In September, I went on a trip to Washington DC for a friend’s wedding. Because it is cheaper to buy tickets in the middle of the week, I got to spend a very full six days in the city.
My Adventures in Washington DC
So, DC is fkn wild. (inspirationally-speaking)
All the museums are free and built for actual giants. My puny human legs were not nearly enough to carry me everywhere I needed to go. The buildings are all absolute marvels of architectural and artistic achievement, built around an aesthetic lost today on capitalist materialism. I almost cried in the Library of Congress. It was this whole thing. The ceiling and walls were hand-painted with thoroughly planned, conceptual messaging surrounding enlightenment through education. I couldn’t help it.
All around me, I heard people speaking different languages and most of the Lyft drivers were happy to tell me more about their countries of origin. Austin isn’t really a melting pot like DC is, so it was inspiring to actually be surrounded by a global community and learn through conversations.
I did some life sketching in the Reading Room at the Library of Congress, lived my Bio-Dome fantasy at the US Botanical Gardens, had my mind blown at the National Gallery of Art, embraced some natural wonders at the National Museum of Natural History, and even ate Laotian food and went on a Metro ride for the first time.
I was expecting to see and do some interesting stuff, but wasn’t ready for the amount of inspiration that was crammed through my ocular and auditory receptors.
Sharing my Sights
Here’s a bunch of photos from my visits to various spots around America’s capitol city on a quest for knowledge.
U.S. Botanic Garden
Have you ever seen Bio-Dome? Fun fact: It’s probably within the top 3 of my most-watched movies of all time. It is a really dumb Pauly Shore movie, but it’s also an environmental/life science-focused stoner flick that makes me laff.
Anyways, this botanical garden was like being in a mini bio-dome. There was a desert section and a tropical section and a medicinal herb garden and an island section with a waterfall. Rapid rates of photosynynthesis. Mini-tribal. All that. Living my dreams.
There is also a beautiful rose and outdoor garden. I took a bunch of photos for later artistic reference. Some of these also may have been taken by my friend Sarah, who was nice enough to send me her’s.
Library of Congress
I’m not going to lie; I would never have thought of coming here if it weren’t suggested. I am so glad I listened.
Imagine a building constructed mostly from natural stone, brimming with hand-carved sculptures and adorned with hand-painted murals, each one portraying symbolism entirely focused on learning and expanding consciousness.
That is the Library of Congress. It’s absolutely breathtaking and should really be experienced first-hand, but here are some pictures anyways.
National Gallery of Art
Looking at art will get you real hyped about making art. I saw work from Klimt, Warhol, Picasso, Dali and so many more.
We had to go really fast though because it was 3 hours till closing, our legs are tiny, and the National Gallery of Art building is built for giants. I don’t think I’ll ever want to go to another art museum with anyone who hasn’t studied art history, because it’s like having your own personal tour guide. Thanks again, Sarah!
I could have gotten lost in there for three more days, but glad I got to see what I did.
National Museum of Natural History
There was a narwhal exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History overlapping with my visit to DC. How could I not go? My friends Patrick and Cass came into town from Philadelphia and got to enjoy it with me.
Ocean, Narwhal, and Mammal Exhibits
I didn’t get a ton of photos from this section because I was too busy staring at everything with my mouth agape. Regardless, the narwhal exhibit was way cool and I am so happy I caught it!
Rocks on Rocks on Rocks on Rocks
A handful of these specimens looked super familiar. Familiar enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if they were featured in some of the reference photos I used for my birthstone study and Krystalline Kweens series.
There are a lot of photos of rocks here, but this section of the museum was of highest interest for collecting reference material.
Food and Friends
Most importantly, I got to celebrate the wedding of some very dear friends, see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a long time, and eat some good food. Sarah was my travel buddy for the whole trip and taught me a lot of things everywhere we went.
Thank you Claire & Adam for giving me a reason to visit!
Thanks for having some interest in my travels.
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In all honesty, this was mostly just so I would have an easily navigable reference of my photos from this trip and so I can remember the inspiration I felt being there. My mom and grandparents might be the only people that actually look through all of this, but maybe not. If you actually browsed through this, leave me a comment.
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In conclusion, this is all pretty nerdy and I feel like I am writing a class report on my trip to DC. IT WAS SO COOL THOUGH. I hope you found some inspiration or something that you could appreciate in this post.
If you ever have a reason to spend some days in Washington DC, don’t sleep on it.