Return-path: <[log in to unmask]> From: [log in to unmask] Full-name: felt170 Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 11:36:29 EDT Subject: Re: Visiting Washington DC To: [log in to unmask] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 124 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 I have blanked on the other- but it has amazing gardens as well as a good byzantium collection. - 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 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. And include some non-Mall activities because you will need the relief from the crowds. Have fun!! Pamela ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).