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I'm Alexa Wesner, United State's Ambassador to Austria, and
I was born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is not one of the 50 states,
but it's an important part of the United States.
The District of Columbia is our nation's capital.
Congress establish the federal district from land belonging to the states of
Maryland and Virginia in 1790. The Virginia portion was returned in 1846,
leaving a 177 square kilometer district.
That's a densely populated area, when you consider Washington, D.C. is currently home
to about 618,000 people.
President George Washington
commisioned french-born architect Pierre L'Enfant
to design the new capital. L'Enfant had served alongside Washington
in the Revolutionary War, but L'Enfant got into a squabble
over the plans with city commissioners, who had Thomas Jefferson's backing.
Washington fired L'Enfant and brought in another architect, Andrew Ellicott,
to finish the design. The District's population is
among the most educated in the entire United States.
Nearly half of all adults have at least a Bachelor's degree.
That's because Washington draws to it many of the nation's most ambitious young people,
who come seeking opportunity in public service and in politics.
Washington also has a diverse population.
More than half of the district's inhabitants are ethnic and racial minorities,
including many first-generation immigrants.
There is also a large international community.
Washington is home to 176 foreign embassies
and the headquarters of many international organizations,
including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The federal government is the top employer in the district, but Washington
isn't only about politics.
Every year, more than 16 million tourists visit the museums
and the monuments. The Smithsonian Institution
and educational foundation chartered by Congress in 1846
maintains many of the museums and galleries
in D.C. The US government partially funds the Smithsonian,
so there's no entry fee. The most popular museum
in the United States is the National Air and Space Museum,
located right downtown with more than nine million visitors a year.
My personal favorite is the Hirschhorn
a Modern Art museum beside the National Mall, in who's sculpture garden I spent
many an afternoon as a child. The best time to visit D.C.
is from mid-March to mid-April, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.
In 1912 Tokyo, Japan gave 3000 trees to the city as a show of friendship.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival has been held annually since those first
trees were planted by first lady Helen Taft.
During the festival, a meandering stretch of the Potomac River
appears to grace the city, wearing and endless pink and white garland.
It really is a sight to behold.
Dome of the most architecturally interesting buildings in the United States
are located in D.C.
The White House, the Washington National Cathedral
the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Many of these historic attractions are located along the National Mall,
a large open park. On the eve of my swearing in ceremony
as the US ambassador to Austria
I took my oldest daughter Natalie to the Lincoln Memorial,
also located along the National Mall. This was the place
for Martin Luther King Junior riveted the nation
with his "I have a dream" speech, 50 years ago now.
I took my daughter there to introduce her to this legacy.
As we walked up the steps to the monument, I found myself
also moved to embark on the diplomatic work
of this mission firmly rooted in the American ideals.
that great leaders like Dr King and president Abraham Lincoln
have come to represent. From anywhere on the National Mall
you can see the Washington Monument, the district's talles structure.
Unlike most American cities, Washington has no skyscrapers,
but you can ride the glass elevator to the top up the 555 foot tall Washington
Monument and see the entire city.
Rowhouses are prominent in the areas developed after the Civil War.
You'll see many of those in Georgetown. Many people also know this neighborhood
for its great restaurants & shopping
on M Street. Speaking of restaurants Washington D.C. has many of the best
in the US. The international community adds to the flavor of the district's
cuisine, everything from Caribbean to Salvador and to Turkish food
in addition to the traditional American fare which more and more often now
features local and organically grown cuisine.
Being so close to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean
we also get our share of seafood. Most popular
are the blue crabs. Personally, I like to go to Adams Morgan for some of the best
Ethiopian food around. Washington is the National Center for the Arts
including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera,
and the Washington Ballet, all housed in the John F Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.
There are also several prominent theaters, including the historic Ford's Theater,
where President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.
For a change from the official, classical, and monumental D.C.,
Eastern Market, a public Farmers Market on capitol hill,
is a big attraction. The market was damaged by a fire in 2007 and then rebuilt.
Besides produce, vendor's sell baked goods, meats,
cheeses as well as art and antiques. Washington has some great sports teams
Washington's football team has won 5 professional league championships.
Our soccer team has won 4, the most in US Major League Soccer history.
Many famous people were born in the District of Columbia,
bust most actually lived in the suburbs in Virginia and Maryland.
Like actress Goldie Hawn and political satirist Steven Colbert.
Actress Helen Hayes got her start in DC theaters.
Actor William Hurt spent many years in Washington D.C. while his father worked
for the State Department.
actor and singer al jolson was a russian-born immigrant
whose family settled in the district in 1894
jazz composer and big band leader Duke Ellington
was born in the West End section in the district
and singer marvin gay also came from DC
Washington DC can't help but foster patriotism
John Philip Sousa the march king come from DC
and so does Francis Scott Key the Georgetown lawyer
well our national anthem during the war 1812
as a child my favorite thing about DC
was climbing on the enormous dinosaur statue outside at the smithsonian
National Museum of Natural History now as an adult less if my time in DC is
spent the park
now when I go back I'm struck by the feeling I've I encounter when moving
between the Capitol and the White House
along this corridor you pass by building after building filled with the people
who have dedicated their lives in public service to the federal agencies
that make our democracy hmmm and make our children healthy
and our communities just and surrounding them
spreading out through the district many neighborhoods
are the region more who labor in the non-governmental sector
to help insure that the work is getting done right
it is this image up the District of Columbia that moves me now
and inspires me to continuing that tradition
to work I am privilege to do with here
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