On the road: Washington, D.C.

If you come here in late July and early August, bring two things: sunscreen and walking shoes.
The Sun blazes away like you were in South Carolina this time of year. As proof, the highs are going to be in the 90s almost all week.
Once you have negotiated the Sun, there is plenty to do. Coming from a city like Cleveland, which has few main street shopping districts to explore (the browsing kind, not the Wal-Mart kind), Washington is like a breath of fresh air.
Alexandria, Virginia is about 20 miles south of D.C. and can boast over a dozen tree-lined blocks of restaurants and shops leading to a waterfront along that Potomac River. The waterfront has boat tours available, and a crane-your-neck view of the U.S. Capitol in the distance.
If you were wondering how Washingtonians are adjusting to life as a major-league city again, the Nationals have become part of the daily summer heartbeat of the city. The sports page of the Washington post gripes openly about the Nats' recent slide that has caused them to slip five games back in the N.L. East.
The Nats, on a road trip through Atlanta and Florida this week, were below the fold of the Post's sports page Monday. The big story was the opening of training camp for the Redskins.
FedEx Field, home of the Redskins, is viewable from Interstate 695 through trees. Amazingly, owner Dan Snyder doesn't require a deposit to see the stadium from the highway.
Once upon a time, Snyder tried to charge fans an admission fee to training camp. That has since been abolished, but I can't imagine a bigger moneygrubbing act than to charge fans to see players slam into tackling dummies and run scripted plays in shorts for two hours.