The DC Traveler

The National Museum of American History, is reopening after a two year, $85 million renovation project.
 
The museum upgraded many of the environmental and physical facilities (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, fire and security systems, elevators, heating, etc., along with a 600-seat cafe), but will also feature several major upgrades and visitor enhancements, including:

A new state-of-the-art gallery for the giant Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became The National Anthem.
10-foot-high artifact walls on the 1st and 2nd floors displaying 400 of the museum’s 3 million historical objects
A …read more

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The Fall weather has been so mild in Washington, DC, it’s hard to believe that the ice skating rink at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is scheduled to open tomorrow (a day where the forecast predicts rain and a high temperature of over 60 degrees).

Sculpture Garden Ice-Skating Rink
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
Constitution Avenue, NW at 7th Street NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-289-3360
Dates and Times – November 15 through mid-March, 2009

Monday – Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday -10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday – 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The rink is Closed on Christmas and New …read more

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Over 70 area galleries, museums, universities, embassies and art centers will participate in the first ever, FotoWeek DC, in Washington, DC.
Throughout the week of November 15-22, 2008, Washington, DC will celebrate the art of photography, with a gathering of the best in the DC photographic community, with series of exhibits, lectures, competitions, and celebration of all things photographic.
FotoWeek DC brings together photographic talent and a collection of images ranging from artistic to business, political to editorial. Events include:

Exhibitions at over 60 galleries and public spaces around DC
Juried exhibitions of some of Washington, DC’s most gifted photographers
Lectures and book signings …read more

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The works of three outstanding American nature photographers from different generations, Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams and Robert Adams, each capture the essence of nature, in images of clouds, surf and rivers.

The collection on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC showcases 21 images, including:

Stieglitz’s series of ten photos of clouds over Lake George, New York, a collection which has not been shown in its entirety since a 1923. 
Ansel Adams’ photos of the coastline and surf along San Mateo’s coast, south of San Francisco.
Robert Adams’ images of the Columbia River emptying into the Pacific in Oregon. 

Oceans, Rivers, and …read more

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Enjoy live music surrounded by priceless pieces of art, every Sunday evening, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
These free public concerts include both classical music by famous composers, such as Beethoven, Bach and Haydn, as well as holiday and live film scores.
One notable concert is on Sunday, November 9th that includes the screening of the 1914 silent film, In the Land of the Head Hunters, together with a live orchestra to accompany the film.
The fictional documentary film entitled In the Land of the Head Hunters tells the story of the Kwakwaka’wakw people of British Columbia, Canada. Motana, …read more

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Washington, DC’s latest American pop art addition is called “Modern Head”, by famed American pop artist, Roy Lichtenstein.
This blue painted stainless steel, 31-foot tall sculpture was installed at the corner of Ninth and F Streets in late August, on the grounds of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
First installed in 1996, just one block from the World Trade Center, in Battery Park in New York City, it survived the September 11th attack with only minor scratches.  A month later, it was moved to another gallery in Nassau County, New York, then to a botanic garden in Coral Gables, Florida.  …read more

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While it looks like a government building, the neoclassical building near  Dupont Circle is actually the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

The inside of the building holds in rather unique museum with very eclectic pieces of freemason history from presidents to actors, G-men to generals.
The museum includes:

36 original still life oil paintings of the various Rite elements by Robert H. White.
The official collection of memorabilia from FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover.
A letter from former President Harry S. Truman.
A life mask of President Abraham Lincoln.
A large collection of memorabilia from the actor Burl Ives, known for his roles in Cat …read more

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In 1908 New York, an art exhibition consisting of works from eight artists, mostly Philadelphia and New York newspaper illustrators, opened. The works were reflecting the rebellious attitude of eight artists against the current American Impressionist movement. Their style reflected rough and tough urban life — drunks, prostitutes, boxers, and other working class images were there themes. 
The exhibit catapulted these eight independent American artists and a new artistic movement. The artists, called The Eight, were a group of American painters who united to oppose academic traditions held by the established art world.
Their style advanced modernism, incorporating realist …read more

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If you have already toured the inside of the US Capitol Building, perhaps, now that the weather is starting to get a bit more bearable, it’s the perfect time to take an outside walking tour of the most recognizable landmarks in Washington, DC.
George Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone in 1793 and since it opened in 1800, it’s been the center of American power and government. 

The building needed to be partially rebuild after the British burned parts of Washington, DC in 1814.  In the 1850s, the Capitol building was expanded, with the massive dome top statue, Freedom being …read more

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Seismologists at the U.S. Geological Survey research and monitor seismic activity.
Using technology first developed by Charles F. Richter, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in 1935, scientists track and record every earthquake and seismic event that occurs around  the world.
And volcanic eruptions, major earthquakes and deadly tsunamis have dominated the recent news.
While they can’t predict earthquakes, they do build models that estimate the probability of an earthquake occurring in specific regions of the world. 
Besides measuring earthquakes, the U.S. Geological Survey is the governmental science organization responsible for providing reliable scientific information to help the government, …read more

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