In a message dated 7/25/2002 11:36:29 AM Eastern Daylight Time, felt170
writes:

> And don't forget the non-Smithsonian museums (national in title does not
> always equal Smithsonian)
>
>  - The National Building Museum-- the most amazing space in DC and good
> exhibits to boot. It's also near Chinatown. The National Museumm of Women
in
> the arts is nearby and is also a wonderful space.
>  - The Library of Congress- has exhibit space and a tour of the building. I
> have eavesdropped on the tours while doing research there and it is
> fascinating.
>  - The Corcoran and the Phillips- both private art museums with admission
> charges (we're pretty snotty about admission charges in this city since
most
> museums don't have them).
>  - The DAR Museum, which is very near the Corcoran and has a mostly dec
arts
> focus.
>  - In Georgetown there are several house and garden museums: Tudor House
and
> Dumbarton Oaks.
>  - The Spy Museum. It just opened last week and is supposed to be very high-
> technology and interactive. It is expensive, $11 I think, but if you are
> going as a museum professional it might be worth it to see the new exhibit
> technologies.
>  - On Lafayette Square across from the White House is the Decatur House, a
> National Trust property.
>  - Outside of DC are alot of historic houses. Out by Mount Vernon is also
> Woodlawn Plantation, the Pope-Leighey House (a Frank Lloyd Wright home) and
> George Mason's home, Gunston Hall, I have heard it is the best historic
home
> to see.
>  - Old Town Alexandria. A great place to stroll, shop and eat. But it also
> has a series of small museums and historic homes such as the Carlyle House,
> Gatsby's Tavern and several others. And is nowhere as crowded as DC. It's
the
> best place to find crab cakes in town too. The George Washington Masonic
> Temple near the King Street metro is also a fun tour.
>  - There are two house museums that also have great art collections- the
> Kreeger and Hillwood House. They both require reservations ahead and are
> quite difficult to get into, but if it's your thing, they're worth it.
>  - If you like aviation, call NASM ahead and book a tour of the Garber
> Facility. It's a long tour in an iffy area, but it's well worth it if it's
> your thing. A warning though-- if it is really your thing and you show too
> much enthusiasm you'll inspire your docent and never get out. I did a 6
hour
> tour there once!
>  - There are alot of great neighborhoods to stroll around and look. When
you
> get here you might want to look into a walking tour (Old Town Alexandria
also
> has a great ghost walk). Among the good neighborhoods for walking are
Dupont,
> Kalorama, Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill. Georgetown is a toss-- it has
> beautiful back streets and some good restaurants (Old Glory for barbeque-
my
> favorite place in town!)  but it is very crowded with teen-agers,
Euro-posers
> and the posh people.
>- The Duckmobile tour is really fun! I live here and do it! It leaves from
Union Station, > which is worth going to see. It has some good restaurants
and a food court. The
> Postal Museum (Smithsonian) is also right there. As is the Capitol.
>- If you're here on a Saturday goto Eastern Market for breakfast. There will
be a long > line at Market Lunch, but the bluebucks (blueberry and buckwheat
pancakes) are > probably one of this town's most classic meals. Also, during
the week the crab
> cakes there are popular as well.
>- If you stay in arlington, the Clarendon metro stop has lots of good
restaurants. For > cheap meals, the Whitlows has half price burger night on
Mondays. A block on is > Fresh Fields, the "health food" market. Their deli
has great salads and meals you > can buy for picnics or a non-restaurant
option. A bit on the $$$ side, but cheaper
> than another meal out.
>
>  The big problem in DC are the crowds. And they truly move like cattle--
> going from one Smithsonian to another then up the Washington Monument and
> onto the Hard Rock Cafe, Georgetown or Pentagon City Mall for meals. But
the
> amazing thing is, even at NASM and American History, if you go into the
> exhibits the crowds disappear! And you can spend days getting lost in the
> exhibits. And the off the Mall offerings are equally great and most of the
> time relatively empty.
>
>  Also check out Washingtonpost.com to see if anything special is happening
> around town.
>
>  So there is plenty to see. And that is without renting a car and going out
> of the city on day trips!! My advice is to figure out what you most want to
> see, maybe even pick a theme and make your plans around that. Keep it
> flexible. It's easy to spend a full day in any one place, so make sure you
see what > you want but don't feel cheated. And include some non-Mall
activities because you > will need the  relief from the crowds.
>
>
>  Have fun!!
>  Pamela
>
>


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