A day in DC with Mike

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My good friend and world traveler, Mike, spent the day with me exploring a few of our favorite museums in DC last summer. I moved west in '89, but love going back to my roots in DC. So, we took the subway from Silver Spring and stumbled onto the Mall on a partly sunny August day. We naturally hit the Nat'l Gallery of Art (East Bldg.) first, but not without some excitement! Mike had his swiss army knife on his belt (a woodsman at heart) thus, the security guards didn't like that! One guard told Mike he couldn't even check it in and to "stash it in the bushes outside". Off Mike goes as I wait inside. Well, 10 minutes pass, then 20 and I'm thinking "where in the heck did he go"? Is he off buying a $20 hot dog or what? Then I look out the window and see him chatting with another guard! I call him on his cell and he tells me the guard saw him "hiding" his knife and warned him that he couldn't do that. Geez! This guy calls his superior and as it turns out, since the blade was shorter than 4", he could take it in. Mike finally strolls back in with it in his pocket (a concealed weapon, nonetheless). Never a dull moment with Miguel, I'll tell you. And the scary part is, Mike forgot his wallet and was without any ID. The first thing I noticed when entering the museum was the absence of the large Calder mobile. I immediately went to the info desk and was informed that it was being cleaned and repaired after years of hanging in the main lobby. I was relieved! We then strolled the lovely exhibit, "Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art From the Victoria and Albert Museum". We were both taken by the colors and intricate patterns. It has since moved on. We had lunch at the cafeteria, which is a little spendy, but has a good selection of food. Next stop was the Air and Space Museum. We didn't spend too much time there as it was very crowded as usual. But, the most fun we had was at the Hirshhorn. We played outside and took pictures. We were warned by guards to not touch the sculptures (guard magnets that day!) We took in the interesting photography exhibit, "Directions" by Gabriel Orozco, who makes photo art from ordinary objects and images. I wish I could remember the name of the artists that really caught our attention. It was a film that moved the viewer along with fire, liquids, explosions, and objects by connecting one scene to another. We found it both fascinating and humorous! As we were walking to the Metro station rain began to fall. We took shelter near the merry-go-round and giggled like children. After a day in DC, we took the subway to Bethesda for a great yoga class with the excellent Iyengar teacher, John Schumacher, and director of Unity Woods. By then the rain fell heavy and we were drenched by the time we walked the 10 blocks or so to the studio. Feeling both refreshed and hungry after working hard in John's class, we had a superb dinner at the Afghan restaurant, Faryab's. I'm looking forward to another trip to DC in May 2005! Hopefully this time without so many encounters with security guards.

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Photos

Heat Shield (Air & Space Museum)
Mike Smiles

Hirshhorn Sculpture
I've had a rough day.

Comments

[anonymous]

That Darn Knife....
....sure did get me in a lot of trouble! Hey Michelle thanks for your detailed recollection of that wonderful afternoon and evening we spent together in Washington. Let’s do it again real soon and this time, no knives! I remember being without my wallet and realizing that my only connection to the outside world was you. No money and no I.D. made me feel vulnerable. Thanks for coming through! I have a vivid recollection of John Schumacher’s level II/III yoga class that day. You took it in stride like the accomplished yoga practitioner that you are. I struggled with head stands and especially shoulder stands, a little bit too advanced for me at the time and John’s gentle ribbing (“the man of a thousand straps!”) remember? and it was that class that made me determined to come back later and study under John and the other wonderful teachers at Unity Woods. Thanks for your inspiration Michelle and I look forward to reading more entries here as your journeys both inner and outer continue. - Mike Mayer