More than anyplace else in the world, the U.S. election results will be felt in Washington, D.C., where a new president will soon take office. Washingtonians are accustomed to change, but for many the election is less important than the fact that the city is on a roll economically, with $9.6 billion in physical developments that revitalize neighborhoods and improve their quality of life.

Running the country is job one in “The District” (officially, the District of Columbia or simply D.C.), where the federal government provides almost 30 percent of the jobs. As the capital of the United States, Washington is home base to leaders who assess and react to domestic and international events. History is made here — in the U.S. Capitol building, The White House, the Supreme Court and the 175 foreign embassies and residences. With all that history-making — past, present and future — the city’s second-biggest industry is, naturally, tourism. More than 20 million people visit Washington annually, drawn to the memorials, monuments, museums, parks, events and politically charged atmosphere.

As 2016 draws to a close, there’s still time to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service in Washington, the NPS’s headquarters. The D.C. area boasts 150 national parks, including the grounds of The White House, home to the president and first family since 1800. Also in the NPS purview is the 146-acre National Mall, a greensward running from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and lined with iconic memorials to Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Thomas Jefferson; the Korean War; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Vietnam veterans; World War II; and, of course, the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Institution. It’s easier than ever to explore the two-mile-long Mall thanks to innovations such as Bike and Roll, a guided bike tour; guided City Segway Tours; or DC by Foot, free, guided walking tours.

Visitors this fall will notice changes on the Mall, such as the renovated U.S. Capitol dome and the new Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History & Culture. The National Gallery of Art East Building just reopened after a two-year, $30 million renovation that added more than 12,000 square feet of exhibit space and a rooftop sculpture garden.

Change is apparent elsewhere, notably at the $3 billion Capitol Riverfront project that transformed a World War II-era wharf and naval facility on the Anacostia River into a neighborhood park with playgrounds, a boathouse, restaurants and the 41,000-seat Nationals Park baseball stadium.

A similar $1.5 billion project underway on the Potomac River in southwest D.C., The Wharf will devote 3.2 million square feet to residential, office, hotel, restaurant, shopping and cultural uses. The existing yacht club will be rebuilt and connected by a 450-foot-long public boardwalk.

CityCenterDC © DESTINATION DC

CityCenterDC, the former convention center, is emerging as a 10-acre, $700 million mixed-use complex. On the horizon for 2018–2020 is Capital Crossing — three new city blocks built atop Interstate 395 between Union Station and the Verizon Center. The 80-acre site of RFK Stadium and the DC Armory is also being eyed as a mixed-use development.

Undergoing a $50 million expansion is The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, home to the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera and Washington Ballet. Next door, the infamous Watergate complex reopened this year as a posh riverside hotel with upscale guestrooms, restaurants, ballrooms and a spa.

Just up the street from The White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the historic Old Post Office saw a rebirth this year as the luxurious Trump International Hotel.

More than 20 other hotels (5,000-plus rooms) are under construction. These complement the 110,000 rooms in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area (which includes Maryland and Virginia suburbs) and support the area’s 4 million square feet of event/exhibit/meeting space. The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, a facility with 703,000 square feet of exhibit space and 198,000 square feet of meeting space, remains chief among event venues.

The District boasts more than 2,100 restaurants with menus that reflect Washingtonians’ ethnic diversity and gustatory sophistication. Craft cocktails are hot right now, as are the small-batch D.C. distilleries and breweries. Trending, too, are bars with games ranging from billiards to bocce, minigolf and table tennis. Small plates (tapas) still prove popular, and many restaurants specialize in them. Maryland crab cakes and Virginia wines remain perennial favorites.

Getting around D.C. is easy on the clean, modern Metro, with upgrades to the original 117 miles of track nearing completion. Five stations of the new Silver Line began operation, and the line will extend to Washington Dulles International Airport. The DC Circulator bus system connects Union Station, Georgetown, the Convention Center, Nationals Park, the National Zoo and the National Mall. Tickets cost $1. After a 50-year hiatus, streetcars returned to D.C. in 2016, filling in transit gaps between neighborhoods. Locals have embraced the 6-year-old Capital BikeShare program with its 3,000 bikes and 350 stations as the city rushes to increase the number of bike lanes.

Frenetic activity is the norm in the nation’s capital — one of the most lively and likeable cities in the world.

SCENIC DRIVES

Great Falls is a favorite of Washingtonians seeking a spectacular nature fix without a lot of driving. The Potomac River makes its most dramatic splash here, tumbling over steep, jagged rocks and rushing through the Mather Gorge. Great Falls is part of an 800-acre park just 15 miles from the city via the George Washington Parkway, which runs along the Virginia side of the Potomac. Like the falls, the parkway is a natural scenic area under the auspices of the National Park Service, which means getting there is half the fun. Commercial vehicles are banned, so you can enjoy a leisurely trip with scenic and historic stops along the way.

Route 50 West into Virginia offers another scenic ride. Though it can be a bear during rush hour, if you time it right you’ll quickly be out of the clutch of traffic and entering the famous hunt country of Virginia, an area beloved by the late Jackie Kennedy, Paul Mellon and a host of celebrities and politicians. Route 50 winds past horse farms, vineyards, wineries and small villages to Middleburg, about 43 miles from the city. Browse the shops along Washington Street; have lunch at Market Salamander, an offshoot of Sheila Johnson’s luxurious Salamander Resort on the town’s outskirts; and visit the dynamic National Sporting Library, dedicated to the literature, art and culture of equestrian, angling and field sports.