The Peacock Room

Just this past Thursday, Diggory and I met up with our friend Colleen to take a quick stroll through the Freer Gallery of Art. I have to admit, it's one of my most favorite museums in the whole wide world, and this day was going to be extra special. Once a month, on every third Thursday at noon, the shutters in the Peacock Room are opened in conjunction with the exhibition The Peacock Room Comes to America. We met Colleen in the garden between the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery, between Jefferson Drive and Independence Avenue SW on the National Mall, and navigated our way through the Sackler and into the Freer Gallery of Art. I won't go into the nitty gritty details on how we did it. I've been to these two museums many times, and I still get a little turned around. Add in the stroller, and I'm a total mess. Luckily, with two people, if we encountered stairs, we just picked up the babe and kept going. But, if you'd rather go the complete stroller-friendly route, enter the Freer at the Independence Ave. entrance and use the elevator on the south side of the building to travel between floors. And if you need directions on how to get to the Sackler, ask at the information desk or speak with any of the friendly Smithsonian security officers.

Oh, and I should mention that the closest Metro station is the Smithsonian station. The station elevator is on Independence Ave., which will be about a half a block from the museum's entrance. If you get off the Metro at the L'Enfant Plaza station like we did, you'll want to follow the signs to the "Smithsonian Museums" and exit via the elevator at the 7th Street/Maryland Ave. entrance. You'll pop up on 7th Street, so just walk north toward the Hirshhorn Museum and turn left onto Independence Ave. Walk three blocks to the Freer.

We arrived at the Peacock Room just as the docent was starting her talk about the history of the space and why it appears as it does today. I won't go into the detail here. There's plenty of well-written information on the museum's website, as well as an image gallery and panoramic view tool. But, I do have to say, that having seen the Peacock Room with the shutters closed on numerous occasions, I was still completely in awe of how beautiful the space is, and how different it looks in natural light. Please go see it for yourself if you can. The next shutters opening is on April 19th from 12pm-5:30pm.

Diggory was well behaved through the whole talk. (I'm lucky. He usually is.) Colleen let Diggory play with her ID badge, though she may have regretted it after receiving it back in a slightly more moist condition. I didn't catch most of the talk as I was busy snapping pictures, and taking advantage of having another set of eyes to watch the babe. What I did hear, however, was fascinating, and everyone seemed genuinely captivated.

After the docent's talk, we took a few more moments to relish in the beauty and spot a few more details in the craftsmanship, ornamentation, various ceramics, and other splendid accouterments. There's even a tiny ceramic cat above the mantel, near the left corner of the frame surrounding the fantastic painting The Princess from the Land of Porcelain. And here's the cat. Then we took a quick spin through the permanent collection galleries, mainly for the purposes of being able to legitimately consider this a blog-worthy museum visit. We lingered longer in the two rooms of paintings by James McNeill Whistler, one of my all time favorite artists. Be sure to seek out more of his works at the Freer in the exhibitions Sweet Silent Thought: Whistler's Interiors, on view through this summer, and Freer & Whistler: Points of Contact, on view indefinitely.

We also slowed our pace in the room of Japanese screens. We were particularly drawn to a pair of six-paneled screens by Hokusai depicting each of the twelve months, titled appropriately Birds, Animals, and Plants Representing the Twelve Months. If Diggory were a few years older, we could have had a great conversation about this work of art.

Although I'm sure we could have spent much more time at the museum, we needed to grab lunch and return Colleen to her place of work. If you have a spare moment, be sure to grab a chair in the museum's lovely courtyard for a moment of quiet reflection. But, like I said we didn't have time! We marched straight up to the National Museum of the American Indian for a delicious meal of razor clam pot pie and huckleberry fritters in the Mitsitam Cafe. Yum. NMAI will be a future entry on this blog, I'm just sure of it.

And, one last thought... This doesn't count as a Museum + Momma entry, mainly because Diggory wasn't with me and we had already visited anyway, but also on Thursday, Daddy and Momma went to the opening reception for the new exhibition The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I've never seen anything quite like it - it's the first of it's kind after all, and a definite must see! Plus, you get to play Pac Man and Myst inside a museum. Check it out, it's on view through September 30, 2012.

