JasonParis
Moderator
I was in Washington, DC for a conference back in June. Unfortunately, I had very little time to see the city, but here's a few things I did get to see...
The US Capitol from a rainy National Mall.
I.M. Pei's fabulous east wing of the National Gallery of Art. The sharp edge of the building has recently been fenced-off to prevent people from touching the edge as they had been doing for years.
In the foyer of the east (contemporary) wing of the National Gallery sits an early Richard Serra titled "Five Plates, Two Poles" (1971).
Inside the National Gallery's East Wing.
Much like Pei's addition to La Louvre in Paris, triangles, glass, pyramids, stone and concrete are the order of the day. This wing was completed in 1978.
One of Alexander Calder's mobiles hangs high above the main space of the National Gallery of Art.
Some sort of beehive-like installation outside the window of the National Gallery of Art.
The National Gallery of Art (cont.)...
Linking the west building and the east building is an underground concourse that goes under Washington's 4th Street. The moving walkway is currently surrounded by "Multiverse" (a year long exhibition by artist Leo Villareal that features LED technology). As far as I'm concerned it should be made permanent.
Still in the concourse level is this waterfall that I actually remember from a Grade 7 class trip to Washington, DC.
A view of I.M. Pei's East Building from the original 1937 West Building.
The West Building has an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by European masters from the medieval period through the late 19th century. It is also home to some very tasteful indoor courtyards which proved a perfect retreat from the spring rain.
The centrepiece of the main floor of the National Gallery's West Building.
The National Gallery's West Bulding (cont.)
Across 7th Street sits the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden. This is an installation from Sol LeWitt (1997)
Alexander Calder's "Cheval Rouge" (1974)
Louise Bourgeois' "Spider" (1997)
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's "Typewaiter Eraser, Scale X" (1999)
As we walked back toward The Willard we came across the IRS building that reads over the doors..."Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."
The Old Post Office Pavilion.
The Old Post Office Pavilion (cont.)...
Inside the Old Post Office Pavilion. It now houses a pretty dated and tourist-centric shopping mall unfortunately.
In the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue is Pershing Park that actually has the grid of Washington, DC built into the park.
Pershing Park (cont.)
A few pics from the lobby of the Willard InterContinental Hotel. This is where we stayed and where my conference was being held. It is considered one of the most storied hotels in the United States and this very lobby is where the term "lobbyist" originated.
The Willard InterContinental (cont.)...
Then it was over to Washington's monumental Union Station to catch our train to Philly.
Union Station (cont.)...
And a final pic from DC as we board our electric high-speed Amtrak "Acela Express" train to Philadelphia. It was a perfectly European experience, but not quite as fast as many European services.
Hope you enjoyed. Next stop Philly!
The US Capitol from a rainy National Mall.
I.M. Pei's fabulous east wing of the National Gallery of Art. The sharp edge of the building has recently been fenced-off to prevent people from touching the edge as they had been doing for years.
In the foyer of the east (contemporary) wing of the National Gallery sits an early Richard Serra titled "Five Plates, Two Poles" (1971).
Inside the National Gallery's East Wing.
Much like Pei's addition to La Louvre in Paris, triangles, glass, pyramids, stone and concrete are the order of the day. This wing was completed in 1978.
One of Alexander Calder's mobiles hangs high above the main space of the National Gallery of Art.
Some sort of beehive-like installation outside the window of the National Gallery of Art.
The National Gallery of Art (cont.)...
Linking the west building and the east building is an underground concourse that goes under Washington's 4th Street. The moving walkway is currently surrounded by "Multiverse" (a year long exhibition by artist Leo Villareal that features LED technology). As far as I'm concerned it should be made permanent.
Still in the concourse level is this waterfall that I actually remember from a Grade 7 class trip to Washington, DC.
A view of I.M. Pei's East Building from the original 1937 West Building.
The West Building has an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures by European masters from the medieval period through the late 19th century. It is also home to some very tasteful indoor courtyards which proved a perfect retreat from the spring rain.
The centrepiece of the main floor of the National Gallery's West Building.
The National Gallery's West Bulding (cont.)
Across 7th Street sits the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden. This is an installation from Sol LeWitt (1997)
Alexander Calder's "Cheval Rouge" (1974)
Louise Bourgeois' "Spider" (1997)
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's "Typewaiter Eraser, Scale X" (1999)
As we walked back toward The Willard we came across the IRS building that reads over the doors..."Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."
The Old Post Office Pavilion.
The Old Post Office Pavilion (cont.)...
Inside the Old Post Office Pavilion. It now houses a pretty dated and tourist-centric shopping mall unfortunately.
In the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue is Pershing Park that actually has the grid of Washington, DC built into the park.
Pershing Park (cont.)
A few pics from the lobby of the Willard InterContinental Hotel. This is where we stayed and where my conference was being held. It is considered one of the most storied hotels in the United States and this very lobby is where the term "lobbyist" originated.
The Willard InterContinental (cont.)...
Then it was over to Washington's monumental Union Station to catch our train to Philly.
Union Station (cont.)...
And a final pic from DC as we board our electric high-speed Amtrak "Acela Express" train to Philadelphia. It was a perfectly European experience, but not quite as fast as many European services.
Hope you enjoyed. Next stop Philly!
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