The reinvention of a notorious "crime capital" in the USA

TURNING THE CORNER 

I am visiting Washington for five days to see how the city has changed since I lived there in the mid-1990s, and it is quickly obvious that DC’s travel industry and cultural attractions have not rested on their laurels.

Recent years have seen the renovation and expansion of many museums and galleries and record investment in marketing and public relations efforts, including a sharp focus on the UK market.

The Chinese have been slow to resume their travel post-Covid but local tourism officials have been delighted to see UK visitors shaking off their pandemic caution.

By July last year the UK had overtaken China as the number one source of foreign visitors to Washington, giving UK travel operators extra leverage with a tourism industry desperate for the return of the high-premium foreigners who generate much greater average spending than the busloads of US high school students who flock to their capital city.

Both US and foreign visitors are drawn by the history and power of the US seat of government and the most diverse and accessible range of museums and monuments in the world.

Analysts at the tourism body Destination DC believe they are on course to return to the record foreign visitor traffic of 2019 by 2024, a recovery that has been backed by investment in a number of new hotels and restaurants to suit a wide range of budgets.

The most profound change in DC since the 1990s is that a city once notorious as the US “murder capital” is now unrecognisably safer and more prosperous.

Twenty five years of gentrification and economic development has ended the days when crime and poverty had turned large areas into no-go zones. Taxi drivers and locals happily confirm that they are now comfortable going anywhere in the city.

Today visitors can move around DC by foot, bicycle, public transport or taxi with confidence, which is crucial as the city’s overall offering is a tremendous match for families and travellers drawn by culture, art, history and politics.

Clients choosing dining and nightlife options in Washington DC should be advised they are actually visiting three cities at once: the federal capital full of museums, government buildings and upmarket restaurants; a “regular” US city with a southern flavour and a growing Latin American cuisine scene; and a college town full of sports bars and night clubs catering to its large university population.

Each of those three personalities of DC has its own range of eating and entertainment options, ranging from Michelin stars to speakeasies, cocktail bars and family restaurants. 

CULTURAL EXPLOSION 

The busy schedule of museum launches and enhancements planned for 2023 include the reopening of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in autumn after two years of renovations, and the rebirth of the Folger Shakespeare Library, the world’s largest Shakespeare collection. The US Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol Stables will open on the National Mall in spring 2023 with a public learning centre and tours of the horse paddocks.

I take a guided bicycle tour of the monument district, the perfect way to take in the memorials. The National Mall is flat with few car crossings so the cycling is nice and easy. Unlimited Biking has three-hour tours for $54, along with e-bike ($79) and Segway ($64) options.

A word of warning: visitors should be advised to plan their museum itineraries carefully and go online to book free, timed entry slots to minimise their time standing in queues.

It is a mistake, for instance, to turn up to the extremely popular National Museum of African American History and Culture expecting to take it in quickly. The museum is always packed on Fridays and weekends, especially in summer, and the highly popular slavery exhibition cannot easily be included in a day of visiting several museums.

Clients should also book in advance if they want to visit the viewing deck of the Washington Monument. A wise tip is to opt instead for the Old Post Office Tower, which has shorter queues, free entry and excellent views because the city limits building heights to about 11 storeys.

A special tip for the political junkie is Martin’s Tavern in trendy Georgetown. Visitors can dine in the booth where John F Kennedy proposed to Jackie or the seats where Richard Nixon ate his favourite meatloaf. Neil Armstrong’s toy plane did it for me but a politics addict might get their own buzz by lunching at the table where a certain university student named Bill Clinton once looked for cheap meals. 

Book it: Gold Medal offers five nights at Thompson Washington DC in a Queen Bed Room on a room-only basis from £1,439pp including flights from Heathrow with American Airlines departing on 10 May; goldmedal.co.uk.

For the official tourism site of DC, see washington.org

Further reading: Nine reasons to sell more Washington DC