washington dc trip

Washington D.C. is a humid city, the damp armpit of America. For some reason, I always feel like I suffer an extra dose of heat in the nation's capital. This is probably the reason why, when I hear the name "Washington", the first thought that springs to mind is 'sweaty', and not the more sensible 'politics'.

That said, I do reserve a soft spot in my heart for D.C. I mean, after all, the city is supposed to represent our entire country. Technically, Washington is the spokes city for America. (Which is, admittedly, kind of a scary thought.) I enjoy D.C. because I feel like I'm supposed to, not because it's such a great place. However, this still means I do appreciate the city, even if it's only for a silly reason.

Washington does have some wonderful museums, however. Part of a city's worth lies in its cultural attractions, and D.C. is not lacking in this department. The amount of free and enlightening places to visit in Washington are pretty staggering when one thinks about it. Even good old NYC has less to offer in this realm.

The prospect of spending a few days visiting museums was reason enough for me to come down to the capital last week. My mom invited me along on a business trip, which was nice. (I got to spend some time with her, which was even nicer.)

My first day in Washington, I decided to pay a visit to an old friend: the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. That place is beyond words. I have loved it ever since visiting there as a very young schoolgirl, and my affection for the museum increased after my latest visit. It's free, it has dinosaur bones and the Hope Diamond, hands-on exhibits (touch a meteorite? well, okay, if you insist!), and a live butterfly pavilion.

Naturally, I hit up the dino bones first. Then fossils, mammals, ocean hall, rocks & gems, jewels, hall of western culture, and so on. I literally hit up the entire museum, except for the Africa & Korea wings. (How very un-anthro of me to skip over human culture ... next time.)

The highlight of my trip to the Natural History museum, however, was the butterfly pavilion. It was a bit pricey to enter at $6, but I sucked up the expense. The prospect of walking among fluttering butterflies was too good to pass up.

And, luckily, I was right -- walking among live butterflies is a pretty amazing experience. At any given point, the pavilion is home to dozens of species of flying butters. I even saw a Blue Morpho there!

My next day in DC was spent at the Museum of the American Indian, which was a little off the beaten track but well worth the long walk from the metro station. The exhibits were presented in a fun and interesting manner, and I learned quite a bit. I'm pretty proud of my Native heritage, so it was really special to see the beautiful artwork and ceremonial items of America's original inhabitants.

I also spent some time walking around Alexandria. Typical yuppie community, complete with a Whole Foods Market and lots of buttoned up executive types texting orders to mere peons like me on their Blackberries.

All in all, a good trip.

And now ... it's off to Canada tomorrow, to visit the beautiful sights of Quebec!