Washingtom DC - National Gallery of Art, Sculpture Garden, Newseum, and Train Station

Last week I was in Washington DC for some business and had a little time to poke around the mall.  The National Christmas Tree was not up yet, so I decided to tale a spin around the National Gallery of Art.

Upon entering, I immediately was confronted with this fountain with a statue of Mercury in it.  I love this statue!

 I wondered if perhaps they had a miniature replica in the gift shop, so I hustled down there, but all they had was one with a lot of verdigris on it and that's not what I want.  Funny that everyone sells a version that does not look like the bronzed statue in the museums.  Oh well, back to the museum.

I found this statue of Diana which I love!

 And next to her was this "Winged Victory"

Continuing on, I stumbled into a gallery with photographs by Gordon Parks.

 I hadn't heard of him before, but loved his photographs and want to learn more about his Farm Bureau Administration works.  I think that's the same time period when Arthur Rothstein was taking pictures to document the settlements in the Shenandoah as others were doing in the Smokies.  An interesting time.  This book is on my wishlist.

 In the painting galleries, I came across this painting, "Meadow", by Sisley - a new favorite to rival the Van Gogh s and Cassatt's, and other impressionist favorites.

 I also toured the Camille Corot exhibit, which I enjoyed.  I retrieved my backpack and got one last peek at Mercury before heading outside to take a walk through the sculpture garden in the waning sun.

 It was overcast and damp, but the landscaping and fountains around the mall entrance were still putting on a good show draped in fall colors.

 Crossing 7th Street NW, I spied this little piece of street art.  It's no Blub, but I find this type of art expression charming.

On to the sculpture garden.  Here are some of my favorite pieces.  Many of them, as you move, change perspective and color. 

 'The Thinker'

 Heading to the train station, I passed the Newseum.  I need to pay the admission fee and go in sometime.  Here are the cover pages from newspapers around the world - no Virginian-Pilot.

I walked to the Washington's train station - Union Station.  The big open space reminded me of NYC's Grand Central Station with it's huge vaulted ceilings - so beautiful!

I took the train from Washington to my next business destination, Baltimore, MD.  The inside of Penn Station in Baltimore was also very ornate, with a beautiful glass ceiling.  Smaller than Washington's station, but no less grand.

Outside, it was another story - the rails were sooty, gritty, and trashy - an unfortunate counterpoint to its grand interior.

After a day's work in Baltimore, I took the train from Penn Station back to Richmond, VA to complete the circuit.  It was a whirlwind business trip, but I enjoyed the brief opportunity to examine some national artistic treasures and ride the nation's rails.

Peace.