Washington - Day 3

Monday, July 7

Another hot day in DC with the temperature getting into the 90s F, but it was very pleasant walking on the shady side of the street on our way to the area where the Smithsonian museums are located. Along the way we passed some interesting buildings and enjoyed soaking up the vibe of DC on a work day.

Forever 21 Retail Store

We've been impressed with DC and it's easy to navigate street grids, as well as the lovely wide, tree lined streets and footpaths, which are kept very clean. A lot of the buildings look old but are modern, however they have been built in a classical style, and with the height restrictions it adds to the streetscape's appeal.

The Ronald Reagan Building - old style but actually built in 1998

There are over 10 different museums and art galleries that come under the Smithsonian "banner", some of which appealed to us more than others. We decided to start at the American History Museum as it "only" covered the 200+ years of America's history. We had a list of "must sees", but it took us about an hour to get out of the ground floor lobby! It then took us another couple of hours to completely see the ground floor rooms which covered the history of transport, money, food, electricity and power machinery. This included a great exhibit on Thomas Edison and inventors, while in the food area, Julia Child's kitchen was displayed.

From covered wagons to the Mustang - a lot of progress in 110 years

Part of the Edison exhibit

Julia Child's kitchen where her TV cooking show was filmed

After a short break we headed to the second floor to see the original Star-Spangled Banner that inspired the US National anthem, some famous red shoes Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz, and a famous pig that has entertained us on TV and in movies!

 

We were running out of time so we headed to the third floor to see the exhibits on the First Ladies of the White House, which included a lot of their dresses from their husband's inaugurations as well as other personal items. It also included exhibits on the ladies' influence on the furnishings and decorating of the White House over 200 years - Noelle loved all this.

A velvet dress worn by First Lady Grace Coolidge in the 1920's

Another great exhibit covered all the Presidents and the function of the presidency, as well as the symbolic importance of the White House. We have certainly learnt a lot about the US and it's history from today, and we ended up getting kicked out at 7:30!

What do you think?

Walking back to our hotel it was still hot, but as it was such a lovely evening we decided to eat outside and make the most of the warmth.

 

 

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