by Joe Miller,
Director of Development
Greetings from Washington, DC!
Caroline and I are here this week to vote and catch up with some friends.
As I was walking home from voting at the polling location where Caroline volunteers, it occurred to me that while I’m always telling my friends in DC about all the amazing things to see and do in Pocahontas County, I haven’t said much to my friends back in Pocahontas County about my favorite things in DC.
These aren’t the big-ticket events. If you’ve never been to DC before, then find one of the many guides written by actual travel writers. Do the stuff they recommend. Visit the Air and Space Museum. Climb the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Tour the White House and the Capitol. Eat at one of José Andrés’ restaurants. Go to the zoo. (The pandas are back!)
These are a few of my personal favorites and are slightly more off the beaten path.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts
Back in 1989, a group of anonymous women artists created a billboard asking, “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” The artists pointed out that women created only 5 percent of the artwork in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Meanwhile, 85 percent of the works containing nude figures depicted women.
Credit where it’s due: the billboard is now part of the Met’s collection. But still, one of our many cultural sins is our long history of dismissing the art and literature of half the population.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (or NMWA) resurrects some of that forgotten history—its collection of more than 6,000 pieces of art date back to the 16th century. It also regularly exhibits works from contemporary women artists.
NMWA is newly reopened—the old Masonic Temple that houses the museum underwent two years of renovation. It’s an incredible space filled with equally incredible artwork.
At its best, art forces us to see the world from a different perspective. NMWA reminds us of the perspectives we missed, while ensuring that we don’t make the same mistakes again.
1250 New York Ave. NW. Admission: $16 for adults; $8 for seniors & students; free for 18 and under
The Library of Congress
You didn’t really think you’d make it through this column without some reference to libraries, did you?
The Library of Congress is one of my favorite places in DC. Caroline and I had our engagement photos taken there. I make it a point to visit every single time I’m back in the District.
The library consists of three buildings in DC—the Jefferson, the Madison and the Adams—along with three storage and conservation facilities outside the city. They need all that space to house the roughly 173 million items in the library’s collection. Keeping up with all that material requires more than 3,000 staff.
The Jefferson building is the showpiece of the library. The grand marble entryways and balconies overlooking the multi-story main reading room are accessible to visitors.
If you really want the close-up view of the reading room, you’ll have to get a reader card. Those are free and available to any US resident with a government ID. That’ll let you in the reading room itself and allow you to access those 173 million items—though, the Library of Congress isn’t a lending library, so you won’t be able to take anything home with you.
10 First St. SE. Admission: free, but a timed entry ticket is required for the Jefferson building
Indigo
After taking in 500 years of neglected artwork and millions of books, you’re likely to have worked up an appetite.
Indigo is a (reasonably) short walk from the Library of Congress and serves up northern Indian curries. The restaurant began as a food truck and now operates out of the bottom floor of a townhouse. Its humble origins are evident.
You’ll get huge portions of food in paper containers, and you’ll eat with plastic utensils. You’ll sit outdoors on a covered patio that’s awash in string lights. In cooler weather, heat lamps and transparent plastic curtains keep things nice and toasty. Fans help keep things cool during DC’s sultry summers.
There’s plenty to love if you’re a meat eater—northern Indian cuisine features lots of meat and sauces made from cream. But the vegetarian selection is fantastic. Scooping a big bite of daal makhani with a warm piece of garlic roti is an excellent way to wrap up your day.
243 K St. NE. Entrees: $18–24.
