Limited time and poor conditions conspired against a thorough tour of DC last year, so whilst I wouldn’t ordinarily return to the same location so quickly I was happy to have the chance at a do-over.
Andy and I turned out to have compatible sightseeing styles – which is to say, we’ll both happily set out on foot and see what we discover. In this fashion we roamed markets (Union and Eastern), browsed gift shops and bookstores, spotted street art, and strolled through the landmarks along the National Mall. We lined up a few events and activities – from bouldering to board games at a brewpub to, of course, the opera – and took a side trip to Alexandria, Virginia. But we also planned in visits to several of the city’s tourist attractions.
First up was the National Museum of Natural History, easily the most popular of the Smithsonian collections. We spent nearly six hours exploring: fittingly, most of that was in the Deep Time Exhibition, which leads guests through each of the Earth’s geological periods. A temporary installation on light pollution was fascinating, although a display on ‘life before cellphones’ in another special exhibition made me wonder if I’m now a museum piece… My highlight, though, was the butterfly pavilion – although the rest of the museum is free, this does charge an entry fee, but it’s worth the top-up. The café was not such good value, but its expensively-priced canteen food is likely a necessary evil to spend a full day in the museum: we were evicted at closing time with plenty of exhibits missed or sped through.
I always appreciate a city where it’s easy to get into more natural environs, and were it not for the smog I’d have checked out Rock Creek Park during my previous trip. A bus from Friendship Heights metro station delivered us to the visitor centre. We warmed up with a gentle loop around Fort De Russy, stopping at the creek for a picnic lunch. This allowed us to return to the centre for that day’s “Stellar Star Show” – Rock Creek is home to the National Park Service’s sole planetarium. I think we were the only attendees ineligible for a pension, but the ranger-led talk was good: an interactive presentation tailored to that night’s sky, rather than a fixed film.
We then tackled a couple of hours of hiking along the Western Ridge Trail: heading south, the first half of the path weaves beneath a woodland canopy before opening up at the creek. Following the water, we passed the historic Pierce Mill before branching off onto Reservation 630 trail. This climb along the course of a tributary delivered us to Connecticut Ave, where we rewarded ourselves with American-sized desserts at a cold stone creamery.
Continuing the nature theme, we spent our last afternoon in DC at another Smithsonian site, the National Zoological Park. Rain – and the recent emigration of all three giant pandas to China – didn’t make for a great start, but this turned into one of the highlights of the week. In the aviary we chanced upon a coffee tasting: one of Andy’s areas of expertise. As he and the host worked through a variety of beans and brewing techniques, we met a steady stream of park visitors: most notably, a burlesque performer who had themed her most recent show around her love of birds! I also got my fix of felines, from Pallas cats on the ‘paws and claws’ pathway to a tiger who was even less happy about the weather than I was.
Travelling with company I tend to take fewer photos with the serious camera, but I’ve gathered a few of the better shots into a gallery. I’ve tried to avoid too much overlap with last year’s set, so you might be interested in those, too.
