This Week on the Tourist Circuit

[alexiscartwheel]

On Wednesday morning I took my first trip to the top of the Washington Monument. It was closed for years, so I’ve never had the opportunity before. The views from the top are pretty cool, largely due to the fact that D.C. has so many instantly recognizable buildings and monuments. On the ride down, the elevator slows so you can see various decorated stones in honor of George Washington that were place on the inside walls of the Monuments. I had no idea that such a thing existed, so it was an unexpected treat.

Another previously closed sight that I visited was the National Portrait Gallery, which is housed in the same building as the American Art Museum. I enjoy portraits, and I didn’t have a lot of time, so I concentrated on the Portrait Gallery. While I was in the America’s Presidents section, there was a crew there filming a segment for the Colbert Report! Someone from the museum staff was talking about a few of the presidential portraits in the collection and comparing them to Stephen Colbert’s portrait, which currently hangs in the entryway to the restrooms. Currently, there is also a photography display devoted to notable African-Americans. I love black and white photography, and the exhibit had some truly spectacular shots. Among my favorites were portraits of Lorraine Hansberry and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

I made a quick stop at the National Gallery of Art and saw an interesting exhibit of prints by Robert Rauschenberg, a Twentieth-Century American artist. Most of the works were lithographs, a medium with which I’m not familiar. d4ni, maybe you know something about it? Most of the prints I saw were colorful collages that incorporated photographs, texts, and other media. It was unlike the art that I’m usually into, but I thought some of the pieces were fascinating. While I was at the National Gallery I also saw marble statues, including one of a reading girl, ornate Eighteenth-Century furniture, Marie Antoinette’s portrait, and several Goya’s. I like his work much better from the period when he was painting courtiers, before it got all crazy and dark.

This afternoon I went to the National Museum of the American Indian to see the “Identity by Design” exhibit. The exhibit explains the development of styles of Native women’s dresses from the Nineteenth Century to the present. The dresses are all for special occasions, and many have intricate beadwork and other ornamentation. There was also special display of dresses made especially for the Ghost Dance. Several contemporary dress-makers were consultants for the exhibit, and they share their stories in text and video. One of the museum’s greatest strengths, in my opinion, is that it showcases a living history, not just a collection of historic artifacts. All the exhibits make connections between American Indian history and contemporary life. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend it, particularly if you have an interest in American Indians/First Nations cultures.

Other bits and bobs:

Best people watching of the week: Union Station food court. A couple sitting near to me carried on a lively conversation in ASL. A girl the table next to me proclaimed that this food court had “weird” food, and continued to inform her friends that France has the best lunch food, and Germany has the best breakfast. The best dinner can be found in… Europe.

Times I have been mistaken for a local: five. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I’m by myself, and tourists tend to be in herds? Maybe I just look like I know where I’m going? Some of the time, I actually could help someone out, but unfortunately for two gentlemen that stopped me yesterday, I have no idea where to find a McDonald’s, or any other fast food restaurant, near the National Archives.

Comments

[somerled.livejournal.com]

It's been ages since I was last in D.C. It's nice to hear about it. What is the vibe on the street? Are you sticking to the monuments & museums, or are you doing as the locals (if anyone there can even be called that) do?

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

A combination of both, I think. I've been staying with my aunt, who is a real life local, and I definitely hit a couple local lunch spots that were crammed with suits. I've of course seen my share of the touristy stuff as well. I had a third purpose, too, to visit the University of Maryland, which fits in neither of those categories. Overall, a varied and entertaining trip.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

It was good, I'm actually planning on posting about that later.

That happened to me in Montreal too! I did actually explain a bus route successfully in French once (kind of, it mostly involved me saying "oui" and pointing at the bus map).

[d4ni.livejournal.com]

Lithography is pretty cool, I didn't get to take it in college but I wanted to after I took intaglio printmaking. Anyways, it's a printmaking method where you draw your image on a smooth flat surface (usually a special type of stone) with a crayon-type thing. Then you roll ink over the stone. When you wipe the stone down, the ink sticks to the places where you drew with the crayon. Then you stick some paper over it and voila! It's interesting because I think it's the only printmaking method where you don't have to reverse your image when you draw it.

Whew! Okay that's my rant, and very basic cause I don't really know the finer points. <3

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

So how does it work if your making a collage with photographs and stuff and making a lithograph of it?

[d4ni.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I have no idea! Maybe there's a way to transfer the images to whatever printing surface you're using. I wish I had gotten to take that class in college! ::pout::

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

I kinda wanna know. Cause... I just don't get it.

[d4ni.livejournal.com]

Also, I was mistaken for a local once in Italy. Except I have no idea how to speak Italian, so that was fun... The lady got kinda mad, but I just kinda had to say "sorry!" and run off.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

Here's the answer for everything: Non lo so.

Locals

[lib-chick42.livejournal.com]

I don't really think that people have a sense of what "locals" are supposed to be like, since I get mistaken for one almost every time I'm traveling- but very seldom when I'm at home, or somewhere that I've been a bunch of times and could actually answer question/direct people.
But then again, where I am now there really aren't a whole lot of locals who seem even remotely approachable.

Re: Locals

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

Good point. Maybe I just looked more approachable than the politicos.