The striking thing about Washington, D.C., is its ever so squat skyline after Chicago’s omnipresent skyscrapers which never stop being there. The other thing is, of course, the Smithsonian museums, all 17 of them, which never fail to enlighten, amuse and take you on a long voyage into the past and future. In 1826 James Smithson left behind a legacy gift to the United States and in 1846 the Smithsonian Institution was established "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge."
A peek at the museum list, and time simply fades away. It’s truly jaw-dropping. The grandeur, the size and the excitement. Minutes morph into hours and days.
The Smithsonian museums are a cut above the rest. At the National Air and Space Museum, you can touch a piece of moon rock collected during the Apollo 17 mission. At the National Museum of the American Indian it’s hard not to leave without images of a suffering people. Here’s an idea of the cost of this museum: 199 million dollars. The exterior is made of Kasota dolomitic limestone from Minnesota. There are 700 trees in the area. What makes these places hard to forget is the vision, the mindboggling attempt to compress entire histories into something that can be experienced in a moment. What a range! From space to art to natural history. The visitor is the king: everything here is laid out to help you take in something or all of it at your own pace. Or is it space? The other things matter too, the visual aids, earphones, and easy maps. There are 17 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and two museums in New York City.
Here’s the list:
The Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture,  Arts and Industries Building, Cooper-Hewitt, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Museum of African American Music, National Air and Space Museum,
Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of African Art, National Museum of American History, National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of Natural History, National Portrait Gallery, National Postal Museum, National Zoo Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Building.
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest Museum Complex and Research Organisation.
Phew!
DHNS