Until next time...happy museuming!

Fishes!

Diggory and I met up with our friends Rachel and Max today for a morning stroll through the National Aquarium in downtown Washington, DC. Located in a somewhat hidden location, in the basement on the Commerce Building on 14th Street, the aquarium displays more than 200 species of marine and freshwater fish, reptiles and amphibians. I've walked past the entrance several many times and always wondered what it was like (and I've heard more than a few less than glowing reviews), so I was happy to finally take the plunge. And I'm happy to report that we had a superb visit.

From the picture above, you'll notice that the Commerce Building is currently undergoing extensive renovations. The aquarium itself was revamped in 2008, and I'm told that it will get another makeover in the coming years. So, when you arrive, don't be put off by the construction and make your way through the tunnel and up the ramp. Once inside the doors (which are automatically operated and thus, stroller friendly, make your way through security and take the elevator to the basement, or "B" level. You'll pay your admission fee at the desk just outside the elevator. I found an excellent street parking spot on Constitution and 12th Street, and because I didn't have to pay upwards of $20.00 to park in a ramp, I didn't mind paying the $9.95 entrance fee. Actually, I don't really mind anyway. So many of the DC museums are free that I'm usually not annoyed to shell out a few dollars at the ones that aren't in an effort to support my local museums. Plus, your receipt will get you in and out of the aquarium all day long, so if you come in the morning, you can come back for the 2pm feeding. Check the website or ask at the admissions desk about what's on the menu and for what animals.

The gift shop and restrooms are near the admissions desk. The ladies room seemed a bit tight, but the changing table looked pretty accessible. If you want more room, find the family restroom on the ground level (where you came in) just behind the security desk. The main exhibit space is to the right of the elevator and past the restrooms. If you turn left, you'll find yourself in Sherman's Lagoon, a colorful and interactive space which presents information on shark conservation. There are also a few benches there, in case you need a place to rest. Interestingly enough, there's also an ATM, just FYI.

The main exhibition space is basically a big, dimly lit room with tanks around the perimeter and in the center of the room. The vast majority of the tanks comprise the main exhibit, America's Aquatic Treasures, which presents the species and habitats found in several of the nation's marine sanctuaries such as the Florida Everglades and Channel Islands. There are also several tanks of fish, frogs, and snakes from all over the world. The special exhibition, now on view through April 29th, is titled Secrets of the Swamp. It's just one tank, but it houses a rare albino alligator named Oleander. The tank is right at stroller level, and Diggory thought the little snapper was pretty thrilling.

Only a few of the tanks are viewable at floor level, but most of the other tanks have ledges where babies and toddlers can sit or stand to better see the species. In fact, one such ledge became the VIP viewing area for Diggory and Max to witness a frog feeding. Scamper away little buggies! Run for your lives!

Diggory, Max, and the other little kids I saw in the aquarium seemed most intrigued by the big tanks of big fish. There was a particularly entertaining white fish in one of the last tanks we stopped by. I, on the other hand, really liked seeing the tiny poisonous frogs. Or maybe I liked that they were in a tank. I recall telling Rachel I wouldn't last very long in the rain forest.

After our visit, we decided to enjoy the sunshine and feed the babes a snack in the courtyard of the Reagan Building, just across 14th Street from the Commerce Building. If you need food, there's all sorts of restaurants and coffee shops along Pennsylvania Avenue or points north, or inside the Old Post Office Building, at the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Ave.

My meter was running out, so I headed home after our visit and quick picnic. If I had more time, I may have been tempted to check out any of the Smithsonian museums nearby. My car was directly across from the American History Museum, and I could almost hear it whispering my name. Next time perhaps, as I've yet to check that one of my Museum + Momma list. Stay tuned.

