Washington, DC: A guide to short-term rentals

The capital of the United States is more than a center of national and global power, housing the American federal government (and all those who seek to influence it). Washington DC is home to some of the most iconic monuments, extraordinary museums, and finest restaurants in the world.

The city sits on the east bank of the Potomac River, facing Virginia, and the rest of the city is surrounded by Maryland. To the chagrin of some residents, DC (short for District of Columbia) is not itself a state. It’s a federal territory, established in 1790 expressly to serve as the seat of the federal government. The site was chosen because of its centrality along the Eastern Seaboard, where the original American states were concentrated.

Sitting right on the border between the country’s North and South, the city was named after George Washington, the Revolutionary War general and America’s first president, although Washington’s presidency was primarily based in New York City, the nation’s first capital after the conclusion of the American Revolution. Congress held its first session in the District (a favorite local shorthand for the city) in 1800, and 12 years later the newly-constructed city was burned to the ground by the British during the War of 1812. During the Civil War, the city’s population expanded, and DC became a destination for enslaved people who were able to escape or freed.

As the United States and its government increased in size, so did the city. Today, DC proper is home to some 700,000 residents. But the DC metro area, encompassing parts of Virginia and Maryland, has a population of over 5 million. The city has multiple faces: it’s home to vast federal agencies and their workers; it’s a protest center, routinely descended on by groups with a range of objectives; it’s a tourist destination, hosting tens of millions of visitors per year; it’s a cache of an extraordinary number of historical artifacts; and it’s a hip, bustling metropolis with great food and scenic neighborhoods. And there are great short-term rental options near it all.

Washington DC is served by three airports: Reagan National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). DCA is the closest to major sights, BWI is a good option if you’re staying in the city’s northern suburbs (but it’s farther away from the city center), and IAD is a major air thoroughfare that’s also a bit farther away from the city’s central neighborhoods.

DC is one of America’s most walkable cities, with museums, monuments, parks, restaurants, and residential areas clustered together around the Potomac and the National Mall. Biking is another great option for taking in the full sweep of the city at your own pace. Renting bikes from bike shops or bikeshare stations is easy. Capital Bikeshare has over 350 stations across the metro area. Sign up online, then access bikes 24 hours per day. The first 30 minutes of each ride is free.

The District’s public transportation options are the Metrorail, the city’s subway system, and the Metrobus. The Metrorail is a fast way to get between neighborhoods, and the Metrobus covers every other route you’d need. If you buy a SmarTrip® card, rather than individual paper tickets for your rides, you can save some time and money. This card will allow you to pay for everything with a single method (even parking at Metro garages), and it will reduce your fares slightly.

There’s a ton to do in DC, but no matter what you’re in the city for, you can’t miss the Smithsonian Institution, a colossal collection of 19 state-of-the-art museums. Try visiting a few of these in a row. It’s easy, since many of them line the National Mall. This vast rectangle of green, with the United States Capitol at one end and the Lincoln Memorial at the other end, is a wonderful place to walk or bike, visiting its many iconic monuments and memorials, including the Washington Monument and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along the way. Branching off the National Mall is the White House, the residence and office of the President. You can’t get too close to the White House (unlike the Capitol, which you can walk right into), but you can schedule a tour ahead of time. The city is also a hotspot for music, including jazz and go-go, and theater, so be sure to check local performance schedules before you arrive.

DC’s restaurant scene is one of the most celebrated in the nation, as diverse and exciting as the country itself. You can find incredible regional American food and authentic international food within blocks, whether you’re interested in something casual or something more lavish. For the full DC experience, have a meal (or a drink) near Capitol Hill, and keep an eye out for politicians discussing party priorities and maneuverings. For a trendier vibe, head to the Shaw or Logan Circle neighborhoods.

Spring is cherry blossom season in DC, dressing the center of the city in pink. If you’re visiting in spring, head to the Tidal Basin for some of the best views of the trees and the Potomac. The Tidal Basin is also beautiful in any season, showing the river bend away through Virginia toward the Chesapeake Bay. To the northeast, the United States National Arboretum is beautiful, as is Rock Creek Park to the northwest. Across the river in Virginia, a walk in Arlington National Cemetery will provide a solemn reminder of the cost of war.

Beneath the Capitol Building, there’s a vast system of secret tunnels, designed to evacuate members of Congress in case of emergency. None of them, though, will lead to “J Street,” a street that’s missing from the city’s alphabet-based grid. The reason? In the early days of the country, the letters “I” and “J” looked very similar and were sometimes used interchangeably.

Among the famous pets kept by presidents at the White House? Two alligators. Presidents Adams and Hoover both kept crocodilian company.