Still not working, still no word on the status of my security clearance. Just... waiting.
So instead of mope around for the day, after a leisurely morning and breakfast, I decided to go out and see stuff in D.C. And by see stuff, I mean go to the National Gallery of Art, because I am me.
I spent about 3 hours there, taking my time through the museum's West Building. It took me a while to figure it out, but it is on two floors. I started in the (basement? Not-main) floor. There was much colonial furniture from just prior to the Revolution, to about halfway through the 1800s. There was also much statuary and sculptures. One thing I did learn, was apparently Edgar Degas (of ballet dancer paintings fame) made a bunch of models for small sculptures, but never had them cast. After he died, the family found them, and had them cast. The National Gallery has the largest collection of these small statutes, and had many of them on display. So you learn something new every day.
I finally made my way to the main gallery on the main floor. And pretty much saw European paintings from the 1300s through about the 1600s or 1700s. This means: there were many portraits, ALL OF THE JESUS/MARY STUFF, and much representation from Italy and the Netherlands, with some French people thrown in for good measure. It was informative to look at, as I don't usually seek out this type of art; while I appreciate the insane skill it takes to paint like they did -- particularly in the 1500s and 1600s-- with exacting precision, I don't find Renaissance art particularly interesting, aesthetically or artistically. But it is good to see this stuff once in a while, if for no other reason to appreciate where modern (as opposed to art from antiquity) started, to then understand where it went and why.
Here are some of the works I came across. I took pictures of particularly famous works, because it was cool to see them in person.
If you are in D.C. and like art, here is the information for the National Gallery. Like so many things in D.C., admission to the Gallery is my favorite price: Free
After I was done at the museum, I headed over to the DuPont Circle neighborhood. I went there looking for needle and some thread, which is kind of absurd, but I am glad I went. It is my new favorite neighborhood. I think it is somewhat arty and hipster-y, but I liked that because it means that there were a lot of funky, not-chain stores to check out. Like this one bookstore that was a combination bookstore, cafe, and grill. It was pretty awesome. There was another store that was like a walk-in, public art studio. Any person from the public could just go in, grab and canvas and some paint, and just create art. While I am definitely not that artistically-inclined, I definitely intend on going back and painting up a canvas some time while I am here. I love funky neighborhoods like that.
One thing I really love about the East Coast, is just how everything is old. I am a huge history buff, and find it fascinating that you can get things out here that date from the 1600s and the 1700s. Some of my most favorite "old" stuff, is definitely the architecture. You get styles that you just don't see much of out west, at least in ways that are authentic. In D.C., it is an interesting mix of the colonial and early-1800s style from New England, with some Antebellum Southern Plantation styles. And the resulting product is just so interesting, intricate, and often colorful. The pictures below will show what I mean. You just don't get that anywhere else.
So it looks like I might be on my own for the next few days, trying to figure out what to do. I am going to try to explore D.C. some more, and find things to do that are not necessarily "typical." There are always the Smithsonians and the monuments, but I have been a tourist in D.C. three times before, and honestly, you can only go to the Lincoln Memorial so many times.
Until next time.
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