Summer Excursions in DC

Members of the AMST@Maryland community who are in the area for the summer have some wonderful leisure options. (Even though the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is over.) Last week I spent one afternoon at the National Building Museum enjoying the food, the ambiance and two marvelous exhibits. For newcomers, the NBM is a private (ie, not free*) museum that wins the Paoletti hat-trick of awards: easiest Metro access**, best gift shop and best food value. I defy anyone to get lost trying to find it. You take the Red Line to Judiciary Square and follow the signs to the National Building Museum. It practically falls on you on the escalator. (One of my favorite DC memories is going to the NBM on the even of Clinton's first inauguration and arriving at the top of the escalator to find Aretha Franklin in a floor-length ermine coat posing for a photographer in front of the museum entrance.)

Inside, you'll be in the spectacular Great Hall, roughly the size of a football field (116' x 316') and seven stories high. There's a fountain in the center and a cafe (operated by Firehook Bakery & Coffeehouse -- I got a 20-ounce iced coffee for under $2). The gift shop -- named the best museum store in DC by the Washington Post -- is my favorite destination for wedding and holiday shopping. Right now they have a great display of books about green architecture and green home products.

The current exhibits are "David Macaulay: The Art of Drawing Architecture", through January 21 (yay, Motel of the Mysteries!) and "Reinventing the Globe: A Shakespearean Theater for the 21st Century", through October 8. You needn't be a material culture geek to enjoy either one, and the Macaulay exhibit is particularly kid-friendly.

What other amusements are people finding in the area?


*Yes, there's a suggested donation of $5, but no one objects to visitors paying what they can afford (you just drop it in an acrylic cube at the entrance, and no one's counting).

**Unfortunately, the Metro access is much less awesome if you have a large stroller or wheelchair. You'll need to take the elevator to street level and head to the G Street entrance on the opposite side of the building.