It has been a long time since I had the time to visit the Smithsonian and other museums in Washington DC. In 2000, I had the chance to go visit the White House then walked along the National Mall and visited quite a few museums. This time, I set out to visit the museums I haven’t seen before such as: the African American Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Museum of Asian Art (Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery). I also spent almost an entire day at the Museum of the Bible (which is not part of the Smithsonian). Thong and I also visited the National Cathedral.
We were very lucky that the weather was perfect for walking around DC and the National Mall except for one morning when it was raining when we got to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was on a Sunday and the website advised us to get a time-stamped pass to get in. Luckily we did that before getting to the museum even though the security people let everybody in since we were all quite wet from the downpour. We gained an appreciation and gratitude for the African American people who helped build this country
The Hirshhorn Museum is housed in a circular drum-shaped building designed by Gordon Bunshaft. The collection was donated to the Smithsonian by Joseph H Hirshhorn. It is a museum of modern and contemporary art. I appreciated the beauty and majesty of the building but it is not my cup of tea. I cannot associate art with a leg and foot with sneaker sticking out of the wall. I love the murals inside the museum. The sculptures in the sunken sculpture garden across from the museum were amazing.
The National Museum of American History has always fascinated me. Every time I visit, I noticed more items that I did not pay attention in previous visits. This time, I spent quite a lot of time listening to the history and the lyrics of the national anthem, from the poem written by Francis Scott Key, “The Defense of Fort McHenry” in Maryland during the war of 1812. The original flag was preserved in the museum. There were 15 stars of which one is missing as pieces of the flag and stars were cut out and given as souvenirs at that time. But it was awesome to see that flag has survived and has been restored carefully.
Since I joined the American Red Cross as a volunteer I was very interested to see the first Red Cross ambulance used by Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross. The initial ambulance was just a covered wagon on four wheels with a Red Cross on the side.
I also spent a lot of time looking at the quilts and the new inventions throughout the years such as the sticker for stocks. There was one room dedicated to the Ruby Slippers in the movie “the Wizard of Oz”. There was just not enough time to see everything. I will certainly go back to visit the museum again
