No-one likes to sit in traffic but when you’re waiting for the President of the United of America’s motorcade to pass there is no point complaining.

Instead of bristling with road rage I watched in awe as police cars, vans, motorcycle outriders, ambulances, the Presidential limosuine and three decoy limosuines majestically drove past. The sun was shining and it was like a scene out of a movie but I lost count after 20 vehicles went past.

I was on my own power trip to Washington DC and was delighted to see the most powerful man on Earth within minutes of entering the capital.

I’d already been given a taste of endless symbols of power that were to come during a visit to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre near Washington Dulles International Airport.

The huge museum opened in 2003 to house thousands of aviation and space artefacts from the Smithsonian in Washington .

It was inspiring to wander around some of the most important aircraft ever made, they hang from ceilings and rise from the floor, from first world war airplanes to the breathtaking Enterprise space shuttle.

The whole place is a great monument to the wondrous achievements of human endeavour.

And in the middle of all these aircrafts was the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first Atomic bomb, there was no fanfare about the devastation the plane’s cargo wrought, just a non-descript plaque detailing its missions.

Needless to say people were happily having their photo taken smiling up at the Enola Gay, no doubt in preparation for a crass Facebook and Myspace profile picture.

The museum was fascinating for me but it is a young boys paradise and is a must see attraction and amazingly it is totally free to visit, like the majority of Washington’s museums.

There is a distinctly European feel about Washington, probably because it was formed in 1791, but the big squares, tree lined malls and open parks certainly give the city a cosmopolitan feel.

The fact that I stayed in the French owned and French run Sofitel probably helped too.

Situated across the road from the White House on Lafayette Square, Sofitel (www.sofitel.com) is about as sophisticated as an American hotel can get. The staff are mostly French and every detail, from the cocktails to the decor is beautiful. Breakfast at hotel’s Ici Urban Bistro was delightful with the fresh smoked salmon, topped with Hollandaise sauce, proving to be a culinary highlight of the trip.

As powerful looking types in perfectly fitted suits chatted to one another in the hotel bars I could imagine the deals and intrigue that must take place in the hotel and needless to say there are constant rumours that ‘the President and Michelle’ will soon be having one of their date nights at the Sofitel.

The First Lady has already made her stamp on the city with regular fresh produce markets springing up near the White House at her behest.

As American malls go the National Mall is my favourite because it doesn’t have many shops - just world class free museums, each of which would take well over a day to truly explore.

The Capital Building, which houses the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, two stunning reflecting pools, the Korean and Vietnam war memorials, The National Natural History Museum, The Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (which contains Moon Rock) and the Museums of African American and Native Indian History are all housed on the National Mall. All that and not a Walmart in sight - perfect.

However, Washington and its National Mall become beautiful at night, the masses of stunning white marble seem to shimmer in the moonlight and for a romantic walk it is right up there with the left bank of the Seine in Paris.

In fact I enjoyed just wandering around Washington, there are other ways of getting around obviously, but I’d take a guess that a car is one of the worst as the Metro, Segways and bicycles are very popular.

One of the latest additions to the ever growing list of world class museums is the Newsuem - which is dedicated to journalism.

Obviously as a journalist I was as happy as Jordon wading through her press clippings to go to the Newsuem. It is not free to enter but worth every cent.

The exhibitions were breathtakingly good, when I was there it was Elvis, G-Men and 9/11, and the story of news gathering is just as good, albeit there wasn’t much about Britain’s massive contribution to journalism.

The International Spy Musuem is another great place to visit and I’m not ashamed to admit it but my heart did flutter when I saw the Watergate building for the first time. Though nothing special it’s historical signficance demands a second look.

However, Washington is not just all monuments and museums the city is a thriving theatre, arts and cultural centre which has differing neighbourhoods catering for everyone.

Georgetown is a beautiful historic neighbourhood which is picture postcard perfect and full of unique shops and boutiques.

And U Street is a throbbing hotspot to be explored at night and is home to one of Washington’s most famous ‘delis’ Ben’s Chilli Bowl, which opened in 1958 and has remained a mainstay of the neighbourhood, surviving riots and serving successive Presidents, whose pictures adorn the walls with countless film stars tucking into chilli and chips.

There are great places to eat across the city from high class restaurants to great value bars.

We ate at a really great Italian called Teatro Goldoni which had an almost nightclubesque atmosphere and served Veal to die for. In Georgetown we ate at Hook which specialised in top end fish dishes. And we picked Zengo, a trendy Latin-Asian restaurant, for a truly wonderful Friday night meal which started off with entree after entree being passed around and ended for me with delightful Kobe Beef with wasabi sauce.

There are bars a plenty across Washington, the best we went to was Sticky Rice which is on H Street North West and was crammed full of bright young things singing in unison to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of Heart at full pelt when we arrived.

There were black, chinese, white, Latino and people of every other colour all having fun together which was great to experience. The only problem is that it closed to early!

As an international destination the fact that all bars selling alcohol (including hotel bars) have to close at 2am seems remarkably restrictive, however, I suppose the US Government doesn’t want to risk its workers or it seems tourists waking up with hang-overs in the morning.

Washington is the perfect place for a city break but it could also be the perfect start or end to a longer trip to the Capital region which includes the picturesque and historic states of Virginia and Maryland.

For more information about the region visit www.capitalregionusa.org.

Factbox: British Airways offers a seven day Fly-Drive in Washington DC from £619 per person departing September 2010. Includes return BA flights from London Heathrow and inclusive Avis car hire. Subject to availability, based on two sharing and includes all UK taxes. Accommodation at the 4* Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square starts from £96 per person per night room only. For reservations visit ba.com or call 0844 493 0758. Book by July 20, 2010.