In Our Own Backyard

A few weeks ago, Diggory and I took a walk through our favorite park, the Dora Kelley Nature Park and Wildlife Reserve. It's just a few blocks from our house and runs alongside Holmes Run Creek. While I'm usually pretty good about stopping to look and ponder, I have to admit, that I never spent much time actually reading the park bulletin board. This time we stopped, and after I finished reading the posted newsletter aloud (about hibernating and migrating birds and mammals in the winter months), I noticed a flyer for the Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center, just fifty some odd steps up the hill and adjacent to William Ramsay Elementary School. What?! There's a museum this close to us that I had never heard of?! Whoa! Must...redeem...thy self...and go...soon.

So, that's what we did today. We took the stroller and walked, because really, even though there's parking, it's literally about four or five (longish) blocks from our house. Momma could use the exercise, and Diggory loves being outside more than just about anything (except perhaps raspberries and cheese sticks.)

The entrance to the center is located on Sanger Avenue, just past the elementary school employee parking. There is a ramp and automatic doors, super handy for strollering. The bathrooms do not have changing tables, but the counter around the sinks is plenty spacious, or you could just use the floor. (C'mon, we've all had to do that.) Inside, you'll sign in at the information desk and pick up a newsletter. You can also sign up to get the newsletter mailed to you for $5.00 per year. Also, ask for a self-guided tour of the Dora Kelley Nature Trail, a dirt and gravel path through the park marked with numbered posts. The nature trail is not paved and subject to muddy spots, uneven terrain, and stairs. It's not stroller friendly, by any stretch, so bring your baby carrier if your little one isn't of the walking variety. (Or, just stick to the paved path like we did. There's still plenty to see.)

There are several hands on activities for the wee ones, including a whole table of plastic animals (not terribly didactic, but still incredibly captivating) and a touch table with fossils and a squirrel tail. Fluffy.

There are also several displays of live animals, including fish tanks, snakes, and lizards. Diggory could spot the snakes, but he had a hard time focusing on the hissing cockroaches and the centipedes, not that I cared so much. For the most part, the displays focus on the flora and fauna of the nature park and of the region as a whole, but there are a few creatures from far and wide, like a turtle from Africa and a lizard from Australia.

Along one wall of the center, take a few moments to read about the geological, human, and natural history of the Alexandria area. There are some interesting maps of the region from the 1600s through the present day. I had fun playing, "Where's our house?"

At the back of the center, stroll into the greenhouse. It's probably 85 degrees in there. There's a parrot of some variety named Rio that makes a heck of a lot of noise. It's beautifully colored, and Diggory liked it.

After we thoroughly explored with center's displays, we briefly browsed through the research library nook, plentifully stocked with bean bags and children's books about animals. We also met the center's director, naturalist Mark Kelly, who encouraged us to walk through the park to listen to the wood frogs and spring peepers. He even had us listen to a recording of their rambunctious mating calls on his cell phone.

So, we had a choice, enter the nature park at the entrance near the nature center...and navigate our way down fifty steps with the stroller...or walk all the way back the way we came, down Sanger Avenue past the elementary school, south on Beauregard Street, and into the park through the trail just before Holmes Run (or even turning right on Morgan Street to come in through the main entrance at Beauregard and Morgan.) Never one to pass up a challenge, I decided to unstrap Diggory and carry him, while dragging our hearty stroller down the stairs. It worked out beautifully, and we saved A LOT of time.

We made our way to the pond, about halfway through the park on the paved trail. That's where naturalist Mark said the frogs would be. And he wasn't kidding about the noise either. Holy smokes! The wood frogs apparently sound like ducks and the spring peepers are more high pitched. Very cool. And, of course, momma knew there would be ducks too, so she brought some crackers. Tee hee.

And would you look at that, turtles too! I wanted to find some fiddle head ferns, but perhaps they're just not in season now. I try to show Diggory all sorts of things...making sure he doesn't put them in his mouth, of course...because I think it's important to know and experience what's in your own backyard. Even if you didn't know it was there.

Check out the center's website for more information on kid's and other nature programs. They apparently have a lot going on and a lot to offer! We'll definitely be back.