STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Steve
Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. Visitors to Washington, D.C., in the
summer often want to stay inside air-conditioned museums. The cooler days of
fall are a good time to explore the outdoors in and around the nation's capital.
STEVE EMBER: Autumn in Washington is our subject this week.
(MUSIC)
STEVE EMBER: Imagine that the calendar says it is fall and you have just arrived
on a visit to Washington. The leaves on many of the trees have already begun to
change color as they prepare to drop to the ground. Soon they will be gold and
orange and red.
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The summer crowds of visitors have thinned. Children are back in school, parents
are back at work. Points of interest will be easier to photograph. There are fewer
people to walk in front of your camera.
The weather should be more cooperative, too. Washington can get very hot and
sticky in summertime. July and August are usually the warmest months. By
October, you may need to wear a light jacket, especially after sunset.
BARBARA KLEIN: There are tour companies that will take you around the city. Or
you can ride public transportation, or rent a car or take taxis. There is a plenty
you can see just by walking around.
One place that might interest world travelers is the area of the city called
Embassy Row. Washington has more than one hundred seventy diplomatic and
consular offices. About one-third of them occupy Embassy Row. This area is
between two streets named for states in New England: Massachusetts Avenue
and Connecticut Avenue.
STEVE EMBER: An embassy usually has two parts. The ambassador lives in the
residence while embassy business takes place in the chancery.
Some of the finest embassies are along the part of Embassy Row near Dupont
Circle. Six roads come together at the circle. A number of hotels and restaurants
are also in this area.