Botanical Gardens in its Holiday Finest

At the beginning of the Holiday season I went to the U.S. Botanical Gardens.  At first thought you probably think I’m crazy.  The main draw for the Gardens are, well, the gardens that are outside, and, in case you had not notice, it is winter.  Although, the outside gardens were not in their spring glory, the inside Conservatory was in full Christmas glory (and warm!). 

 

Not only were the Christmas decorations beautiful, but the other plants were also lovely.  All throughout the Conservatory, staff and volunteers were very helpful and gave some great information about the plants.    

Finally, the model train room was amazing.  There were a few kids who were very excited to see Thomas and friends.

 

Overall, I loved the Conservatory.  It was a perfect break from winter weather.  I would suggest going there if you have family in town and want a warm place to visit.  It only took my mom and I a few hours to walk the whole thing, so it’s a great afternoon outing.  I would especially go there if you have children in the group.  Some of the volunteers were giving great short educational talks to kids with lots of hands on learning.    

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season, and enjoying the many events that D.C. has to offer.  As for me, I’m off to a few holiday parties tonight.  Cheers!

Holiday Market

The Holidays are here in full force.  I have to admit that this year I feel like I am living Dr. Seuss’s words: “How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

My mom flew in to town on Thanksgiving morning and stayed through the weekend. Thanksgiving was easy to plan: cook, eat, watch a few movies on Netflix, sleep, repeat.  But what about the rest of the weekend – especially with none of the official Christmas trees being lit until next weekend.

My mom and I opted to go to the Holiday Market in Chinatown.  Much like Crafty Bastards, it had a lot of great artists.  Also, we were able to support Small Business Saturday by buying a few gifts there.  I especially enjoyed the jewelry by Inbloom Jewelry and the pottery by Bill Campbell.  However, the Market is not just about buying last minute gifts, it also has live music throughout the day.  When my mom and I were there Alpha Dog Acoustic Blues was playing and they did a great job.  The market has set up a few chairs in front of the stage (and a coffee stand next to it to buy something warm).  So sit down and enjoy some great free live music.  The Market has also wired speakers throughout the stands that play the live music to provide background music as you shop.  The Market probably took us about an hour or so to walk (my mom and I are not big shoppers, so if you like to shop it might take you longer). 

The other great thing about the Market is the location: Chinatown.  After the Market my mom and I grabbed a late lunch at one of the many good restaurants in the area and then went into the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum.  I could spend days here.  In fact, I spent some time in the Portrait Gallery last weekend when my cousin was in town for a conference and I thoroughly enjoyed both visits.   

For me, the highlight of the Portrait Gallery is the new portrait The Four Justices which is of the only four women Justices to ever serve on the Supreme Court (second floor as you go up the stairs).  And in the light of female lawyers I challenge you to find the portrait of Belva Ann Lockwood (hint: she is on the first floor).  Her story is pretty amazing.  The highlights of the American Art Museum are always the paintings by John Singer Sargent.

Here is a key for any Smithsonian museum: do the tours.  They are free, and they are fantastic.  The docents are always very friendly and very informed.  One of the best parts of the Portrait Gallery is the Docent’s Choice tours (at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays).  I did the 4:30 tour two Saturdays in a row and because different docents did them I received two completely different views of the Gallery.  So, even D.C.’ers who have been to every museum 500 times with visitors can learn something new.  More importantly, because they were able to speak about what they love about the Gallery their enthusiasm for the art and history was palpable.  

Again, I’m sorry for the lack of pictures.  First, you really should not take pictures in museums.  Also, when I am enjoying myself and the time spent with my friends and family, I just forget to take pictures.

 Cost: Other than lunch and what we bought at the Market, the entire day was free!

 Location: Chinatown