capitalregionusa.org
FLIGHT BETWEEN
TWO CENTRES
The world’s largest collection of aviation and space artefacts is
split between two associated sites.
★ The Smithsonian National
Air and Space Museum
(nasm.si.edu) in Washington,
DC has the original 1903 Wright
Brothers Flyer, SpaceShipOne
and the Apollo 11 command
module, while the Steven
F Udvar-Hazy Center near
The Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center
Washington Dulles International Airport has the Boeing B-29
Enola Gay, which dropped the fi rst atomic bomb on Hiroshima
in 1945, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
★ The College Park Aviation Museum
(collegeparkaviationmuseum.com) in Maryland has a
reproduction of the 1910 Wright Model B.
T_h e new Taubman Museum of Art is
late 2008 – is housed underground (to preserve the view of the original
a work of art in itself, with its layered
building) in the instantly-recognised seat of the American Government,
where the Senate and the House of Representatives have met for
structure of steel, zinc and glass.
two centuries. Begun in 1793, the Capitol has been built, burned,
rebuilt, extended and restored. T_h e new centre off ers a free tour of the
through 250 years of American pop culture’ that covers comic strips Exhibitions Hall – which features an 11ft-tall model of the Capitol
and books, radio and television shows, fi lms and cartoons, and the dome, a focus on the history of Congress and the Capitol, and two
Baltimore Public Works Museum (baltimorepublicworksmuseum.org), ten-minute fi lms showing the workings of Congress – as well as a look
which is based in a working pumping station – an architectural gem in at the patent drawing of the Wright’s Flying Machine and Abraham
its own right – and focuses on how our modern-day lifestyle depends Lincoln’s notes to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.
on public works services such as running water, rubbish removal and When it comes to art in DC, the National Gallery of Art (nga.gov)
paved roads. holds works by Picasso, Rubens and Da Vinci, while the National
DC does quirky, too. Visitors can hear about bugged fl owerbeds at Portrait Gallery (part of the Smithsonian) highlights major American
the International Spy Museum (spymuseum.org), try to crack a safe at the cultural, scientifi c and political fi gures of the 20th century, and the
National Museum of Crime & Punishment (crimemuseum.org), or have Corcoran Gallery (corcoran.org) is one of the oldest and liveliest private
their photograph taken with President Obama or First Lady Michelle at galleries in the US, with signifi cant photography and modern art
the interactive Madame Tussauds (madametussaudsdc.com). exhibitions.
T_h e Newseum (newseum.org) is a six-storey temple to news reporting
and broadcasting. More than 30,000 historic newspapers trace 500
years of news, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the September
Cumberland
11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
T_h e new US Capitol Visitors’ Center (visitthecapitol.gov) – opened in
TAKING TO THE STREETS
On the streets of DC, whole communities of artists have sprung up
to create, and host, regular events.
★ Around 40 artists make up Mid City Artists (midcityartists.
com) and have studios and galleries in the Dupont/Logan
neighbourhoods, a trendy shopping and eating area.
★ In Baltimore, the city’s art community thrives in the Station
North (stationnorth.org) arts and entertainment district, among there, many renovating historic buildings amidst theatres of
individualistic shops and regular fl ea markets. dance and drama, outdoor restaurants and cafés and a weekly
★
farmer’s market.
And along the banks of the Potomac River, backed by the
mountains of Western Maryland, Cumberland has attracted ★ Another artists’ haunt is in the suburban Maryland
so many musicians, writers, painters and performers that its community of Bethesda (bethesda.org), where the Bethesda
Downtown (mdmountainside.com) is now a state-recognised Art Walk opens up a dozen galleries and studios from 6pm to
arts and entertainment district. Dozens of artists have relocated 9pm on the second Friday of each month.
capitalregionusa.org 23
CRUSA 2010 pp20-23 museums.indd 23 11/13/09 12:40:17 PM
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