National Museum of Natural History & the National Gallery of Art

Knocking on the doors of the Justice Department

Russell and I were thinking about renting bicycles to tour Washington DC, but instead opted to walk everywhere, and man did we walk! First we walked to the bus terminal to see if we could buy tickets there - no, only online. Then we headed towards the National Museum of Natural History but got sidetracked by the Department of Justice building and the National Archives. Eventually we did make it to the Natural History Museum, which, thankfully, is free. The National Museum of Natural History was a total letdown and is not even comparable to the American Museum of Natural History here in New York - of course the one in NYC costs $12, but it is totally worth the cost.

Since nearly all of the museums in Washington DC are free we decided to also check out the& National Gallery of Art, which is home to the only Leonardo Da Vinci in the United States. As an added bonus, the art museum was not filled with cranky children, in fact it wasn't full at all, and it was a nice break from the sweltering afternoon heat. The museum was very nice, although I have to admit that all I really wanted to do was head straight for the modern art section to see Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh. It is interesting, when I saw my first Picasso I wasn't really struck by it, but now his work has really grown on me. The Da Vinci, titled Ginevra de' Benci, was nice, but I think I came in with too high expectations. After walking around the museum for a while we finally made it to contemporary art - where, interestingly enough, I ran into Maryam (a lovely gal from my MA program)! Of all the places to run into someone! Apparently she is doing her internship in DC. Small world.

Russell and I outside the National Gallery of Art

Anyway, this was Russell's first time seeing any paintings in real life and I think he really enjoyed it. His favorite artist was van Gogh, although he enjoyed Monet as well - either great minds think alike or my excitement for the two was contagious. The National Gallery of Art had a lot of Monet paintings, many that I have seen on postcards and calendars, but my favorites were Banks of the Seine, Vétheuil, Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers, and Japanese Footbridge. I also enjoyed Roses and The Olive Orchard by van Gogh, and Harlequin Musician by Picasso. Beyond my favorite painters I also liked Houses in Dresden and Bicycle Race. You can see more drawings and paintings that I enjoyed by checking out my flickr album here.