Washington, DC Vacation - part 4

Just a few final pix. This one is from the Art Sculpture Garden; a take on "The Thinker."

The next two were taken from the roof of the Newseum. Awesome view. Even the elevator ride up was nice - it's a glass elevator; very cool.

The pic above is the National Gallery of Art. Good stuff.

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!

Washington, DC Vacation - part 2

Here are more pix from my vacation in DC.

I went to several museums and as a result I check out lots of exhibits. Good stuff too. Like the image above. That is one of the pieces at the National Gallery of Art. The artist is Martin Puryear. Many of his pieces are huge. He uses mesh, wood, and lots of other materials to create. I am so excited that I had a chance to see his work.

"Recognize" is a hip hop exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum - National Portrait Gallery. Hip hop is where my heart is so I had a fabulous time viewing this small exhibit. See a more detailed review on my hip hip blog.

Up next, I'll talk about my much hyped visit to the Newseum. Loved it.

Washington, DC Vacation

So I spent some time in our nation's capital recently. Very nice. I decided to take in some of the many complimentary admission museums (and a paid one too).

I also made it down to the National Mall. I wanted to go to the top of the Washington Monument, but I did not plan that in advance and I did not have a ticket.

It was a hot day on the mall and it was day one of the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival. I wish I could have hung around to see it on the weekend.

This is just one post on my vacation. There will be more recaps. I had a really nice time.