Music Monday 119 :: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Music Monday 119 :: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - The Memorial

I went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument in 2009 when it was just a marker. So much has changed since then ...

Martin Luther King, Jr. marker in Washington, DC in 2009 (Taken Jan. 2009).

For me the change is quite pronounced ... I no longer live in US.

What started out as 9 months in Cairo has turned into 3 years living in Egypt and traveling extensively. Awesome.

The controversial inscription on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Taken on Wed., Jan. 4, 2012 

And now this ... the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It's stellar but has come under some controversy.

Change is good when embraced!

Sunset in Washington, DC near the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Taken on Wed., Jan. 4, 2012

Oh, and as for the 'music' component of this blog post, check out DJ Matt Werner's Martin Luther King, Jr. Mix Tape. It's a FREE download w/some of Dr. King's speeches set to music.
 

Washington, DC Vacation - part 3

Happy 4th of July folks!

So I'm continuing to reminisce about my recent fab vacation to the Chocolate City.

This time I will focus on the Newseum. It's a museum that focuses on news and news history. I remember going to the Newseum when it was in Reston, VA. It closed several years ago in order to get the new digs up and running. Well, it took a long time, but the new facility is in prime space near the National Mall and other Smithsonian museums.

The new Newseum opened this past April and is very, very nice and swank. Oh, but I must warn you that the admission fee is $20 and it is non-negotiable (unless you go w/a group and then I think tix might be $12). People balk at the price because most of the museums in D.C. are funded w/our tax dollars and have free admission.

I was too elated that the museum was open and I was there and I wanted to experience every bit of it. So I went by myself since I thought I'd run the risk of going w/someone who would be bored w/it all in like 60 minutes.

I think that it is a wonderful place. I really enjoyed the Journalists Memorial (below). It is quite moving. There are lots of small theaters that show short films and that's cool too. I liked seeing lots of the old newspapers as well.

There was a Berlin Wall exhibit, a G-Men exhibit and an area dedicated to 9-11. Oh, and I think my fav section was the Pulitzer Prize winning Photos area. So much to see in one image.

They also have an area where you can produce a newscast. There is just a wealth of information and things to do, however, $20 is too much. They should really reconsider the price because I think people will enjoy it, but you have to get them there and $20 will certainly scare away the non-news type. Take the Virtual Tour; it's cool too and it's free!