Thursday, January 10, 2013

Museum Challenge 2013


          I’m pretty lucky to be from Washington, DC. Most people have heard of it—they may have even visited before. My hometown is a vacation destination for the likes of girl scout troops from Ohio, middle-school students from Pennsylvania, and families from around the world. Postcards depicting monuments I admire from afar are sent ever day to Paris, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and beyond.  There are countless Facebook pictures posted in front of the White House gates, “holding up” the Washington Monument, in front of the towering marble Lincoln, and among fluffy pink cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin.

            However, like most DC natives, I don’t take full advantage of the history and culture surrounding me. I’ve certainly covered the big five—Natural History, Air and Space, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and the White House—and I do still continue to expand my repertoire of DC sites. I event would venture to say that the Jefferson memorial is one of my favorite places in the world. However, the truth is that I am woefully behind on my hometown lore and sites.

            But, that’s all about to change. I’m hereby publically challenging myself to a self-named “DC museum, memorial, and important sites” marathon. I’m starting with the following list, and setting a goal of visiting at least two-thirds of these sites by May 3rd, the last day of my program at Georgetown. The remainder will be visited this summer.
            For each site I visit, I’ll be completing a short post, complete with pictures (yes, I’m going to start integrating photos!), stories, and the occasional review. The preliminary list (please comment or contact me with suggestions to add) is:

The Smithsonian Seventeen:
            Anacostia Community Museum
            Sackler Gallery
            Arts and Industries Building
            Freer Gallery of Art
            Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
            Air and Space (bonus points for the bigger one in Chantilly)
            African American History and Culture
            Museum of African Art
American History
Museum of the American Indian
Natural History
National Portrait Gallery
Postal Museum
Renwick Gallery
American Art
Smithsonian Building
National Zoo

Other Museums and Galleries:
            Holocaust Museum
            Newseum
            Textile Museum
National Museum of Women in the Arts
            Corcoran Gallery
            The Phillips Collection
            Connersmith Gallery
            National Gallery of Art

Monuments and Memorials:
            Jefferson
            Lincoln
            World War II
            Vietnam War
            Washington Monument
            African American Civil War Memorial
            Air Force Memorial
            Arlington Cemetery
            FDR
            Korean War Memorial
            Iwo Jima
            Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (brand spanking new!)
            National Archives
            Theodore Roosevelt Island

Other Cool Places:
            Library of Congress
            Folger Shakespeare Library
            Anderson House
            Arlington House
            Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
            National Cathedral
            Thomas Jefferson Building (bonus Civil War exhibit!)
            National Arboretum
            Old Stone House
            Union Station
            The Capitol
            Bureau of Engraving & Printing
            Ford’s Theatre
            Supreme Court
            Woodrow Wilson House

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