2023 Family Trip to Washington DC - Hirshhorn, Air and Space, American History, Washington Monument - Day 05 - 2023/05/02

It's Day 6 of our 2023 Washington DC Trip and we've got a lot see! 

When we visited the Hirshhorn museum of modern art earlier this trip, we missed out on the special exhibit of Yayoi Kusama. It required a special ticket to see it, so we made sure to grab one for later. And now we're back!  

Theresa especially loves the pumpkin room. 

Kusama was inspired by "infinity" and this was one of her first interpretations of it. Titled "Infinity Mirror Room - Phalli's Field" she hand-sewed hundreds of phallic forms using red and white polka dot patterns. 

Each group waited their turn outside the mirror room. An attendant would then open the door and let you enter, close the mirrored door, and you'd have 30 seconds to experience it for yourself. 

Her next infinity mirror room is also pretty spectacular. Titled "Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe" this room features colorful polka dot balls that are continuously changing color. 

It was a really cool piece of art to be in the middle of. 

And since there was no one waiting, why not take one more trip back into the Phalli Fields. 

Our next stop of the day is the Air and Space Museum. We took a brief trip through it earlier this week, but now we'll have a little more time. 

Seeing the Wright Brothers again and their historic Wright Flyer. 

I think it's really amazing that a piece of the paneling and wood from the Wright Flyer went to the moon on Apollo 11. It blows my mind that it only took 66 years between the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kittyhawk and man landing on the Moon. 

We're definitely thankful for air travel. It makes the world a much smaller place. 

There was an interactive exhibit where you had a budget and you had to figure out how to get from one place to another. They don't have Theresa's skills though, where we get really good deals on all our flights. 

We learned about John Stapp, an Air Force physician and biophysicist who tested the limits of what the human body could endure. His tests helped develop airplane ejection seats, and paved the way for seatbelts and shoulder harnesses in cars.  On the rocket sled Sonic Wind No 1, he accelerated to 632 mph in just 5 seconds, and then slowed completely to 0 mph in 1.4 seconds. His body experienced a ridiculous 46.2Gs, meaning that his 150lb body briefly felt like it weighed 6800 pounds! 

An interactive exhibit where Ian raced a muscle car. 

Gotta mix in a little sci-fi with the actual air and space history. Like original Spock ears and a Tribble from the original Star Trek. 

Now we're getting into the good stuff. Replicas of the rovers that have landed on Mars. 

The last known objects to touch the moon. Overshoes from Apollo 17.

Wow. The actual spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore when he made that "one small step" for man. 

The actual Apollo 11 Command Module that splashed down in the ocean and returned the three Apollo 11 astronauts to earth. 

Finding a place to sit down and soak up the ambiance for a bit. 

With a good view of the burn pattern on the bottom of the Apollo 11 command module. 

Looking out over the various planes here at the Air and Space Museum. 

And you can't leave without picking up a little bit of Astronaut Ice Cream. We'll try that a little later. 

Lunchtime? 

Yes! Back to that tasty flat bread pizza place we found earlier. 

Walking by the White House and looking in from the North Side. 

Walking around the White House and seeing the National Christmas Tree

The next stop of the day takes us to the American History Museum. Downstairs was a small room dedicated to Disney and Disneyland. 

A coonskin cap worn by Fess Parker in Disney's Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier tv series. 

A poster celebrating the opening of Splash Mountain. 

And some fan-made buttons for the closure, while it transforms into Tiana's Bayou. 

I didn't even though they made action figures for Pirates of the Caribbean. 

More American History, we got to see the actual flag that inspired America's National Anthem. This is the Star Spangled Banner. 

Photography is strictly prohibited inside this area. The 200+ year old flag is very delicate and flashes going off all the time would damage it. Instead, the museum has taken their own photographs and allows you to use them and post them. This is a really cool piece of American history. 

Also inside the American History Museum is a statue of George Washington, though he's dressed and posed to look like a Greek statue of Zeus. 

One of the cooler parts of the museum showing all the different movie and tv memorabilia. The Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz. The kids remember watching that with Grammy and Grandpa. 

C3-P0 and R2-D2! 

Love Star Wars! 

I loved Muppets growing up.

And Mr. Rogers. Man, it's hitting me right in the feels. 

Oscar the Grouch. 

Elmo.

An original Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus poster. 

I only know Charlie McCarthy from his cameo in The Muppet Movie. 

The original sign-post from the hit tv show Mash. 

Everyone knows Bill Nye the Science Guy. And there's a bit of fossilized amber from Jurassic Park! 

Rocky's boxing robe. 

Captain America's shield. 

And before Christopher Reeve there was George Reeves as television's Superman from 1952-1958. 

Can't forget Xena, Warrior Princess. 

American History also includes coins, which Theresa loves. 

Golden coins. 

And even a giant stone that was used as payments on the island of Yap in Micronesia. 

Looking at a "Food for the People" exhibit. 

Two things Ian loves. Saving trees (he's always telling me to either skip paper towels in the restroom or just use one), and fondue! 

Earlier in this vacation we had to skip out on a visit to the Washington Monument because of rain. 

We rescheduled our tickets though to try again today, and look, the skies are clear! 

Walking up to the giant 555 foot tall monument to George Washington. 

A park ranger checking our entry time before we head through the metal detectors and bag scan. 

"My whole life has been dedicated to the service of my country..." George Washington to James McHenry, July 4th, 1798. 

First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life; pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting. 

  Eulogy for George Washington by Henry Lee, December 26, 1799. 

Waiting our turn for the elevator to take us to the top, we got to engage with one of the park rangers. He let Ian scan his badge, and Alli push the button to call the elevator. 

The ranger was really great interacting with the kids. Ian asked a question about how fast we were going and the ranger pulled out his calculator and figured out how many feet per second we were moving. 

From the top, looking out all the different windows. To the east we see the Capitol building. 

South towards the Jefferson Memorial. 

West to the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool. 

And North towards the White House. 

Just below the 500 foot observation level is a small museum for the monument. 

Why is it two different colors? It was built in two phases. The first phase started with white marble from one quarry, then the second phase continued with marble from another. Weathering has enhanced the differences between the two stones. 

Much of the interior of the monument is covered with plexiglass, keeping visitors and their hands (and markers) away from touching the marble of the monument directly. The museum has a small piece of the actual marble and allows visitors to touch it. 

What should the very tip of this incredible monument be topped with? Something precious and amazing. Something like... aluminum? Despite being abundant in the earth's crust, in 1884, aluminum was very difficult to smelt and manufacture. Costing $1.10 per ounce, the same price as silver, this 8.9 inch, 100 ounce capstone was chosen because it would not tarnish. It was the largest piece of cast aluminum at the time and was displayed in Tiffany's of New York before being installed. Just two years later, Charles Martin Hall discovered a process to make aluminum cheap. 

Because the Washington monument is so tall (the tallest free-standing structure in the world when it was built) lightning strikes can be dangerous. A metal crown was installed around the aluminum cap to conduct electricity. 

It was a great visit to the Washington Monument! I'm glad we could see it up close. 

Time to start making our way back to the hotel. But as we go, let's take the time to smell the roses. 

At the Katherine Dulin Folger Rose Garden. 

Time for a treat before dinner. It's been a long day out. Icee's are still cheap and there's a deal on French Fries as well. So, how about two of each...

Yum!