Buildings, Breweries, Bicentennial, and Billiards

Day one of Read, Set, Go DC - With my faithful travel companion Josh by my side, we set out to explore some places new and old in DC.

Buildings:
Some of the best things about DC are the free museums. Although the Smithsonian Institution features some of my favorite museums, it was time to check out one off the Mall. The National Building Museum is located right on the metro’s Red Line and features some great exhibits about cities, architecture, planning, and design. After taking an American Studies class on Cityscapes in which we talked about urban planning and design, I was eager to visit this museum.

Part of the National Building Museum experience is the site’s architecture. The building was originally constructed in the 1880s as the Pension Bureau’s headquarters. The architect, a US Army General, incorporated many military symbols into the building’s design like the marble frieze on the exterior of the building, which depicts soldiers from every branch of the military. Inside, the building’s Great Hall is truly a site to see. An open-air design with towering columns and a central fountain, this venue hosts many events such as an official Presidential Inaugural Ball. Unfortunately during our visit they were setting up for yet another event, but we were still taken by its stunning beauty.

One of the featured exhibits, Washington: Symbol and City seemed like a perfect way to start off our tour of DC. The exhibit told the story of the DC’s origins—planned by French visionary Pierre L’Enfant—and highlighted how the city’s design, architecture, and people reflect American democracy. Although this was an interesting exhibit, a temporary exhibition quickly became our favorite.

Green Community explores different cities and towns all over the world that represent a “mosaic of diverse approaches and issues that make a green community”. We learned about the technology, techniques, and efforts these communities are making to build a sustainable future. Working for the US Green Building Council, Josh loved this exhibit. In his opinion a huge obstacle preventing a full “green” movement is that people don’t realize the full potential of green efforts. He thought exhibit was a great introduction to conservation and sustainability and showed how real people are going green all over the world.

Here are two of my favorite cities featured in the exhibit:

Bogota, Colombia
For some time, Bogota had poured its resources into a disconnected highway system. However, because a majority of the population couldn’t afford cars, the community was distant and divided. Realizing this the mayor diverted the resources into a new bus system—clean, sleek, environmentally friendly buses—and the construction of green boulevards or alamedas. Featuring bike routes and green spaces for kids to play, the people can enjoy the community together. Not only did the mayor reunite the city, but he also cut pollution and crime.

Stella, Missouri
The 187 residents of Stella were unnerved by the opening of a Wal-Mart headquarters only hours away. Afraid of impending sprawl that might threaten their community’s survival the citizens persisted until they recruited the EPA to help save their community. Working with the EPA’s SMARTe program, a web-based planning tool that helps communities develop sustainable-master plans, the residents of Stella identified the traditions and treasured places in their town that they wanted to preserve. I liked this community’s story because it shows how important it is for people to take ownership of their communities and responsibility for its future sustainability.

Green Community is a terrific exhibit. It was a great introduction to the National Building Museum and a great start to our DC week.

Breweries, Bicentennial, and Billiards
I’ll make this next part brief because I spent so much time gushing about the National Building Museum. After our exhibition tour, Josh and I stopped for a quick lunch at Gordon Biersch Restaurant and Brewery—an American brewery in downtown DC. Although it’s a growing chain of restaurants we were impressed by the quality of the food and the beer. Another great microbrewery to check out in DC is the Capitol City Brewing Company—a unique DC venture.

After lunch our walk back to campus unexpectedly took us past the historic Ford’s Theater. Recently opened after major renovations, we had to peek inside. The theater is small but you can sit in the balcony, snap photos, and even take a closer look at the booth where Lincoln was shot. This year DC is celebrating the bicentennial http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifof Lincoln’s birth so there are hundreds of programs and events going on all over the city. We timed our visit just right. As we left, the line to get in was out the door.

Having just watched the Paul Newman classic, The Hustler and its sequel, The Color of Money, Josh and I were eager to test out our billiards skills. We headed to Buffalo Billiards in Dupont Circle. The place features 29 pool tables in addition to darts, shuffleboard, and screens to watch the big game. Let’s just say Fast Eddie makes 9-ball look way too easy. We certainly weren’t hustling anyone that night but it was the perfect way to end a great first day of exploring DC.

Photos: Go DC, Day 1