13 Jul Museums, Memorials and more Museums

Hello readers,

The past two weeks have continued to be fun and full of learning. To this date, we are still producing the digital drawings of our row house closing in on the end product. It has been very interesting working with the point cloud and also the field measurements to be as accurate as possible when translating all our field notes. But for this Blog post I’m going step away from my work and talk about some of the places I’ve been to and experiences I’ve had here in DC.

Washington, DC has so much to offer. There are so many things to do like going on scenic bike rides, visiting tons of museums, as well as, walking and taking in the beautiful architecture. Since I arrived at DC I’ve visited the Holocaust Museum, the Air and Space Museum, The Museum of National History, The African American Museum, The National Portrait Gallery and, The National Zoo.

I cant forget to mention I’ve also toured the US Capitol and the White House exhibition at the White House Visitor Center and The Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see how money is made. Honestly, the list of places goes on and it’ll keep growing for my remaining weeks in DC.

Some of my favorites so far have been the US Capitol, for me just walking the halls where important people have been, is like stepping through history, just like when I go to an archive and get to touch historical documents from the 1800’s. The amount of sculptures inside is incredible and the paintings take you through pivotal moments in history. And the Portrait Gallery, my visit was short but it was interesting to see how the presidents portraits are starting to change from the classic portrait to a more modern painting or representation of the person.

For someone who has only read and watched movies or documentaries about WWII and the Holocaust, the museum is a mind-blowing experience where you can further learn and try to comprehend what millions of human beings went through and only “try” to imagine how it could’ve felt. The same goes for the African American Museum and how it shows us this community and all they had to overcome.

Something else I experienced this past week was the 4th of July! I’ve never spent this holiday in the United States before, remembering that I’m from Puerto Rico and this holiday is not as hugely celebrated there as it is here. It was a fun experience to watch the parade and all the representation from our military as well as from high school bands and other groups. At the end of the day, I was lucky to be invited to the Department of Interior Independence Day event to watch the fireworks. My friend and I joined a huge group of people that were also invited and the Secretary of Interior to watch the fireworks shows from the terrace of the Main Interior Building. Honestly, best viewing spot of all time, the fireworks were spectacular.

Thank You LHIP for this great opportunity to explore a new city and learn more about so many different things. 

Until next time, 

-Mónica