DC Like a Local

OK, the Smithsonian is kind of an unnecessarily fluid concept in DC. We often used as shorthand to refer to the museums on the National Mall, which is technically incorrect as not all Smithsonians are on the Mall and not all museums on the Mall are Smithsonians (the National Gallery of Art is its own thing and not part of the Smithsonian Institute).

But let’s say I want to break from tradition and actually be accurate on my tours. The problem I run into is how many Smithsonians are there really? Officially, the Smithsonian Institute refers to their “19 museums and the National Zoo”, so let’s go with that number. I can buy not lumping the Zoo in, as zoos are usually not considered museums. Just don’t make me buy into that old tour guide canard that “the zoo is not a museum, it’s a research institution”. They’re all research institutions, guys, one way or another.

So let’s try to get a handle on all nineteen. Our first problem starts when we click through to the above link. Let’s count them up, as listed:

    1. African Art Museum
    2. Air and Space Museum
    3. Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center (oohh, so now I guess we’re counting them separately?)
    4. American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
    5. American History Museum
    6. American Indian Museum
    7. Anacostia Community Museum
    8. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
    9. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
    10. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
    11. National Zoo (here listed as under Museums, let’s not count this)
    11. Portrait Gallery
    12. Postal Museum
    13. Smithsonian Institution Building, the Castle

And then we get two more, listed under a dividing line:
   
    14. African American History and Culture Museum (currently in planning stages with a rotating exhibit at the American History Museum, to open in 2015ish).
    15. Arts and Industries Building (currently closed for renovations, I haven’t heard a timeline/plan yet for reopening)

So that gets us up to fifteen (not counting the Zoo, and counting the two museums physically not ready yet). This counts (as it should) the off the Mall museums of Udvar-Hazy near Dulles Airport in Virginia, the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum in downtown DC, the Anacostia Museum across the Anacostia River in Southeast DC, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City.

So where are those other four lurking? Well, re-reading our list, I suppose we should break the Renwick Gallery off of the American Art Museum. Frankly, I wish the Smithsonian would as well. The American Art Museum is physically co-located with the National Portrait Gallery at the old Patent Office on F ST NW between 7th and 9th. They share the building, and it takes a really astute observer to notice they are actually two separate museums. Most visitors would never notice. Perversely, the Renwick Gallery, which focuses on crafts and decorative arts, belongs to the American Art Museum, but is physically located several blocks away near the White House. But you wouldn’t really notice this in their collective website, which lumps the two of them together. Annoying, but beyond the scope of our discussion. For our purposes, the Renwick is clearly a separate museum, no matter how the internal structure of the Smithsonian is laid out.

A similar distinction emerges with the Freer/Sackler Galleries. Listed as one Museum; they are at least physically connected, if only by a tunnel. They both focus on Asian Art and share a webpage, but as they are separate buildings I guess we can count them as two museums, bumping our total to seventeen.

So where are those other two hiding? Well, a close look at the National Museum of the American Indian reveals that in addition to their presence on the Mall, they continue to run an earlier incarnation up in New York City, the George Gustav Heye Center at the Customs House near Battery Park in lower Manhattan. And we’re one out away...

And this is where it gets fun. Lurking in the upper left corner I notice the “Virtual Museum” category, with the lonely “Latino Virtual Museum” occupying the only spot. And this is where I put my foot down, Smithsonian. I gave you the African American History and Culture Museum, as plans have progressed, architects have been selected, and they even have a pretty kick-ass exhibition up right now. But I’m sorry guys, just as Second Life is no substitute for the real one, a “virtual museum” doesn’t cut in my book either. Come back and try again when you get something real going with the Latino Museum. I look forward to it.

So, for now, we’re calling it at 18 Museums and the National Zoo. You guys can relax a bit on the count: you’re already world-class, you don’t need to over-compensate.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ian, Germantown for catching me out! I forgot the Natural History Museum!!!! The most visited museum, celebrating it's 100th Anniversary. Holy crap!

Alright, my apologies to the Smithsonian and to the basic concept of mathematics. That puts us safely past 19, with hopes that the Latino Museum will some day be less virtual and round it out to 20.

One of the challenges I face in helping folks out with visiting DC is keeping my information current. I think I do an adequate job of highlighting off the beaten path options as well as new ways of exploring the traditional attractions, but I don’t scratch the surface of what’s going on here. We try to catch new museums and new exhibits as they come, but it’s a big city with a lot of stuff going on; there’s just no way we can hope to be comprehensive about all the things going on in Washington when you plan to be here. We don’t even try.

Which can be a bit of a bummer, as there’s always something going on in DC. It’s easy to troop to a few museums and snap a picture outside the White House and think, “Gee, this city sure is busy but between herds of tourists and thousands of cars with Maryland tags, does anyone actually live here?” Well, of course we do, and the best place to get the sense of the city’s life is to leave the Mall and check out some of the other things going on in town.

