Visiting the Smithsonian

We FINALLY got to spend our week at the Smithsonian.  If you're planning your own visit, let me tell you the first week of November is an excellent time to choose.  We were downright lonely in most museums.  I think you would have to spend two solid weeks touring constantly to see almost everything of interest. Since this was not our first rodeo in Washington D.C., we knew how important it was to have a master plan.  Just ask Sarah.  We took her to D.C. when she was seven, and she remembers it as the worst vacation we ever took.  I think her perception was somewhat colored because of an incident that took place during the vacation.

First, Sarah absolutely insisted on carrying a purse.  This was her first actual purse, as well as her first time at keeping up with one.  Her heartless mother spelled out in advance that if she insisted on carrying it, the purse was Sarah's responsibility and hers alone.  I'm sure you can anticipate the ending of this tale:  Yes, on the second day of the trip, she left her purse on the Metro.  She was shocked, angry and heartbroken.  Not only was her purse gone, but her 'trip souvenir money' stored in the purse had also vanished.  Her unsympathetic parents did not replace the money.  Paired with OUR poor sightseeing plan in which we wound up criss-crossing and back-tracking over the Mall, you can understand Sarah's attitude.

If you've never been to the National Mall, it's much bigger than what most people imagine.  It's 1.2 miles between the steps of the United States Capitol and the Washington Monument.  In between are SOME of the Smithsonian Museums - the most famous being the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum.  It doesn't take long to realize there's no way and no reason to drive a car to visit the Mall attractions.  There's no parking.  This area is not car friendly.  Fortunately, the Washington "Metro" (subway system) is excellent and there are stations at both ends of the Mall.  Another surprise is that almost every museum doesn't open until 10:00 am and closes promptly at 5:30 pm.  They are open seven days a week.

Having said all that, Drake and I knew that if we were only going to spend five days, we would have to carefully pick what we were going to try and see and then lay it all out in a comprehensive plan to minimize time spent traveling from one place to the next.  Does that mean a spreadsheet?  You bet your booties it does.   We immediately dropped the two 'kid' friendly museums - Natural History and the Mall Air and Space.  We concentrated on art this time with two additions:  The National Archives and the new Uder-Hazy Air & Space Museum addition out by the Dulles Airport.

Drake really wanted to see the 'documents'.  I'm talking about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  (FYI - The original Declaration of Independence is almost completely faded out, but the Constitution and Bill of Rights are still readable.)  I saw all of them when I was 16, so I was more curious about the Public Vaults.  This is a new attraction at the National Archives - well, new to us, anyway.  The Archives hold not just the big three, but also other famous documents, recordings, census records, army records, and tons of other original source material of historical interest generated by the United States government.  The Archives have opened their 'vaults' in a clever interactive exhibit divided into five sections based on the preamble of the Constitution.  For instance, I saw the original Emancipation Proclamation.  Also interesting were personal letters written to various presidents.  The one that cracked both of us up:  Teenage girls of an Elvis Fan Club wrote to Eisenhower telling him they 'would die' if Elvis was forced to get a GI haircut.  Drake was fascinated by immigration forms of the famous - like Albert Einstein.  There was so much, and it was so cleverly presented.  I didn't know that the Archives are petitioned for help constantly - for instance in determining citizenship of someone who was brought to the United States as a child.

The Uder-Hazy was built as an addition to the original Air and Space Museum,  and the new place holds the big stuff.  The star of the collection is the newest biggie - the Discovery Space Shuttle.  This is a slickly designed facility which is several airplane hangers connected together.   You can just wander around and look, or you can go to an IMAX show, have lunch at the McDonald's, or buy rides in simulators and other high end tech toys.  There's also a complete restoration area with a viewing overlook.

They have one entire hanger that's nothing except the space shuttle, space capsules, rockets and satellites.   Some other highlights are the Enola Gay (plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima), a Concord, a 707 jetliner, a Pan American Clipper Flying Cloud (first transport airplane with a pressurized cabin), the only remaining WWI fighter airplane, and a Stealth Blackbird.  All in all, there are more than 200 airplanes displayed both on the floor and hung from the ceiling.  There are two stories of  cat walks to give you a bird's eye view of the hanging aircraft as well as an overview of the floor.  There are also nooks and crannies displaying peripheral flight stuff - like an Astronaut suit that's been on the moon, and still has moon dust all over it.

Since you can't tour the inside of these artifacts, there are computers scattered throughout the museum that lets you do a 360 VR inside a variety of aircraft as if you are sitting in the pilot's seat.  I can't begin to tell you the difference between the cockpit of the Enola Gay and the Discovery Space Shuttle. All the more jaw dropping when you realize there's less than 50 years between the construction and flight of the two aircraft.  Even more amazing:  Wright brother first flight of about 15 feet in 1903.  First Space Shuttle Launch was in 1981.  There is only 78 years between the two events.  I have two grandparents who were alive for both occurrences.  If you're interested in the pix I took, there's a separate photo album that's only the planes.

And now for the art:  We went to the National Gallery of Art, the Renwick Gallery, the Corcoran Gallery, the Hirshhorn, the Freer, the Sackler, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.    I've created a best pieces photo album for those of you who would like a greatest hits version of the trip.  I've also included the big enchilada - a photo album of every picture I took while there.  It's heavily weighted toward pieces of art.  That album is best viewed in pieces since it's 901 pictures.  By contrast - the plane pix album is 118 snaps, and the greatest hits photo album is 162.

Finally, we also went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Castle.  We saw iconic artifacts of American history and culture.  My favorite in the American history museum were the First Lady gowns and china, but there was a bunch of other interesting 'stuff' mainly handled chronologically.  The Castle wins the funniest exhibit - called Souvenirs.  It's all about what we save to commemorate important events or people.  Many artifacts are sent unsolicited with 'labels' directly from individuals to the Smithsonian. Someone sent a collection of hair of the Presidents.  Really.

This was a great trip.  My feet held out (barely), and we were smart to have a plan and limited what we tried to see.  We bought a pocket book of maps we used constantly.  The final tip is:  Stay in an outlying area close to a Metro station and take the subway train in and out of town.  You save gas, aggravation, stress, and money.  For instance, we stayed in a highly rated chain motel with a hot breakfast five minutes from the Springfield/Franconia Metro Station for $100 a night.  A seven day Metro pass is $57 per person for unlimited rides, and you can either take the free shuttle from the hotel or park your own car for $4.50 a day at the station.

Here are the photo albums.  Pick your poison.

Greatest Hits:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115478608971584948192/albums/5947444820285122945?sort=1&authkey=CP6oiI662tCA0gE

Airplanes:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115478608971584948192/albums/5944385050606046193?sort=1&authkey=CPbRqeLtx9fFGg

Art & Architecture:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115478608971584948192/albums/5947450770948723185?sort=1&authkey=CNH-movAl_C4pwE