Just one more museum, mom?

 April 7, 2022

Washington, DC

This is some of the art of Laurie Anderson

Today I woke up in the top bunk not well rested.  I hated climbing up and down that ladder, and had to during the night to go use the bathroom.  And I didn't want to roll over and make the whole bunk bed setup shake (it's really cheap aluminum).  I didn't want to wake up my roommate, Joy.  I got up (to use the bathroom again) while she was packing this. morning.  So I waited to say good-bye, then went back to bed.  They provide a breakfast from 8:30 to 10, but sleep won out.  I was able to sleep a little bit more and felt better.  Then I got up and showered.  While I was getting ready to go out, the receptionist came and asked if Joy left.  I said yes, and that I wanted to switch bunks, to sleep on the bottom.  I cited that I have to get up during the night and that I have joint pain.  She said that it depended on  the booking, but that it would probably work.  So I switched the bedding from the top to the bottom and left my nightshirt and toiletry bag on the bed.  But then I went to the main building because she said that they had a water bottle filler (turns out to just be a water fountain), and she stopped me and said that they couldn't switch me.  I argued, then another worker came over and said that she couldn't switch it in the bookings.  Then their supervisor arrived for work and they told her about the problem since I kept arguing about it, saying that they could just change the person for today and over the weekend to the top bunk (bed 1) and keep me on (bed 2).  The supervisor said that of course they could switch it (thank goodness)!  All that drama for a small thing for them.  

Some row houses

A very fancy apartment builidng with turrets

Love this row house (note the 
eyebrow window in the attic)

Detail from the house includes carved brownstone portico
and lion to guard the door

It was sprinkling, but I decided to wear my rain jacket and walk to the Smithsonian.  The map app sent me the wrong way for awhile, then I had to turn back and go the opposite way (!).  Stopped for a fancy grilled cheese sandwich at the Baker's Daughter for lunch.  

On top of this parking garage is the playground for the
elementary school on the right

This is the national mall.  In 1850, Andrew Jackson transformed
the mall into the nation's first landscaped public park using informal,
romantic arrangements of circular carriage drives and plantings of rare
trees.  But in 1934, the mall was restored back to Pierre L-Enfant's
original plan.  I think I would have preferred Jackson's park.

The Smithsonian has many museums now.  They used to all be in the castle, but now that is admin and information.  And they are all free!  I started at the castle, then went next door to the Arts and Industries building where they had a huge exhibit called "Welcome to the Futures".  It was divided into Futures Past, Futures that Inspire, Futures that Unite, and Futures that Work.   It was cool, but I had a headache and my hip hurt, so I didn't spend as much time there as I might have otherwise.  

The front entrance of the Arts and Industries Building

Next, on to the Hirshhorn Modern Art building (also part of the Smithsonian--the Smithsonian is like the Google of museums).   I'm not a usual modern art lover, but they had an interesting multi-gallery exhibit on the artist Laurie Anderson.  She is a multi-media artist and is interested in stories.  All of her art tells stories.  Some of it I really liked, and some I thought was a bit strange.  But I feel that the purpose of art is to make us feel and think, and this definitely did that.  So I guess it was successful.

The Hirshhorn Modern Art building was built in the 70s in the shape of a ring.  They are currently renovating it, removing the concrete panels from the steel frame and replacing them with new panels.

The renovation will make the ring a few feet wider in diameter because they 
are adding insulstion to protect the art inside and the panels will be
more stable and energy concious.

The outside is covered with a drape during the reconstruction.

The Laurie Anderson exhibit.

Then I walked through the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Art, (not Smithsonian) then on to the Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian).  That was a cool museum.  They have two (huge) floors of exhibits.  I didn't even see all of one before they were kicking us out (closing time is 5:30).  Lots of fossils and models of mammals.  

The Sculpture Garden

Museum of Natural History

Then I walked back to my hostel and stopped on the way to get Subway for dinner because I did not want to go out again later.  It was raining harder on the way back, so I arrived wet and changed into dry clothes to work on my blog, check email, text people, etc.  Tomorrow I am on my own for most of the day, then meet up with Joshua.  He is going to show me around campus and in some of the campus buildings (our college visit was during COVID, so there were no tours and we could not see in any buildings).  Then on Saturday, he has a full day of activities planned for my last day.