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The monumental city

Washington, D.C. was the world's first planned capital city and is also one of America's most beautiful cities. A man named Pierre Charles L'Enfant deserves much of the credit.

In the late 1700s, George Washington invited the young French engineer to create the layout for a "magnificent" capital. L'Enfant envisioned Washington as a city of vistas, and his 1791 plan was modeled, in part, on the broad avenues and ceremonial circles and squares of France's Versailles. He was dismissed from the project because of his imperious attitude, but the capital city was still laid out according to his design. L'Enfant's grand avenues proved to be the perfect surroundings for D.C.'s numerous future monuments.

If you only have a short stay, the following are some of Washington's most popular sights:

The White House , dominates 2600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the heart of Washington. The First Family's official residence is a working White House, as well as a thriving attraction. Each family that has called the stately 132-room mansion home has left its imprint: Andrew Jackson installed running water; James Garfield put in the first elevator, and Bill Clinton added a customized jogging track. Many people find it extraordinary that the president of the United States opens his house every morning to throngs of visitors who peer into rooms where official functions may have been held the previous night.

Some of the country's earliest presidents were immortalized in memorials, considered grand by today's standards. The tallest of them all,the Washington Monument honors the nation's first president. Located at the western end of the Mall, the landmark stands 555 feet 5 inches and is the world's tallest masonry structure. Though construction began in 1848, there were numerous delays. The exterior of the obelisk was finally completed in 1884 and opened to the public in 1888. Today, an elevator takes visitors on the 70-second trip to the 500-foot-high landing for magnificent views of the city.