January 15th, 2011

Jan 15th 2011 Went to see the Smithsonian American Indian museum and was disappointed. They did have a lot of stuff showing how the Indians have been wronged over the years and how they survive now but it was centered towards the major tribes and not the smaller ones like the one my Great-Grandfather was a part of the Comanche. It has only been there since 2004 so they don’t have a backlog of stuff yet to make displays for everybody. There was a really good gift shop that had a lot of mass-produced Indian goods for consumption. Jewelry was a big thing in that shop and I would say it was higher quality. Then I went to the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. I’m sure it will be cooler when the weather cooperates but the outside of course had nothing to display. The inside had a lot of room and the building looked neat as it is a cylinder shape. Nonetheless I am not one to stare at art so it was unexciting for me. I saw 4-5 exhibits that caught my eye but I was in and out relatively quick. I then walked back through the National Mall which most of the Smithsonian institution’s face. It was lively with street music, hot dog vendors, runners, tour buses, and lots of people perusing and taking pictures. It wasn’t too crowded but I’m sure that will change with the cherry blossom festival the first week of April.