Washington DC History and Art Lesson

2013 Spring break we spend on searching for an American history and learning about the art and artists. The best place, with the most and closest located recourses we found in Washington D.C.

We've started with the 8th annual Cherry Blossom Festival honoring the gift of trees.

www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org  

Since the spring has been delayed this year on Sunday, March 24, we tried to stay indoors visiting The National Building Museum where Basia had her hands-on activities with the music in the background. She made a cherry blossom tree from popcorn, build Cha-shitsu tea house structures, Soji screens, constructed a paper torii gate and met Snoopy, the Lorax, and other characters. The building itself is absolutely stunning, historic with tours, museum shop and cafe. The entrance to the Great Hall is free. Exhibition admissions are $8 for adults, $5 for youth, students,  and seniors.

Address: 401 F Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
202.272.2448

Metro: Judiciary Square Station on Red Line or Gallery Pl.-Chinatown
4 blocks from the National Mall

Lincoln Memorial

Early next day we started our extravaganza right in the heart of Washington D. C. - The National Mall, which includes areas that are officially part of WestPotomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the LincolnMemorial and the United States Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center.

The National Mall is very attractive since it contains many landmarks, museums and other features:

National Museum of American History

National Museum of Natural History

National Gallery of ArtSculpture Garden

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Puellae

West Building of the National Gallery of Art
Hieronimus Bosch

Albrecht Durer

Salvador Dali, The Last Supper

East Building of the National Gallery of Art

National Museum of the AmericanIndian

National Air and Space Museum

Hirshhorn Museum and SculptureGarden

Arts and Industries Building

Smithsonian Institution Building ("The Castle")

Freer Gallery of Art

Asian Art

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Asian Art

National Museum of African Art

The National Mall Map

Legend to The Map:

(1) Washington Monument 

Julia Child's Kitchen

(2) The National Museum of American History 

(3) The National Museum of Natural History 

The National Gallery of Art (which is separate from the Smithsonian Institution):

(4) The Sculpture Garden

(5) The West Building

(6) The East Building

(7) The United States Capitol 

(8) The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial 

(9) The United States Botanic Garden 

(10) The National Museum of the AmericanIndian 

(11) The National Air and Space Museum

(12) Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 

(13) Arts and Industries Building 

(14) Smithsonian Institution Building 

(15) Freer Gallery of Art 

(16) Arthur M. Sackler Gallery 

(17) The National Museum of African Art

It is also quite important to visit The National Archives http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/. The building provides public access to the original documents that set up the American government as a democracy, such as the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Right in front of the building there is very modest Franklin D. Roosevelt’s memorial stone.

The National Archives is located on 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Washington, DC. Free admission.

One more interesting but not commonly known by tourist is The Old Post Office Museum, currently also a food court and in the close future a luxurious hotel oldpostofficedc.com .

It is located on 1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20004‎, T (202) 289-4225. Free admission.

Metro: Federal Triangle Station

II World War Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam War Veteran's Memorial

Vietnam Women's Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

A good introduction to the historical part was a Free walking Tour. http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/washington-dc-tours/tour-calendar/ Even though it is called “free” the guide lives on tips. We walked through the heart of the National Mall and saw Washington Monument, White House, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, National WW2 Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial. Some of the attractions were covered from a distance. A tour guide presented many stories, hidden secrets and historical information.

The tours happen twice a day, 10am to 12pm or 7pm to 9pm, depending on the interest. A meeting point is located at SW corner of 15th and Constitution Ave NW (map); Metro: Federal Triangle Station.

The other day we moved away form the center and visited The National Cathedral and enjoyed the ZOO.

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/

Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm

3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Free Addition.

Hours	Summer (April-October)	Winter (November-March)
Exhibit Buildings	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.	10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Grounds	6 a.m. to 8 p.m.	6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visitor Center, Shops, and Concessions	9 a.m. to 5 p.m.	9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Last Admittance	7 p.m.	N/A

Animal buildings and exhibits open at 10 a.m. but some animals can often be seen in their outside enclosure as early as 8:30 a.m.

