Washington, DC: powerful ideas still resonate

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Tall and ramrod straight, the African-American soldier faces the onlookers and in a strong clear voice intones: "I am Sergeant Bowen, and I am commander of the relief. Out of respect for the ceremony, please remain standing and silent."

We do so as two equally tall soldiers join the sergeant, face the memorial, salute, and click their heels. Sergeant Bowen and the first guard march off. The new soldier remains, guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Ceremony.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, come rain, shine or even hurricane, the tomb must be guarded. As my friend, a retired USAF colonel, explains, the troops they are honoring have faced a lot worse.

Arlington, the United States' best-known military cemetery, contains the graves of some quarter-million US soldiers and their dependents. The land once belonged to Robert E. Lee, the Civil War Confederate general. The victorious Union side buried their fallen in what used to be Mrs. Lee's rose garden - just in case the Lees ever decided to move back. Later, Confederate troops were buried there, too. Their pointed headstones were to deter Unionists from sitting on them.

All the major conflicts in which the United States has been involved are represented at Arlington, from the Civil War right through to the ongoing Iraq war. An eternal flame marks the grave of the assassinated 35th president, John F. Kennedy, and was lit by his widow, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (later Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis).

Memorials and monuments abound throughout Washington, DC. No matter what you think of America and its role in the world - as a guarantor of freedom or as meddlesome interfering - the impact of American ideas and ambitions across two centuries has been undeniable and profound.

The words of America's founding fathers and leading figures still resonate. Wherever you look you will find ideas and noble ambitions carved in stone. Whether you feel those aims have been fulfilled or egregiously ignored from time to time is another matter. A surefire topic for political debate, which Americans love. Washington is an intellectual city. Often, one tends to think of Paris in this role, yet Washington proclaims its philosophical ideas more emphatically than any city I have visited. Travelers enjoy the energy of New York City, but DC makes you think.

Lincoln's words from his Gettysburg Address are emblazoned above his memorial: "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth."

Charlie, a New Jersey native, is impressed. "It kind of gives you a lump in the throat to see Lincoln sitting up there. You almost expect him to get up and walk away. Washington founded the nation; Lincoln saved it."

They had to make Lincoln bigger than at first planned to fit the grandeur of the memorial.

The George Washington monument helps you navigate this surprisingly pedestrian-friendly city.

The Jefferson memorial quotes America's "Renaissance Man President: "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

World War II president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, tells us: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.", and "They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order."

While you expect grand memorials to contain grand words, you can also find them on more prosaic buildings such as the massive Department of Commerce building, where George Washington declares: "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair."

Founding father Ben Franklin opines: "Commerce among nations should be fair and equitable." He also mentioned that life's only two certainties were death and taxes.

A stone figure of a lesser-known figure, Senator Robert A. Taft, seems at ease in a leafy corner close to the Capitol. His quiet words live on: "If we wish to make democracy permanent in this country let us abide by the fundamental principles laid down in the Constitution. Let us see that the State is the servant of its people and that the people are not the servants of the State."

War memorials attract millions of visitors. The poignant Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a simple black granite wall that slices into the earth. It records the names of almost 59,000 casualties of the war. Sometimes you can see people tracing a name of a friend or family member.

Not far away I buy a hat with a United States of America slogan. Ironically it's made in Vietnam. What does that prove? Perhaps that free trade, not Communist ideology, eventually triumphed in Vietnam?

At the Korean memorial, a patrol ranges nervously over uncertain terrain. You can feel their anxiety. Anguish and struggle is evident in faces of nurses and soldiers preserved in bronze. An inscription reads, "Freedom is not free."

The World War II memorial, opened only in 2004, is the latest and one of the most gripping. Concerns that it would fail to live up to its prominent setting proved unjustified. The memorial consists of two arcs on either side of a fountain. These represent the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Four thousand golden stars in the center each represent 1,000 US servicemen killed. "Here we mark the price of freedom," the inscription reads. It's somber and simple.

