Monday, June 18, 2012

Museum Hopping in D.C.

I tried to find as many boat pictures as I could in the art museum
While we were in D.C. we visited some of the Smithsonian museums.  When I was younger I thought there was a single museum and I imagined it had the warehouse from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  I have been to D.C. three times and spent days each trip in different museums, but I have not even come close to seeing all of them.  There were thousands of school kids swarming over the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum so we spent more time in the art museums than Emily and Aleah would have liked.  

They had a sketchbook from Paul Guaguin that I thought was really interesting.  Emily and I each sat down and tried to draw some of the scenes.  

At the Air and Space Museum, Aleah discovered that she looks a lot like Amelia Earhart as a young girl.  Emily dressed as Amelia Earhart for a school project one year and they both look like her.  She is an inspiring woman.

The national mall is full of people always, and the grass is very sad.  The dirt it sits on is highly compacted from tourists and locals, from protests, and celebrations.  The probably need to deep rip it every 3 years and start over.

We spent almost a full day in the Natural History Museum.  From the biology to geology displays we could have spent another day.  I just love this stuff.

Aleah was obsessed with the short films about evolution.  She was really interested in all of the human ancestor species.  They have a display that shows reconstructions of each branch that makes it easier to imagine.  Neanderthals really would not have looked very different from other people I realized.  The Homo floriensis exhibits were really cool (Emily is reading over my shoulder and is reading this in her best British pompous accent so I will try to not be so erudite. Look that one up, Emily).
We had a great time canoeing with my Mom and it was a great visit.  I just wish we could hang out more often.  She wrote about it on her blog too.

3 comments:

Bonnie said...

I've been to Washington D.C. twice and not had time to go to the museums or see much else, for that matter. Seeing the pictures on your blog gave me a feeling for what it must be like. We need to plan a trip there! Thanks for the post.

Unknown said...

Looks/sounds like a fun trip. We're fortunate enough to live close enough to go during the non-tourist times of year and it makes a big difference. Have you ever had a chance to go to the Air and Space Museum that's part of the Smithsonian but is located out by Dulles Airport? It's not co-located on the National Mall, but definitely worth the trip out there with the retired space shuttle, etc.

BrianG said...

Ed, I have not been to that museum but I would like to if I am in the area again. There are so many things to see in the area.