I try to highlight a few from time to time, but I’m not set up to keep a comprehensive calender of all things Washingtonian. And why should I, as other folks already do so (and better than I could)? So without further ado, here’s where I go to find out what’s going on on any particular time in Washington:

1. Since you’re probably going to be at one or more of these institutions anyway during your trip to DC, go ahead and check what’s going on while you’re here. Catching a special event at one of these places can be a lot more fulfilling and enriching than just staring blindly at another exhibit:
    A. Smithsonian - Includes Air and Space, American History, Natural History, etc.
    B. Library of Congress
    C. National Gallery of Art
    D. U.S. Capitol - This is actually the link to the US Capitol Historical Society’s calender.
    E. White House Visitor’s Center - You have to click through to their schedule. Which is, of course, a pdf that changes seasonally.
    F. Ford’s Theater - The day time presentation is perfectly fine, but check what’s showing while you’re in town. It’s a far more civilized way to see the Theater.
    G. National Mall and Monuments - The National Park Service’s calender of events.

2. Cultural Tourism DC: Getting off the Mall a bit, I recommend Cultural Tourism DC. These folks focus on bringing the “other” DC to people’s attention. They represent over 230 different museums, community organizations, historic sights, etc. and serves as a clearinghouse for all manner of activities. Be sure to check their calender for the dates you will be in town.

3. Free in DC: You’d be hard pressed to find another city with so many free things going on. The trick is hearing about it in the first place. Fortunately, Amy Melrose over at Free in DC has done the ground work for you. Her blog is a compendium of all sorts of free (and under $10) events going on.

4. Local News Outlets:
    A. Washington City Paper: By far the best local coverage of DC.
    B. Washington Post: While the Post confuses “local” with “greater Mid-Atlantic Region”, it is the dowager Empress of local coverage. Fine, I’ll include it here.
    C. DCist: Online reviews of current exhibits, events, etc. Along with local news and some interesting (at the very least) comments.
    D. WeLoveDC: Another excellent blog about DC happenings, both news and events.

While you probably won’t check out all of these, clicking through to a few of them will allow you to have a much richer and interesting visit to Washington. And hey, it’ll give you a little more to talk about back home than the standard tourist experience. You friends will appreciate it. Heck, they might even sit through your slide show.

Oh great, like we needed more people crowding the Gems exhibit. We're a month out from crazy school trip tourist season and the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History decides to trot out another giant, incredibly rare, brilliant blue diamond. Like it's not packed enough.

Seriously though, tomorrow the almost incomparable Wittelsbach-Graff Blue diamond will go on display in the Harry S. Winston Gallery.  Almost, but not quite incomparable, as just a few steps away is its comparatively dull cousin, the Hope diamond. There are so few blue diamonds that exist in the world, and of those, most are under a caret. For just over six months visitors to Washington will have the rare chance to actually compare two of the largest blue diamonds in the world.

Now I'm going to assume that, like myself, you didn't read the Winter 2008 issue of Gems and Gemology (pdf) from cover to cover; so let me briefly summarize for you. The diamond, traditionally known as the Wittelsbach Blue, is named after its long time owner, the royal family of Bavaria, the House of Wittelsbach (yeah, like you knew that either). Like the Hope, it has been presumed to have come from the Golconda region of India, possibly brought to Europe by the same dealer, Jean Baptiste Tavernier (who was not, despite the stories, torn apart by wild dogs). The diamond was passed around the royal houses of Europe until it lodged itself with the Wittelsbach family in Bavaria. All fine and good until after World War I, when Bavaria ended its monarchy. The Wittelsbachs, who must not have had eligible daughters to marry off to rich Americans, were forced to sell off the diamond.

Things become sketchy here, and the Wittelsbach Blue entered the world of professional diamond traders who are, as we understand, well known for their transparency. The diamond was last seen in 1964 and disappeared entirely until November of 2008, when it appeared at auction at Christie's. It was purchased by London jeweler Lawrence Graff for $24.3 million. Graff made the somewhat controversial decision to cut the 35.52 caret gem down to 31.06 carets, to improve its clarity, cut, and brilliance. As you might have figured out, this is where the diamond was renamed, to its current title of Wittelsbach-Graff Blue. Graff Diamonds is loaning he gem to the Smithsonian for display and study.

Now, there has been much historical speculation that the Wittelsbach-Graff (fun to say, isn't it!) was cut from the same crystal as the Hope diamond. A few days ago, scientists from the Smithsonian, Naval Research Laboratory, and the Gem Institute of America found that

While the observations revealed many similarities, some clear differences in their properties were recognized. Microscopic examination of the Hope diamond with crossedpolarizers showed distinctly banded internal strain, in contrast to a typical "tatami" patter displayed by the Wittelsbach-Graff. In the DiamondView deep-ultraviolet luminescence imaging system, both diamonds showed well-developed dislocation networks with moderate-to-strong fluorescence throughout the entire stone; however, the scale of the network patterns differed significantly.

Got that? Me neither. I understood each word, but the whole thing makes no sense to me. In other words (I guess), they're saying the Hope and the Wittelsbach-Graff are not cut from the same crystal. As Dr. Cristián Samper, the director of Museum of Natural History put it, they're "not brother or sister, but distant cousins."

