Last summer I was disappointed when, 30 days in advance, I was unable to get on a tour of the US Mint in Denver. Due to security concerns, they now severely limit tours, and they were booked solid for more than 30 days. Over a decade before I showed up at the Mint and got the walk-through without any hassles at all.
Damned al-Qaeda. They're really ticking me off.
When I was 9, I got to go to Paris. When we went to the Louvre I didn't get to see the Mona Lisa; it was on tour in Moscow at the time.
Damned Communists.
In a couple weeks I'm headed to DC for a conference. I'm arriving a day early because I've never visited, and always wanted to visit, the Museum of American History. Turns out I won't be able to, because the museum is closed for renovations.
Damned renovators.
Visit the Air & Space Museum on the Mall. They have a few goodies from the Natural History Museum on the second floor at the end near the Apollo exhibits. Lincoln's hat. Wizard of Oz movie costumes. Archie Bunker's chair. The original penicillin mold. Neato keeno stuff.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a new extension of the Air & Space museum out near Dulles...it has a lot of interesting stuff, although it does not do a very good job of explaining the objects.
ReplyDeleteDon't know how much time you have in the area, but there's also an interesting and little-known museum of technology and industry over in Baltimore at the Inner Harbor.
Do not waste a whole day going to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles. If you are a fan of aviation you already have seen everything that is out there and know more about it than what you can learn at the museum.
ReplyDeleteIf you do not know anything about aviation, you not know learn a thing because the scripts are so simplistic.
Since I now have a free day, I'll attempt the other two places I haven't been before--the Capitol steps and the Jefferson Memorial.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see how close I can get to the Capitol :-)
We're leaving for Charleston in a few hours. Other than Spoleto and the Atlantic, we really have no specific plans. What's open is open.
ReplyDeleteDarren...
ReplyDeletePlease make it a point to go to the World War II memorial there at the Mall. I spent a good hour just walking around and taking it all in. Definitely a beautiful addition to the city. I've also heard the newer Museum of Native American History is quite nice too. I didn't get to go there last year due to time constraints. And don't forget the National Archives, nothing like seeing the documents that led us off in the right foot so long ago. They were closed last year due to the floods.
"Damned Rains!"
I went to the WWII Memorial last time I was in DC. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe Archives is now on my list.