I visited Washington, DC, for the first time. The capital felt like one big construction site.

Within seconds of stepping off my train, an advertisement promoting America's 250th anniversary caught my attention.

Beneath the historic imagery, a line read, "Delivered by President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Sean P. Duffy."

While a banner promoting the semiquincentennial was hardly unexpected in the nation's capital, I was surprised by the prominent inclusion of Trump's and Duffy's names in an otherwise historical message.

The first stop I made once I arrived in the city as a first-time visitor was, unsurprisingly, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I quickly encountered what would get in the way of my best view of the presidential mansion: wire fences.

The National Park Service initially installed fencing in Lafayette Square — the park directly north of the White House, which is usually open to the public and is a popular spot for tourists to view the presidential mansion and for protesters to gather — in January for a landscaping project expected to last through May.

The fencing remained in place longer than planned, and in recent days, the administration has submitted a formal proposal to build permanent fencing around the park's perimeter.

Under the new proposal, the park would be open to the public while also giving the Secret Service the option to quickly shut the access gates during "heightened conditions."

While the fences didn't feature any signage explaining the renovations or the reason for the blockage, signs promoting the administration's goal of beautifying the capital were on display on many of them.

Notices of excavation indicated electrical line repairs in the streets near the presidential mansion.

While this type of work is normal in cities and would be entirely unremarkable on its own, it seemed to compound a busy landscape of fences, signage, excavations, cranes, and workers, all crowding the capital city alongside visitors hoping to take in the nation's history.

Lafayette Square, the park directly north of the White House and the most popular spot for viewing the presidential mansion, was completely blocked off during my visit. The closest visitors could get from the north was one block away.

From kids throwing tantrums to disappointed adults, the scene at the fence nearest to the White House was one of public frustration.

Visitors asked each other whether anyone knew why the park was so fenced off, while others sighed and resigned themselves to taking pictures in front of the black wire fence, hoping that if they zoomed in, they might get a blurry view of the White House.

Having closely followed the changes made to the capital and the White House since Trump took office for his second term, I was surprised to see scaffolding on the White House's north portico.

The administration later clarified that the work focused on repairing the stone on the columns, rather than redesigning the entrance. An additional project on the portico, which began after my visit, now aims to increase security at the front entrance and keep Lafayette Park fenced off, per ABC.

In a recent Truth Social post, the president called the North Portico "horrible" and in "deplorable condition" and said the completed entrance would be "a symbol of extraordinary beauty and pride."

When getting glimpses of the White House, what stood out most was not the mansion itself but the overpowering 92-foot canopy sitting right next to it.

The structure, set up for the UFC Freedom 250 event that had taken place on the White House South Lawn the weekend prior, was being disassembled at the time of my visit and was impossible to ignore, no matter what angle I saw the house from.

Aside from the claw, another thing was left behind, too. I first noticed the unpleasant scent while walking down 15th Street, which was the closest I could get to the Ellipse.

As I approached the southern end of the Ellipse, I saw the cause of the unpleasant aroma: Hundreds of porta-potties that had been set up during the event were being removed over the weekend.

Talking to locals and visitors during my visit, I found that the porta-potties and their smell — noticeable from blocks away — were a common source of discontent.

Street vendors carried the usual city souvenirs along with patriotic — and partisan — merchandise.

America 250 and Freedom 250 hats sat side by side, and Trump campaign merch was sold alongside politically neutral patriotic attire.

Walking past the White House and towards the National Mall, I saw many federal buildings decked out in patriotic decor in anticipation of the nation's 250th anniversary.

I noticed that the decorations referenced the Trump administration's Freedom 250 rather than America250.

America250 is the nonpartisan organization charged by Congress with leading the national commemoration, while Freedom 250 is a separate initiative established by the administration to support the White House's Task Force 250 and deliver the president's signature anniversary events.

While I could only visit a small portion of the city, I was surprised by how many buildings, parks, and other structures were under construction or repair.

One was the Herbert C. Hoover Building, which, according to the notice posted outside, was undergoing a tile roof replacement.

Among all the things I noticed during my visit, one stood out as a symbol of the construction taking place in the capital: the many cranes towering above the nation's most historic buildings.

Some of the cranes closest to the White House appeared to be associated with the construction of the new ballroom, while others loomed over projects farther away.

In a rapidly developing city, I would be far from surprised by this sight, but in such a historic city, it felt like it could overshadow the nation's anniversary for visitors experiencing the capital for the first time.

Before my visit, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had undergone a $16 million renovation aimed at eliminating green algae by waterproofing and repainting the basin, as well as installing a new water-purification system. However, the algae had returned.

When I visited, National Park Service workers were vacuuming the bottom of the pool to extract the algae, which I then saw being pumped into nearby drains. The Washington Post later reported that DC environmental officials planned to investigate after receiving reports about the discharge.

Despite workers' efforts, the bottom of the pool remained green except for the areas that had been recently vacuumed, giving the pool a striped look between chartreuse green and navy blue.

Since my visit, officials have drained the pool again to remove debris from the Independence Day fireworks and to conduct additional repairs.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the plan was to "repair the vandalism that was done" that had caused the refurfacing to begin peeling, and then refill the pool.

Trump has attributed the peeling to vandals, and court documents show that the National Park Service reported at least one cut on June 9, apparently made with a sharp object. Critics have questioned whether vandalism accounts for the broader deterioration of the resurfacing, which was carried out under an unusual no-bid contract.

I had always thought that visiting the capital would be an inspiring, informative experience, like stepping into a museum of a nation's history.

Instead, I got a much more current picture, one that focused less on the past and more on the future.

It was a puzzling first look at the capital, but overhearing the dozens of conversations debating and examining things like a fenced-off park or worn-down grass showed me just how much locals and visitors care about their government's home, and seeing free speech in full display felt like a patriotic celebration in itself.