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
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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