Metro: You take Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop, Red Line or Cleveland Park stop, Red Line

Zoo entrance lies halfway between these stops, and both are a short walk from the Zoo. They suggest to arrive at Cleveland Park and leave from either Metro station.

Tip:

• It’s a level walk from Cleveland Park Station. Take the exit on the east side of the street and walk south, toward the Uptown movie theater and the restaurants that line Connecticut Avenue (away from 7-11 and the Exxon station). The Zoo is on the east side of the street, about three blocks from the stop, after a bridge and just past a large apartment building. If you prefer to take a bus from this station to the Zoo catch an L1 or L2 bus, in the direction of Dupont Circle or McPherson Square. The third stop is the Zoo stop and is across the street from the Zoo entrance.
• It's an uphill walk from Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop. Walk north (away from McDonald's and CVS). The Zoo is about 3 blocks from the stop, on the right (east) side of Connecticut Avenue. If you prefer to take a bus from this station to the Zoo. When you arrive at Woodley Park, cross Connecticut Avenue and catch an L2 or L4 bus, in the direction of Chevy Chase Circle. The third stop is the Zoo stop and is right at the Zoo entrance.
• Metrobus:bLines L1, L2, and L4 stop at the Zoo's Connecticut Avenue entrance. The H4 stops at the Zoo's Harvard Street entrance.

See the bus routes and schedules.

Some other interesting way to explore Washington D.C. is with a Trolley Sightseeing Tour. http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/ Adult ticket is $39/ $35.10 on line, child ticket is (4-12) $29/$26.10 on line and children under 4 are FREE; all day Hop-On Hop-Off in 20 locations. Choice is yours.

Washington DC has a very efficient metro system, which combines subway and metro busses. Metro itself operates from 5 am Weekdays, 7 am Weekends till 12 am Sunday-Thursday, 3 am Friday-Saturday and busses run 24/7. It is good to know that Children five and older pay adult fares.

You can find more information going to http://www.wmata.com/  

To see a printable metro map go to www.wmata.com/rail/docs/colormap_lettersize.pdf

They are many ways to pay a fare.

SmarTrip® card. A permanent, rechargeable card; can hold up to $300 in value to pay fares for Metrorail, Metrobus

The card costs $5 and comes with $5 in value for a total price of $10.

The card costs $5 and comes with $25 in value for a total price of $30.

You can get $3 of that $5 back by registering your card online, so the card, in effect, would only cost you $2 https://smartrip.wmata.com/AccountCreate/AccountCreate.aspx

Peak SmarTrip® Fares (in effect weekdays from opening to 9:30 am and 3-7 pm and weekends midnight to closing)

$2.10 minimum + a $1 surcharge if a paper farecard is used

$5.75 maximum + a $1 surcharge if a paper farecard is used

Off-Peak SmarTrip® Fares (all other times)

$1.70 minimum + a $1 surcharge if a paper farecard is used

$3.50 maximum + a $1 surcharge if a paper farecard is used

Bus to Bus With a SmarTrip® card, you may make unlimited Metrobus connections, including round trips, within two hours.

Bus to Rail With a SmarTrip® card and your fare will be reduced when transferring to Metrorail.

Rail to Bus Pay your Metrorail fare using a SmarTrip® card and your fare will be reduced when transferring to Metrobus and most local buses.

Transfers to Express Routes A rider using a SmarTrip® card transferring from a $1.60 regular-fare route to a $3.65 express route pays only the $2.05 difference.

MTA CharmCard® A permanent, rechargeable farecard

that can hold up to $200 in value to pay for rail and bus fares and for parking fees at Metro operated parking facilities. The card costs $2.50 and comes with $7.50 in value already on the card for a total of $10. You can add value to the card

Metrorail Farecard ($10.00)

This farecard holds $10 initially (and up to $45), and may be recharged at any Metrorail station. Paper or Plastic? A $1.00 surcharge will be added to your fare for each trip when a paper farecard is used. That’s $2.00 for a roundtrip. Consider purchasing a reusable, plastic SmarTrip® card instead to avoid the surcharge.

