An Afternoon at the American History Museum

At the beginning of my time in Washington, I went over to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Though, it was not my first time at the museum, it's always fun to look around and see things that have been added, or look at exhibits in a new perspective. One of the highlights for me was the "First Ladies" exhibit, which displays photos, anecdotal stories about various first ladies and their inaugural ball gowns. The exhibit is fun, in the sense you get to look at the various beautiful gowns from the ages, but it also is an interesting perspective of fashion through the history of the United States. Seeing the dresses in a row, shows the changes in style and the change in fashion philosophy through the ages.
Another exhibit I really enjoyed seeing again was Julia Child's kitchen. This exhibit had a lot of people milling around, enchanted by seeing her equipment up close-thanks to the movie Julia and Julie.
However, the best part about visiting the History Museum, is the multitude of special events that happen throughout the year. While I was there, I had the opportunity to attend Helen Thomas' book signing. Meeting Helen Thomas was an incredible moment as she was such a force in White House journalism.
The History Museum also is home to a fair amount of pop culture, like Carol Burnett's drapes from her Gone with the Wind skit and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers.
The museum is a great place to go if you have all day, or even an hour as you're bound to learn something new and see artifacts that represent American history, in all of its facets.
LMM