The diamond will be on display until August 1, 2010. If you have a chance, I'd go now. Because the place is going to be overrun in about a month with school kids sent there by their tour guide. Sorry about that, by the way.

Location matters when you're selling your house, and it matters when you're locating your museum. For example, the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy center racks up only a fraction of it's older cousin on the Mall, the National Air and Space Museum. This is largely due to its virtually unreachable location (for most tourists and many locals), as Udvar-Hazy has a far superior collection and display space, in my opinion. And there's also the emotionally impact of placing a Museum on such symbolic real estate; witness the stated desire to place the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the soon-to-be-built Museum of African-American History and Culture in close proximity to the seat of American power. Where a public museum goes says a lot about our priorities, about what we think is important, and where and how we choose to examine it.

But for all that, Museums are inherently inward looking. While a well designed museum will seek to integrate itself into its environment, and good design strengthens the fabric of the city around it, the actual content of the museum generally has very little to do with the surrounding blocks. At best, you might get a few good vistas and a window or two, but for the actual content itself, the Museum could be in Des Moines. Although admittedly some museums, such as the Holocaust Memorial Museum, work best when they separate you from your daily existence.

But occasionally the city of Washington manages to worm its way in. The National Museum of Natural History, in particular, deserves credit for a few well-crafted exhibits that tie the static display in front of us with the world that lies just outside the window. Three specifically are worthy of our attention today.

If you go up to the second floor, you'll see what might be the best known single artifact in the Natural History Museum: the Hope Diamond, which has a fascinating DC history tale of its own (a story for another day). For every visitor who spends ten minutes jostling the crowds to snap a picture of the diamond, only a few will spend the time perusing the attendant Geology, Gems and Minerals exhibit (I know, I know, only so much time). But take a walk about halfway through, and you will come to a broad picture window overlooking the eastern end of the Museum, with an excellent shot of the Capitol. You'll come to the Rocks Build Cities exhibit, where you can learn why we give a crap about geology. I've been able to really bore my eighth graders now that I know a little more about what all these buildings are made of.

For a more dynamic exhibit, wander over to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, where, despite the name, there are actually live insects. Often, you will find docents and staff members there to tell you about our many-legged friends, and if you hit it right, to handle them. Check their site for feeding times for the tarantulas, when they sacrifice unruly children to the tiny terrors (kidding, but wouldn't that be awesome?). But if you look out the south facing window, you will see that the exhibit has a real bee hive, with actual bees off to gather pollen along the Mall. Remember the spot, and see if you can't find it when you exit the building. I wonder what they do with the honey? Make mead with it and have wild late night entomologist parties?

And finally, go through my favorite exhibit and you will end up in the tail end of the delightfully-dated Western Cultures hall. While here, you'll be able to solve the decades old puzzle: what kind of column is it: Corinthian, Doric, or Ionic? Hopefully, the fact that you can look out the window at the neoclassical Federal Triangle buildings will help reinforce this little factoid in your head, so that some day you can dominate at Trivial Pursuit.

And, on that note, I'll leave you to explore the rest of the Museum.

Generally speaking, most eighth grade tours include a day, or a portion of a day, when we give kids time to explore the Smithsonian on their own, which is, of course, code for me to find one of my secret hiding spots and squeeze in a quick nap. Many, and at times most, of the students use this time to do take in some of what the Smithsonians have to offer and expand their horizions. Naturally, some choose at some point to hang out with each other and relax, which is quite understandable, as we put them through a full day, and then some, and everyone deserves some down time.

So last week, as I emerged from my secret lair, I ran into a group of my students hanging out by the kiosk on the Mall by Natural History, waiting for the appointed meeting time. This is a school I've worked with for several years now, and you don't want to enter into conversation with them lightly. Although only eighth graders, they are capable of penetrating questions, and won't be pawned off with platitudes. So forewarned, I waded in and chatted them up.

The conversation drifted, as conversations are won't to do, and I was holding court about the nature of squirrels in the nation's capitol. I went on in depth about my favorite: the black squirrel. Spellbound of course, as any person would be listening to me, one student then asked: what about white squirrels? I explained that you might see "white" squirrels, but as any fan of DC Like a Local knows, they are simply a genetic variant of the more common Eastern Grey Squirrel. Feeling quite pleased with myself, I was a bit surprised to be challenged when the kid continued: "but what about squirrels that are all white?" Well, simply put, I responded "if you did see one, it would have to be albino, and I've never seen one around here." To which he replied: "What about that one?"

Well, sure enough, right here on the National Mall, there was a white squirrel in all its glory, not fifteen feet away from where I was doubting its existence. Publicly. As I got over my seemingly weekly ritual of feeling like an ass, I muttered something about "rare opportunity to see an albino animal in the wild" and joined the rest of the thirteen year olds in snapping a picture with my cell phone. I was no longer in any position to lecture them.

So, if anyone else runs across this guy, let me know. I'm interrested in seeing how long a perfectly white squirrel lasts on the National Mall.