A day at the Musium

Some of my favorite subjects are fashion and cooking and the museum of American history had some of the best representations. Let’s start with fashion. What better way to see some of the greatest fashion statements than on the first ladies them self’s.

 This is Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown.  It is stunning.

 The jewels she wore.

The dresses of Hillary Clinton & Laura Bush are absolutely beautiful.

They did not have all the first ladies dresses in the museum but they had sketches of them. 

 My next favorite subject is cooking and who best to see is the iconic Julia Chiles.  Here is her Kitchen.

My guys were so patient waiting for me to get done with this section. 

The transportation section.  

The car companies that were in business.  

The Washington Monument.  We went up in an elevator 550 feet.

The city 550 feet up. 

 

Day two in Washington DC

For a populated city the vibe is very relaxing. We have been to NY before and you can feel the hustle of the city. Not in Washington DC. Our Hotel is one block from the White house and in walking distance to everything. I think if we were driving our experience would be much different. As we walk to one museum and another, we pass many parks and joggers. People are hanging out in the parks playing football, Frisbee and the kids are just running around freely.

We got an early start so we could get as many museums in as possible. We were at the museums by 9:00 a.m. only to find out they don't open until 10:00 a.m. There was one building open at 8:30 that I’m glad we stopped and took in this sight. I am going to give you the short version of the story. But if you ever have the chance to come To Washington D.C. stop in and take a thirty minute tour and find out the full story. A Castle built and dedicated to James Smithson. The founder of the Smithsonian Institution. The story is quite interesting on how this Englishman came to rest here in the United States. He was descended from English royalty and very wealthy. He was also a successful chemist. He never had any children of his own. Three years before he died he had is will drown up to leave his entire estate to his only nephew. There was a strange stipulation in the will. He had put in there if his nephew should die and have no children of his own his entire estate should then go to Washington DC. His nephew only lived six years after James Smithson passing. His nephew lived very well on the inheritance. Since he did not have any children of his own James Smithson estate now became the property of Washington DC. The castle was built to honor James Smithson and promote creative thought and science.

The architecture in this castle was stunning.  James Renwick, Jr. was the architect.  He was also the architect for the St Patrick’s Cathedral in N.Y.

Air and Space Museum.

There is a whole section devoted to hands on experience.  

There are several guides around the museum doing different activities. This one is demonstrating the gravitational pull of a spinning tire.  He had The Cisco Kid sit on a stool.  Once the tire started to spin, The Cisco Kid would move the tire side to side and it would swing him in the stool.  

 

The Wright brothers

Tomorrow we are going into the White House. Unfortunately we are not allowed to bring in cameras, cell phones, etc, I will let you know how it goes.