Washington, DC, as an actual city is nothing too great or worth a vist, I'm sure
What the heck is it about this country that people hate the capital city? In what other country is that the case?
To be fair I'd say that about many other cities. I mean if you remove all the perks that come with being the national capital - the museums, government buildings, memorials, artifacts, and everything - what's left? It honestly feels like Washington would be like Baltimore or St Louis if it wasn't the national capital, and if you discount anything that can be attributed to DC's being the capital, I think you'd see that while DC is not a bad city, it is also probably not remarkable. Of course, since it is the national capital, it's obviously worth visiting (especially for those who are interested in government/politics). But if you stripped away all of that stuff, then I don't see how you could realistically argue DC is an exceptional city that is particularly noteworthy, honestly.
D.C. has quite a vibrant urban fabric developed over the last 225+ years, with many historic neighborhoods full of tremendous architecture, walkable streetscapes, and vibrant restaurants and entertainment venues. Aside from working in a government office building, I pretty much never interact with the infrastructure of the federal government, to include museums and monuments, and yet I still love living in D.C. Yesterday afternoon, for example, I got coffee and just strolled around the Logan Circle neighborhood looking at architecture and spring blossoms.
D.C. is far more interesting and just pleasant to exist in as a human being than is the vast majority of America. I say this as someone who has visited 49 states and nearly every large U.S. city. D.C. to me is a series of small towns--neighborhoods each with their own distinct character. The reasons to go somewhere on vacation are not necessarily the same reasons you'd choose to live somewhere, but the vitriol people have for the city itself is so odd. For the actions of Congress, sure.
And Baltimore is a great city to visit despite its problems and problem areas. I visit about once a month and always have a great time.
