The Air and Space Museum is undergoing extensive renovation and was completely closed from spring to fall of 2022. We had entry tickets for 11. They only let people in on the hour, but I must admit, that’s a good strategy. It doesn’t seem crowded and we got right up to see exhibits.
First came the Wright Brothers’ plane.
This is the actual Wright Flyer—they did replace the canvas recently.
Oh my, what wondrous things we found. All kinds of information on early airplane flight, perfect background for my yet-to-be-published Over the Moon. There were rooms full of history I adored. I took a lot of pictures. Even the sandwiches in their café were really tasty.
This sculpture is based on the 1820 graphic image of Etienne-Gaspard Robert, balloonist and magician. Flight has been a dream for a long time.
After lunch, we did the top floor, which was devoted to space. There was even an X-Wing fighter from Star Wars right over our heads and we didn’t see it. We found Charles Lindburgh’s Spirit of St. Louis with help from a guard— way off to the side, kind of in the dark—but we got pictures. That’s obviously not its final exhibition spot, but it’s nice they had it on display.
It’s a moon rock.
We saw everything there. The museum is only about a third open. I bought a book about the Wright Brothers by a historical author I like.
This is an excellent book. The best I’ve read in a long time. I never appreciated the genius of the Wright Brothers. The historical detail and personal insights are what made the story great.
Next, we walked across the mall to the art museums. We were worn out by then, but I didn’t want to leave Washington without seeing the impressionists. Unfortunately, the museum that features American impressionism is closed for remodeling, but the European art was terrific.
Renoir’s A Girl with a Watering Can
Roses by Van Gogh
The Dance Lesson by Degas
Looking carefully at these priceless paintings, we noticed there is some kind of covering protecting the paintings from vandals, a wise choice in these troubling times when fine art has become an object of malicious intent.
Child in a Straw Hat by Mary Cassatt
The Artist’s Garden in Argenteuil (A Corner of the Garden with Dahlias) by Claude Monet. I got a small print of this, my favorite piece today. My print doesn’t do justice to looking at the original, but it’s a nice reminder.
It’s amazing to me how the tiny, seemingly random blobs of color can make such a beautiful picture.
We even got to see the only Leonardo Da Vinci in the entire country, the portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci.
We stopped for cookies (not very good, but nice to sit down). A man there actually returned his food because he said it was so awful it was inedible. After my tough cookie, I could commiserate. It seems as if a lot more care is taken with food at the more popular museums. Unfortunately, there were few people in the art museum.
It took a while to walk back to the hotel, even though it wasn’t far. After some rest, we headed back to the wharf and had fish and chips at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. It didn’t hold a candle to Milk and Honey although the fish was fresh and crispy and the chips were good. They sold cookie butter there, which I’ve seen on baking shows. I’m curious about it but couldn’t justify lugging that big jar around until we got home. I’ll try Amazon.
Beautiful hydrangeas are everywhere.
Hard to believe our time in DC is over. We saw so many incredible things. I feel so fortunate. But there’re actually a few things we didn’t get to. I wonder if we’ll ever make it back? I got one last brownie at Starbucks. Time to pack.