Things I'll miss in DC (continued)

The nooks and crannies.  The reading room at the Library of Congress.  The Public Vaults exhibit and research rooms in the National Archives.  The George Mason memorial.  Daumier's hilarious cast bronze caricatures of the members of French Parliament downstairs in the National Gallery.  The 3rd floor great hall of the Museum of American Art.  The fabulous covered atrium of the National Building Museum (the old Pension office).  The Old Post Office Building.  Farmer's markets at Courthouse, DuPont Circle and L'enfant Plaza.  The butterfly garden next to the Natural History Museum.  The sculpture garden at the Art Gallery, where I love to eat lunch and watch tourists and bureaucrats meander around the fountain (or ice rink in winter).  The cafeteria at the American Indian Museum--the best food on the Mall.  Prickly pear tacos.  Planked salmon.  Squash blossom soup.  Pulled buffalo with chayote sauce.  Beats the heck out of hotdogs from the food carts along Constitution Ave.

Kennedy Center.   There's always something going on here, from an obscure band or youth orchestra at the Millennium Stage to the gala star-studded ceremonies bestowing National Medals of Art.  We've been to operas and plays and concerts.  I've written about the Chieftans 50th anniversary concert and the holiday performance of the Messiah elsewhere in this blog.  I could also have sung the praises of Patricia Racette in Tosca or Kate Blanchett in Uncle Vanya (we saw that performance the night of Hurricane Irene).  But the most fun is always the highly unpredictable fare on the Millennium Stage.  Performances are free at 6 pm every night, year round.  That's where we heard The Bills, my favorite Canadian hard-to-categorize musical group.   You're just as likely to hear the Marine Corps chorus, a drumming performance from China, an as yet unknown violinist, or a famous alternative group like They Might Be Giants.  The crowds are usually small, very casual, enthusiastic, a mix of intentional and accidental audience members.  A shout out to the Target Corporation for their sponsorship.

Botanic Gardens in winter.  Locals in DC, like in all tourist destinations, love the shoulder seasons, when they are left to enjoy their places without the press of tour busloads of camera toting visitors competing for space on the Metro or elbowing their way into museums and restaurants.  But no complaints.   Every American should spend at least a week here.  As a resident, I must admit, though, I am glad when almost everyone goes home after Labor Day.  The zoo and outdoor monuments in the Fall are particularly moving and beautiful.  And in Winter the indoor venues--all those wonderful museums--feel like they have been staged just for my leisurely enjoyment (not counting those weekdays when the school busses show up at 11 a.m.).  But, I am not fond of the winter weather in DC.  So I have found places to escape the wind and wet and biting cold.  One is the US Botanic Gardens.  My favorite time there is winter--spending a bitter cold sunny morning with the hothouse orchids and bromelids inside conservatory.  On the mezzanine level overlooking the jungle of plants and trees and vines, there are benches where I spend winter days soaking in the heat and sun and humidity of the greenhouse.  Like being transported to the tropics.  I'll miss that.

More to come . . .