Washington Things to Do

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a black granite wall inscribed with the names of 58,191 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War. As visitors look over the names etched into the monument, the mirror-like surface of the smooth granite reflects the sky, trees and visitors themselves. If one places their ear upon the monument and looks toward the Washington Monument, the reflected images of the obelisk form a star

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Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973), heir to the Post cereal fortune, was the founder of Hillwood Museum and Gardens - her former twenty-five acre estate in Washington, DC




"While in Russia, with the opportunity to see and enjoy the Russian love of color in all forms of art, I became interested in enamels. These I would never, perhaps, have learned to appreciate fully anywhere else. The Russian genius in the use of stimulating color is a spiritual quality related to the land itself."




One consequence of this widespread turmoil and extreme social and cultural upheaval was the selling of imperial art treasures, which was endorsed by the Soviet government. Marjorie acquired Russian icons, textiles, porcelains, and silver, and she was soon transformed into an
avowed collector of Russian art. The purchases she made while living in the Soviet Union formed the nucleus of the most important assemblage of Russian imperial art outside Russia today.
Like many American collectors, Mrs. Post continued collecting throughout her life and wanted to share her collection with the public. In 1955 she bought the Hillwood estate to serve both as her residence and as a future museum. By 1958 she had hired Marvin Ross, a Harvard trained art historian, to catalogue her collections, advise her on acquisitions, and implement standard museum practices at Hillwood.



"When I began I did it [collecting] for the joy of it, and it was only as the collections grew and such great interest was evidenced by others, that I came to the realization that the collection should belong to the country."




4155 Linnean Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Reservations 202.686.5807
Toll Free 1.877.HILLWOOD
Office 202.686.8500

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The interior of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Mother Mary is very consecrated area. For me it is here a holy place. I usually do not make photos inside unless i have the chance to do so. During this visit, there were many churhgoers at the hall near the tabernacle.

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The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Concepcion is a great place to visit. It is probably the largest Catholic Church of America. Its Byzantine and Romanesque architecture, and the elaborate collections of mosaics and arts are very fascinating.

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This museum holds the world’s largest collection of historic spacecraft and aircraft. So whether you want to fly into the past with the Wright Brothers or slip into the future on Mars you will be at the right place. I'd rather fly than to understand all those technical details and rather made many captures for my husband. The price is right, as well, this one is free. b
Opening hours:
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Open every day except December 25
Admission:Free
Public lots located nearby but we had problem to find one though

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To begin your Smithsonian exploration, start visiting the Information Center in the Instituiton's first building popularly known as the "Castle", daily opened from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. It is a distinctive red , sandstone building centrally located on the National Mall.
The center serves as the focal point for the informations about the institution's 14 museums and a national Zoo in Washington DC and 2 museums in New York City. The Arts and Industries Building has a special role among Smithsonian buildings—as the original home of the National Museum. Designed in a High Victorian style by the Washington architectural firm of Cluss and Schulze, it opened in 1881 in time for the inaugural ball of President James A. Garfield.

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There is an old refractor telescope here.
12 inch Alvan Clark Refractor
There is other instrumentation used to measure the
positions of stars (astrometry)
and calculation of precise time.
The Navy uses star data for
navigation.

Tours are by reservation and are Monday
evenings, 8:30 until 10pm

There are numerous things to do in Washington, DC that are completely FREE! The best way to get a list is to use a search engine and search "washington, dc free things to do". This will bring up several pages worth of sites to help you find what you wish to do ....at no cost!!