One Day Metrorail Pass $14

For the sea world lovers would be interesting to visit The National Aquarium http://www.aqua.org/visit

Address: 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230

Tickets: Adult (Ages 12–59) $9.95, Child (Ages 3–11) $4.95, Child (Under 3) Free

Tickets onsite, online fee of $1.95 per ticket

Hours: Open Daily: 9–5. Last admission at 4:30 pm

Animal feedings and aquarist talks daily at 2 pm

Extended hours in celebration of National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 20–April 14)
Sun-Thurs: Open 9 am–6 pm, Fri-Sat: Open 9 am–7 pm

The National Aquarium is located in the lower level of the Department of Commerce Building on 14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue NW, just one block from the National Monument.

Metro: Federal Triangle Station on orange and blue lines. If you are traveling on the red line and do not wish to transfer, the nearest station is Metro Center.

Metrobus: 52, 7Y, 11Y, 13F, N3, P1, X1, 63, 64, S2, and S4.

DC Circulator

The DC Circulator bus comes every 10 minutes and costs just $1 each way:

The Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square route stops at 14th and I Streets, NW.

The Georgetown-Union Station route has stops in both directions at 14th and K Streets, NW.

Glen Echo Park, Arts and Cultural Center. http://www.glenechopark.org/ Carousel operates just in summer time.

Address: 7300 MacArthur Blvd. | Glen Echo, MD 20812
T: 301-634-2222, Fax: 301-634-2260

BY CAR: From the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495), take exit 40 on the outer loop or exit 41 east on the inner loop. Take Clara Barton/Cabin John Parkway to the MacArthur Boulevard/Glen Echo exit. Make a left onto MacArthur Boulevard. Cross Goldsboro Road and then make a left onto Oxford Road where you will see the Park's main parking lot.

From downtown Washington, take Massachusetts Avenue in the northwest direction, to its end at Goldsboro Road. Turn left, and continues to MacArthur Boulevard. Turn right on MacArthur Boulevard and take an immediate left onto Oxford Road where you will see the Park's main parking lot.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Take Montgomery County Ride-On bus #29, operating daily from Friendship Heights and Bethesda metro stations on the Red Line. For information on rates and schedules, follow this link to Route 29 on http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/tsvtmpl.asp?url=/content/dot/transit/routesandschedules/allroutes/route029.asp.

Mount Vernon http://www.mountvernon.org/

Opened 365 days of the year Hours of Operation

April through August, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
March, September, and October, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
November through February, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The Historic Area of Mount Vernon remains open for approximately 30 minutes after the posted estate closing time.

The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center remains open for one hour after the posted closing time.

Tickets: Adults $17.00, Seniors ages 62+ $16.00, Youth ages 6-11 $8.00, Children under 6 FREE

Address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA

Smithsonian museums are free of charge.

Why? Read the history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Institution  

See a list:

Museums Located on the National Mall

SmithsonianInstitution Building - 1000 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC. The historic building, also known as the Castle, is a good place to start your tour of the museums. The Smithsonian Information Center is located here and you can find a map and schedule of events. 

SmithsonianArts and Industries Building - 900 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC. The original home of the National Museum is currently closed for renovations. 

SmithsonianNational Air & Space Museum - 7th and Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC. This impressive museum displays the largest collection of air and spacecraft in the world as well as smaller items like instruments, memorabilia, and clothing. Learn about the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight. IMAX films and planetarium shows are offered several times a day. 

SmithsonianHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden - Independence Ave. and 7th St. SW, Washington, DC. The modern and contemporary art exhibits include arts of traditional historical themes and collections addressing emotion, abstraction, politics, process, religion, and economics. 

