I was invited to attend and speak at the Software for the NASA Science Mission Directorate Workshop 2024 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Since I had only been in Washington once, I took the opportunity to do some sight-seeing before and after the workshop. Lori joined me.
After enjoying the captions below, you can view larger versions of the photos by clicking on them. This will open a new tab in Google Photos. Use its menu to start a slideshow, or select a photo and press the Info button to view captions and maps.
Upon arrival, we met up with a friend of Lori's at Ambar in Barracks Row and took the long way back to the hotel.
We met up with a friend of Lori's at Ambar in Barracks Row where I found this sign in the bathroom |
Library of Congress, Madison Building |
We took a walk on the way home from the restaurant, where we saw our first view of the Capitol |
The Capitol Reflecting Pool earns its name in this shot that Lori will use when she runs for US Senator |
The Washington Monument at night |
The highly unusual architecture of the National Museum of the American Indian |
Today we walked around the National Mall and Memorial Parks. In the map at right, I missed the first mile walking from the Holiday Inn to the Art and Soul restaurant where we had breakfast, so add 1 mile to the total stroll.
Flower puffballs in front of the fountain in the Senate Park |
We were impressed by the Russell Senate Office Building, but only because it was the first building we saw today |
The Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford over the Capitol dome (1863) |
The Contemplation of Justice statue by James Earle Fraser at the Supreme Court |
The West Pediment of the Supreme Court by Robert I. Aitken |
The Authority of Law statue by James Earle Fraser at the Supreme Court |
|
The Supreme Court Chamber |
The Great Hall of the Supreme Court leading up to the Chamber |
16 marble columns support the pediment |
Library of Congress, Jefferson Building |
Library of Congress, Jefferson Building |
Library of Congress, Jefferson Building |
Library of Congress, Jefferson Building |
Neptune fountain in front of the Library of Congress, Jefferson Building |
The east side of the US Capitol |
The east side of the US Capitol |
Genius of America pediment over the east central entrance of the Capitol by Luigi Persico (1825-1828) and later copied by Bruno Mankowski (1958-1962) as the figures had become badly deteriorated |
Progress of Civilization pediment by Thomas Crawford (1863) over the east entrance to the Senate wing |
A large group of students in front of the east entrance to the Senate wing |
The west entrance to the US Capitol |
Lori pauses in the Summerhouse that has a grotto with running water in the background |
The west entrance to the US Capitol |
Lori and I in front of the Capitol with the Washington Monument in the background |
The Peace Monument at the top of Pennsylvania Avenue |
The National Gallery of Art, east building |
The National Gallery of Art, east building |
The glass pyramids at the National Gallery of Art |
The many statues in the National Gallery of Art |
Lori imagines discussing embroidery with the woman model of this bust |
Self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, 1889 |
Lori ponders the time in which this painting was made |
Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy by Georges Seurat, 1888 |
The first of a few Alexander Calder "stabiles" we'd see today |
Thinker on a Rock by Barry Flanagan, 1997 |
Cheval Rouge (Red Horse) by Alexander Calder, 1974 |
House I by Roy Lichtenstein, modeled in 1996, fabricated in 1998 |
Spider by Louise Bourgeois designed in 1996 and cast in 1997 |
Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, modeled in 1998 and fabricated in 1999 |
Puellae (Girls) by Magdalena Abakanowicz, 1992 |
Wandering Rocks by Tony Smith in front of the National Archives, 1967 |
Lori partakes in the Six-Part Seating by Scott Burton, conceived in 1985 and fabricated in 1998 |
Petrified wood in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History |
The lobby of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; at the time we didn't realize we'd spend all day Friday in here |
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History |
We did not have time to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of American History |
The copper panels of the National Museum of African American History and Culture reminded me of the De Young Museum in San Francisco |
The US Department of Commerce |
The US Department of Commerce |
We could have been in Paris! |
US Department of the Treasury |
Me and the White House |
The White House North Lawn |
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building |
The South Lawn of the White House |
The Lincoln Memorial |
The Freedom Wall with 4,048 gold stars, each represent 100 Americans who died during World War II |
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial |
Lori and I in front of Abraham Lincoln's statue |
The Lincoln Memorial shot from the temporary ramp while the elevators are repaired |
Lori and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial |
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial |
The Washington Monument across the Tidal Basin |
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial |
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial |
A group of kids in front of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial |
Thomas Jefferson statue |
Lori got on a train to Philadelphia to hang out with her sister while I attended the workshop. I won't subject you to photos of the software workshop, but I've included a couple of photos from our dining experience down on the waterfront.
Jon and I enjoy (a lot of) oysters at the Rappahannock Oyster Bar |
The Tiki TNT bar says that we should "Make Rum Not War" |
Lunch with a view at Mi Vida |
After the conclusion of the workshop, I met Lori at Union Station.
Our oyster selection at Hank's Oyster Bar |
Jon and I enjoy dark chocolate after lunch at Hank's Oyster Bar |
I enjoy the architecture of Union Station while waiting for Lori's train to arrive from Philly |
|
|
|
A metal and acrylic sculpture/mobile next to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which we weren't able to visit this time around |
We started the day by visiting the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but we found that they issued (free) timed entry passes, and the passes for the day were already gone.
So, we ended up at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History from when they opened their doors to when they announced that they were closing (10 - 5). There are heaps of things to see here!
We watched this archaeologist carefully excise a tooth from rock |
Tooth detail |
The Hall of Fossils |
A saber-tooth cat |
Sloths aren't scary, but this giant ground sloth is
downright terrifying |
A recreation of Homo neanderthalensis by artist John Gurche shows just how human the neanderthals were |
That little pea-sized gray stone was brought back from asteroid Benno by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft |
Completed in 1855, the Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as The Castle, is the Smithsonian's signature building |
We had a late flight, so we thought we could get in an hour or two at the National Gallery of Art before heading to the airport.
The National Archives building, the most ornate in the Federal Triangle, was completed in 1937; the inscription on the eastern side reads "This building holds in trust the records of our national life and symbolizes our faith in the permanency of our national institutions" |
The west garden court in the National Gallery of Art is a lovely venue for weddings |
Ginevra de' Benci, by Leonardo da Vinci, 1474–1478, is the only painting by Leonardo on public view in the Americas |
The Concert by Gerrit van Honthorst, 1623, makes the 17th century look like a lot of fun |
Girl with a Flute was more likely painted by a studio associate of Johannes Vermeer, 1669-1675 |
A Lady Writing a Letter by Johannes Vermeer, 1665 |
Woman Holding a Balance by Johannes Vermeer, 1662-1663 |
The Rotunda in the National Gallery of Art |
Lori admires Mercury, by an anonymous artist, 1780-1850, based upon one of four statues by Giambologna |
The walls to the restroom are lined with art as well! |
Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. IV by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1930 |
A Black Bird with Snow Covered Red Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1946 |
The cascade waterfall between the east and west buildings |
Semicircle by Wassily Kandinsky, 1927 |
Untitled by Alexander Calder, 1976; unfortunately Calder died shortly before it was installed (See Calder’s Mobile Breathes Life into the East Building.) |
Roof by Andy Goldsworthy, 2005 |
Our last view of the Capitol on our way to the train to go to the airport |
The other side of the National Museum of the American Indian |
The Sierra Nevada comes into view |
It's good to see so much snow in the Sierras in May |
You can't quite see my office at NASA Ames Research Center on final approach but Moffett Field is clearly visible |
|
Copyright © 2024 Bill Wohler Last modified: Sun Jun 23 05:19:10 PM PDT 2024 About photos |
Free DNS |