National Cathedral

Having been in Washington for about two months now, I’m certainly used to the feeling of the white, marble city. At least in our neighborhood, walking around Capitol Hill on a sunny day can be blinding if you don’t have sunglasses handy. In addition, I’ve gotten used to the concrete city feeling of downtown. Little patches of nature scattered throughout, such as McPherson Square or Lower Senate Park, are nice reminders of the green space we left behind when we signed up for a summer in DC. All in all, however, walking around DC has a pretty familiar feel to it now, and I’m seldom surprised when I enter a new part of town, landscape or scenery-wise.

There are two major exceptions that I’ve encountered and enjoyed greatly so far. The first, the National Zoo. I went looking for pandas, and certainly was not disappointed on that front. I also found, however, an ENORMOUS area of DC that was both hilly and almost entirely green. Being used to so much pure city, it was a nice break to be able to walk around and feel like I was at any other zoo, anywhere else in the country.

The second, the National Cathedral. Driving along with George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Cathedral can be seen peeking out from above Georgetown. Up close, it’s a gigantic surprise that just kind of hits you. It’s one of those rare instances where you turn a corner, and BAM, there it is.

And boy, it is gorgeous! I went inside and took an impromptu tour, and was amazed and awed to see such an impressive structure right outside of the city. It was like walking through Notre Dame de Paris; the same set up, just an ocean apart. Built within the past century, it’s pretty cool to see American attempts at replicating buildings that are centuries old everywhere else in the world. One major difference? The Cathedral is almost completely clean on the outside. Also, it’s odd to see almost all the writing both inside and out in English, as opposed to French or Latin (most of the churches I’ve been to, at least, have been in France, thus the reason I found this surprising).

One downside is that the National Cathedral is pretty far away. However, if you all have time when parents or friends are picking you up to head home, I’d recommend driving out to see it; it’ll be worth it, I guarantee!

LZ