Bronze plaques recall the sacrifice made by the entire population in gearing up for the war effort. It wasn't just US forces who suffered, of course: "The heroism of our own troops …was matched by that of the armed forces of the nations that fought by our side. They absorbed the blows…and they shared to the full in the ultimate destruction of the enemy," declares President Harry S. Truman.

Bronze plaques recall the sacrifice made by the entire population in gearing up for the war effort. Elsewhere you read: "They fought together as brothers-in-arms….They died together and now they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation."

"Women who stepped up were measured as citizens of the nation, not as women…This was a people's war and everyone was in it."

"The United States came to liberate from tyranny."

Washington, DC, has long been the focus for protest and demonstrations. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, declared "I have a dream." Thousands massed to protest the Vietnam War.

Today, "Camp Democracy" protests the Iraq War. "Spying on Americans+Lying to Congress+Waging an Illegal War+Torturing Prisoners+Operating Secret Prisons+Ignoring Pre-9/11 Warnings - Guilty on All Counts, Impeach Bush/Cheney" screams a massive billboard.

And another: "Bush/Cheney Impeached, Evicted and Convicted. Don't settle for less. Mission Accomplished."

A tour guide reckons the inflatable Bush figure looks more like Nixon. Must be the nose.

You could spend at least a week visiting the museums. All of them are free. The architecture is striking, and includes new buildings such as the modern art gallery, designed by I.M. Pei, and the Museum of the American Indian, as well as old classics such as the Smithsonian "Castle". However, no building can be higher than five stories so as not to overpower the Capitol.

Highlights include the somber United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where Hitler and his cohorts perpetually rant and rage their tirade of hate. On entering you collect an ID card belonging to a real victim. "Remember what you see here," visitors are urged.

The National Air and Space Museum is the most visited museum. It's a real delight with everything from the Wright Brothers to Man on the Moon. George, my retired Air Force friend, explains what it was really like to fly some of the aircraft. He agrees with the commentator who says "landing an aircraft on a pitching deck produces an adrenaline rush in even the most experienced pilot."

Art galleries contain both old masters and modern works.

Getting around Washington is easy, thanks to a clean, cheap and efficient metro system. You can walk along the Mall, the long grassed park that runs from the Capitol to the George Washington Monument and on to the Lincoln Memorial - but it's a long way. Hopping on a Tourmobile (tickets $20) gives you an easy hop-on/hop-off tour of all the main sights, museums, monuments and memorials. You could also opt for a Segway Tour. Be advised if you want to visit the White House, you must arrange a tour with the US embassy months in advance.

Food is plentiful and good quality, even in tiny delis. I had my fastest ever fast food at the National Air and Space Museum: 30 seconds from order to payment to burger collection.

My friends took me to the exclusive Cosmos Club, whose members have included Nobel Prize-winning scientists and Pulitzer Prize-winning writers. The club celebrates intellectual and scientific endeavor more than political influence,title or position, my friends tell me. The club celebrates intellectual and scientific endeavor more than political influence, my friends tell me.

Accommodation can be pricey (up to $NZ500-$600, depending on how crowded the city is). It's worth staying in a good area. Avoid the NE, SE and upper NW, one guidebook advises. Dupont Circle, home to lots of embassies, is an attractive and elegant neighborhood.

Later, I stayed with my friends in Alexandria, Virginia. It's an easy metro ride. Alexandria, on the banks of the Potomac, is one of the United States' most charming and historic cities and well worth a visit. Tall houses in Old Town include some of the narrowest in the world. One is only about seven feet wide. The former Torpedo Factory has now been converted into an arts and crafts center.

Alexandria was heavily involved in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Not all Virginians were happy with the outcome of the Civil War. A statue of a Confederate soldier in the center of town turns his back on Washington.

Getting there is easy enough. International flights arrive at Dulles International Airport and internal flights at Ronald Reagan National. Don't be put off by security fears: the airport security checks were fast and efficient; staff uniformly friendly, helpful and cheerful.

Alternatively you can arrive by train, as former presidents once did. The trip via New York and New Jersey takes between three and four hours.

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