Set on the banks of the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland, the capital of the United States is both grandly public and profoundly private. What goes on in the back rooms of K Street remains as invisible to the world as the Washington Monument is plain to see. D.C.’s public side offers plenty to pack any visitor’s itinerary. It is awe-inspiring to stand before iconic landmarks such as the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, and the endlessly fascinating museums of the Smithsonian alone could fill several days of uninterrupted exploration.