The Clock Tower offers a commanding view of the capital that’s second only to that of the nearby Washington Monument. Now part of the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., the Tower is open to the general public for tours. It offers fabulous 360-degree views, 270 feet up, of Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, and beyond to the National Mall. The National Park Service operates and maintains the building and provides interpretive programming. To reach the clock tower, you must venture down 12th St., behind the hotel, to enter through the door marked “Starbucks & Clock Tower.” Stride through the second set of glass doors, ignoring the Starbucks to your left, and keep going down the corridor to reach a wall-mounted exhibit of old photographs, maps, and documents that give you a little history of the building and the city. Proceed through security screening, then hop the elevator, the first of two that take you to the top (change elevators on the 9th floor).