Jordan and I rise early at 6:30 to head to the Washington Monument to get in line for tickets. We are there 45 minutes before the ticket window pons and are about 75 people back. Jim joins us just as we start moving to the window at 8:30 and we easily get our tickets.
These people are behind us.
We grab a bite to eat and get back in line for our 10 am reservation. We take an elevator up 550 feet to an observation area.
After this, we tour the African American History Museum. This is a fairly new building – and the exhibition starts 3 floors below grade. You walk down the Ramos, where the history starts with slaves being brought to America. You then ascend to the second level where it concentrates on segregation and the fight for freedom during the 60’s. There was a train that had the colored and whites only section. There was the lunch counter where the struggles for equality were fought.
And then up the ramp to the third floor of more modern day struggles. But we did get to see Oprah’s couch!
And finally you climb many steps to get back to ground level. The irony of the design and ascent were not lost on us.
Now on to the Smithsonian of a Natural History.
First the ocean exhibit –
And a sad display of what our plastics are doing to the oceans.
Then the evolution exhibit.
I was fascinated by the heights of the evolving species – but also the skeleton structure that adapted/evolved to both the heat and cold climates.
The frailer structure on the left adapted to hot climates, while the sturdier frame on the right adapted to cold climates.
Now on to the animal section.
A few dinosaur skeletons
A quick run through the gemstones…
45 Carat Hope Diamond
Citron- below
Meanwhile Audrey is back in Lewisburg getting that fried green tomato sandwich WE wanted!
She said the onion rings and milk shake were great but didn’t have a lot of praise for her BLT!
We head back to the hotel to pack up and check out. Jim stays behind and Jordan and I take the Metro to National Portrait Gallery.
Jefferson – young and then older
Back to George
and up another floor to a Michelle Obama’s Portrait
And the women of the Supreme Court
Now an Uber to the airport and a stop in the Priority Lounge (Jim still has status thank goodness!)
And we are boarding our flight home.
So the one museum we didn’t get to on our hit list today was the Newseum, but we added the African American History – so I consider it a success.
Until the next venture – which may be awhile.
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