My Favorite North American City, Part VI

My Top 3

[This is the sixth post in a week-long “miniseries.”  It is also your last chance to weigh in on my selections before I declare a winner.]

Washington D.C. is a lot of fun.  Anyone who is a fan of art, history, or architecture should love D.C.  Nearly every building has some tale of glory or infamy behind it.  The monuments and memorials are all fantastic and well-designed.  The newer ones, such as those in honor of WWII and FDR, are thoughtful and fitting, worthy of being included with the classics.  I love how the museums, monuments, and the zoo have free admission.  The Metro is clean and intuitive.

Of course, D.C. is more than just old buildings.  There are plenty of diversions around town, including professional sports teams and great night life (especially in the Adams-Morgan district).  The chances of running into somebody who does something important are higher in D.C. than probably anywhere else in the country (I shared a plane with Congressman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich. last year).

The downsides seem obvious enough: The non-touristy parts of D.C. are a bit unsafe and, well, non-touristy for a reason.  Everything - other than museum admissions, I suppose - is ridiculously expensive, with a ridiculously complicated sales tax structure designed to take advantage of tourists.