The Newseum is a museum dedicated to journalism, the news business and the First Amendment. Opened up by the Freedom Forum a decade ago, this lavish building on Pennsylvania Avenue was populated with six floors of amazing exhibits about the history of the free press. Sadly, I guess they overspent, and it's hard to compete with "free" (the Smithsonians nearby), and they are closing their doors at the end of this month.
I went there once about 5 years ago and it was fantastic, but I only had two hours or so before we needed to move on. So I was determined to someday come back and spend more time thoroughly exploring it. Well, with the impending closing, that opportunity was about to vanish, so I made a trip up to Washington DC last weekend to see it again. See photo album on Facebook.
I also did other stuff, though. In fact, my original plan for the DC trip was to have at least one other major reason for going, perhaps a band reunion tour that wasn't making it down to Atlanta. But by the time the end of the year (and the imminent closing of the museum) came along, the Newseum visit was really the only major reason. In November I did have the bright idea of going to see a Supreme Court argument session, but a quick check of the calendar showed that the only two dates remaining in the year that I could attend (Mondays) were in direct conflict with a work trip that I had just booked. DAMMIT. That may have been my one chance to ever do that.
So I winged it. On the evening I arrived in town, after settling into my (dreary but well-located) AirBnB, I bundled up for the freezing weather and headed out for an epic nighttime walking tour of the city. I walked from Dupont Circle to the Kennedy Center for the Arts, where three shows were about to start in their respective performance halls, the crowds were gathering, and I had some great people watching. Then I walked to the Lincoln Memorial and read his two speeches featured there (Gettysburg and Second Inaugural), both characteristically short. From there I strolled slowly through the iconic Vietnam Memorial, Maya Lin's powerful and controversial wound in the earth. Finally I made my way to the recently renovated Washington Monument, thinking it might actually still be open for entry at 9pm, but alas no. Having walked four miles by then, I took the Metro back up to Dupont Circle and Kramerbooks bookstore, and finally a late dinner at the conjoined Afterwords cafe where a serviceable jazz trio was performing.
The next day, I spent four hours in the Newseum, and still didn't finish.
I left the Newseum in mid afternoon because there was a jazz show I wanted to check out. Rhizome DC is a little DIY arts space in the northwestern suburbs. For my Atlanta art friends reading this, it's much like the old Eyedrum or actually more like the Norton Arts Center in Hapeville, if you ever went there. It's in an old house, with the band literally setting up in the front room and the audience in folding chairs in the next room over, viewing through a large opening. It was very cozy and welcoming and I'm glad I went. The touring performer was Mars Williams, leading a trio of local musicians through his material of Albert Ayler inspired Christmas songs. Yeah, you read that right.
Then it was back into the city for the only museum that was open late, the National Portrait Gallery. We went there during our last trip, but I felt like I hadn't spent enough time in there, and anyway it was the only museum still open. Good stuff, including a couple pieces by Nam June Paik.
Finally, I decided to take a shot at seeing a band in the historic 9:30 club. The club was founded in the 1980s as a home for the burgeoning DC hardcore scene, hosting local and touring bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag and Bad Brains. The club had long ago moved to a larger space (maybe twice) and by now has probably lost a lot of that character, but what the hell, I'll try. I couldn't care less about the DJ/electronic act that was headline, Thievery Corporation, and the show was sold out, but I'd give it a shot anyway. After dinner nearby, I hung out at the entrance, talked to a couple barfly types (or rather listened as they talked to me), and almost got some tickets but in the end they fell through. That's fine, movin' on.
The next morning, I packed up and heading back to the Newseum to finish off.
After a couple trains back to BWI, I enjoyed the little known observation deck there, endured some flight delay drama, and made it back home.
Regrets, to be addressed next time:
- plan to spend a lot of time at Arlington Cemetery
- see the new African American Museum; hopefully next time they'll have improved their dysfunctional ticket system
- attend a SCOTUS argument session, per above