Saturday, July 7, 2007

American History 101

Today, despite the horrendous humidity, I trudged around downtown in look for something 'cultural' to do. While the day was perfect to lay pool side, cocktail in hand, I'm beginning to miss the quiet, pleasurable afternoons I used to spend at museums and galleries in NY. I decided that the Smithsonian would be a smart place to start, as the National Portrait Gallery currently has what I think is the best crash course in American history I've ever seen. Wandering through the rooms, you will see portraits of men and women who helped pave the way for what is now modern day America. From European explorers, to Native Americans and the first Puritan settlers', through the Revolutionary and Civil War...the portraits cover years of history, giving a more enjoyable lesson than the old social studies books from high school ever did.

Allow a few hours to really enjoy the museum and pack a snack to avoid the over priced cafe. One negative...it was a bit noisy. I somehow managed to show up on "Nationals Day" - members from the relatively new major league team were on hand to sign autographs for the kiddies. I won't lie...I contemplated jumping in line behind a group of eight year old boys in hopes of catching the eye of a fetching baller [secretly hoping they'd be in full uniform so I'd be able to view their amazing buttocks through those brilliantly tight pants....]

Quickly retracting from what would have been a captivating day dream, I opted to forgo the long line of fans and enjoy my simple afternoon.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Katharyn,
Although i am very dissapointed in your decsion to delete my previous comment you only have yourself to blame ... if you wanted a more professional comment than don't tell people its for personal use to. this blog entry is very professionally written!