When you only have an afternoon to fit in as many museums as you can in Washington DC,\u00a0 it helps to stay in a hotel near the White House and have great walking shoes.\u00a0 Even with the appropriate shoes,\u00a0 a five mile walk\u00a0 – a distance carefully calculated only after the fact (thank goodness)\u00a0 –\u00a0 was a challenge on cement.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what we were able to fit in:<\/p>\n
Lunch at the Pavilion Caf\u00e9, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden\u00a0<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>A delightful glass enclosed art nouveau building on the National Mall.\u00a0 Well worth a return visit during warmer months where sitting in the grass among\u00a0 Oldenburg\u2019s <\/span>Typewriter Eraser<\/em>,\u00a0 Lichtenstein\u2019s House<\/em>,\u00a0 and listening to a jazz concert would delight anyone.\u00a0 This time of year,\u00a0 a view of an active ice skating rink opposite the restaurant provided great dining entertainment.<\/p>\n The Hirshhorn Museum\u00a0 <\/span><\/em>Gravity\u2019s Edge<\/i>,\u00a0 artworks from 1959-1978\u00a0 showing shifts in color and abstraction.\u00a0\u00a0Some of my favorite images were Lynda Benglis\u2019 corner piece and some of Paul Jenkins\u2019 transparency work.<\/p>\n The National Portrait Gallery<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>A real gem of a museum.\u00a0\u00a0 Dancing the Dream<\/i>,\u00a0 images of American choreographers and performers from Ginger Rogers to Beyonce was mesmerizing.\u00a0 The Kogod Courtyard<\/span><\/i> was a breathtaking light-filled space with an elegant glass canopy.\u00a0\u00a0 All I needed was more time to soak it all in.\u00a0\u00a0 Much more to see in this most amazing museum.\u00a0\u00a0 And free to the public as are all the Smithsonian museums.\u00a0 (Yay!)<\/p>\n Le Pain Quotidien<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>An indirect art-related find was this charming restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 Fresh,\u00a0 seasonal,\u00a0 organic food to nourish and restore our bodies.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So said their postcard,\u00a0 and they really lived up to it.\u00a0 Their breakfast was a fabulous start to the day.\u00a0 How soon can we get one in Boston…?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you only have an afternoon to fit in as many museums as you can in Washington DC,\u00a0 it helps to stay in a hotel near the White House and have great walking shoes.\u00a0 Even with the appropriate shoes,\u00a0 a five mile walk\u00a0 – a distance carefully calculated only after the fact (thank goodness)\u00a0 –\u00a0 … Continue reading washington DC art museum musings<\/span>