DC can’t really be appreciated unless you walk around. Fly into National next time, take the train in (about 10 min) and walk around the Mall and Southeast, then go to Georgetown and up along CT and WI Avenues.

Maryland has national route 50 going into DC from the eastern shore, which is freeway a lot of the way. I don’t see the 2-lane feeder roads as being much different than the non-freeway portions of 74/76/78 east of Fallbrook and San Juan Capistrano — it’s just a matter of what you’re used to I guess.