SmithsonianFreer Gallery - 1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC. The world-renowned collection highlights art from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, and the Near East. Paintings, ceramics, manuscripts, and sculptures are among the favorites of this museum. The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Auditorium provides free programs relating to the collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries, including performances of Asian music and dance, films, lectures, chamber music, and dramatic presentations. 

SmithsonianSackler Gallery - 1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC. This unique building is connected underground to the Freer Gallery of Art. The Sackler collection includes Chinese bronzes, jades, paintings and lacquerware, ancient Near Eastern ceramics and metalware, and sculpture from Asia. 

SmithsonianNational Museum of African Art - 950 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC. The collection includes ancient as well as contemporary works from Africa. There are special events, storytelling, demonstrations and children’s programs. 

Smithsonian NaturalHistory Museum - 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. At this family favorite museum you will see a variety of artifacts including an 80-foot dinosaur skeleton, a life size model of a blue whale, an enormous prehistoric white shark, and a 45-and-a-half carat jewel a known as the Hope Diamond. The Discovery Room is a great hands-on display for young children. Feel the skin of a crocodile, examine the jaws and teeth of different animals or try on clothes from around the globe. 

Smithsonian AmericanHistory Museum - 12th to 14th Sts. NW, Washington, DC. With more than 3 million artifacts of American history and culture, visitors learn about the nation's history from the War of Independence to the present day. At the heart of the museum, the Star-Spangled Banner—one of the most recognized symbols of the nation—has been given a new state-of-the-art gallery. New galleries such as the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention, presenting “Invention at Play,” join old favorites including “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” and “America on the Move.” 

Smithsonian National Museum ofthe American Indian - 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC. The newest museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC showcases Native American objects from ancient pre-Columbian civilizations through the 21st century. Multimedia presentations, live performances and hands-on demonstrations will bring the Native American people’s history and culture to life. 

SmithsonianInternational Gallery - 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW Washington, DC. Housed in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, this is the education and membership branch of the Smithsonian Associates and hosts a variety of traveling exhibits. The Smithsonian Discovery Theater and conference facilities are also located here. 

SmithsonianNational Museum of African American History and Culture - Independence Ave. SW, Washington DC. The 300,000-square-foot museum is under construction and is expected to open in 2015. The museum has created a website to involve the public in planning a variety of exhibits and educational programs on topics such as slavery, post-Civil War reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement.

The following Smithsonian museums are located off the Mall in Washington, DC.

National Zoo - Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC. The National Zoo is a part of the Smithsonian Institution with more than 435 different species of animals. Open year round, the world-class property offers the opportunity to view and learn about favorites including giant pandas, elephants, tigers, cheetahs, sea lions and many more. The SmithsonianBiology Conservation Institute, the Zoo's conservation and research center, located in Front Royal, Virginia, is a breeding preserve for rare and endangered species. 

SmithsonianAnacostia Community Museum - 1901 Fort Place SE, Washington, DC. This small museum focuses on African American culture. Exhibits rotate and feature regional and national topics. 

SmithsonianNational Postal Museum - 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC. The museum displays the largest stamp collection in the world and examines the development of the postal system using interactive displays. This museum is located under Washington's old Main Post Office near Union Station. 

Smithsonian RenwickGallery - 70 9th St. NW, Washington, DC. The building was the original site of the Corcoran Gallery and is furnished with American crafts and contemporary arts from the 19th to 21st centuries. The museum features unique works of art in an impressive setting across the street from the White House. 

NationalPortrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum - 8th and F Streets NW., Washington, DC. This restored historic building in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of downtown Washington, DC, houses two museums in one building. The National Portrait Gallery presents six permanent exhibitions of nearly 20,000 works ranges from paintings and sculpture to photographs and drawings. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the home of the largest collection of American art in the world including more than 41,000 artworks, spanning more than three centuries. 

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - 14390 Air & Space Museum Pkwy, Chantilly, VA. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum opened a companion facility on the property of Washington Dulles International Airport to showcase additional aircraft, spacecraft and other artifacts. The museum has an IMAX Theater, flight simulators, a museum store, guided tours and educational programs.