of the cathedrals in the area.

Across the Potomac River is the state of Virginia, and the Arlington National Cemetery. This is a military cemetery covering 624 acres or 2.5 square-kilometres. More than 245,000 are buried here, including veterans and military casualties from every one of the nation's wars.

Assassinated president John F. Kennedy is also buried here.

Looking back across the river into DC at the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

Not far from the cemetery is The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. The shot on the right above shows where American Airlines flight 77 hit on 9/11. Photography here is strictly forbidden, but after being made to delete my photos once in front of security personnel, I managed to get these and a few more before rushing back to Washington hehe - naughty naughty!

This is surely an undercover vehicle ;)

Night shots: north side of the White House...

South side of the White House...

Washington Monument...

Lincoln Memorial...

Grumpy Abraham...

The reflecting pool below the Lincoln Memorial...

The US Capitol building...

Pennsylvania Ave looking towards the Capitol building.

The following day it was a drive back to New York, flight back to Amsterdam, and the dreaded flight back to Edinburgh. No prizes for guessing the weather upon our return - same old, same old.