United States Capitol
Start at the white neoclassical building that Washington literally counts from. The United States Capitol, seat of Congress, sits on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. It is no longer at the geographic center of the city, but it is still the origin point of the street numbering and of the four quadrants, so every NW or SW address you pass today is measured from here. Above it rises the massive dome, completed around 1866, just after the Civil War.
The central sections were ready in 1800, and on November 17 of that year the 6th Congress met here for the first time, which moved the national capital from Philadelphia to Washington. Only fourteen years later British forces set the building partly on fire during the Burning of Washington in 1814; within five years it was fully restored. As new states joined the union, the wings grew outward for the two chambers: the House of Representatives in the south wing, the Senate in the north wing.
Both long sides are formally called fronts. The east front was the one meant to receive visitors and dignitaries, and its portico was extended in 1958; the west front is where presidential inauguration ceremonies take place today. Building and grounds are looked after by the Architect of the Capitol, who also oversees the surrounding Capitol Complex.
Going inside is free and begins at the Visitors Center, added in the early 21st century. If you want to see where the country's laws are made, give it around an hour. From here the route heads down the Mall for 1110 m, about 15 minutes, to the National Air and Space Museum, passing the National Museum of the American Indian on the way.
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