The Mall, National Gallery of Art, Gardens, Gas and McDonalds

We were home by noon. We left the house around 9:40 and parked by the Smithsonian Castle before ten. We used the park mobile app and walked towards the sculpture garden to start getting some photos for the 52Frames texture challenge this week. The first photo was the grass with the Capitol in the distance. The sculpture garden fountain is always enchanting. Next stop was the national gallery west building. I remembered seeing a Degas ballerina sculpture that had an interesting tutu. Then we walked through the early American furniture section. From there we left the front entrance and walked down the many steps to the gardens and fountain, across the mall to the air and space museum that had no traffic because it was closed. The mall was noticeably less busy - virus surge, school starting? The Hirshhorn museum is getting some sort of facelift and is surrounded by scaffolding. Then on to our favorite Hirshhorn and Smithsonian gardens. It was getting really humid and our hour and a half was almost expired. We only put on 1.6 miles - well short of our usual 2. On the way home we stopped for gas and then McDonald’s. We got home around noon. It’s nice to know we can still do all of the above and have a full day ahead. I spent a lot of it trying to figure out which photo would be most interesting for the challenge. It’s a great hobby - especially now. It’s nice to have a variety of options. Now I just need a better camera. 

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Sculptures

We are anxiously awaiting the reopening of the US Botanic Garden. Yes, you can walk around the Bartholdi fountain garden by the House Office buildings, but the First Ladies garden and botanic garden building are still closed. So when we go in to town, we usually park on the national mall rather than in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill, and walk through the Hirshhorn and Smithsonian castle gardens. Every once in a while we will also stroll through the Hirshhorn sculpture garden - as we did recently. I’m not one for remembering the names of the sculptures nor the artists who created them. But I do have my favorites and they look really lovely in every season. There is a man and woman sitting in the corner and every time we visit I am drawn to them. This was the first time in a long time that there was a tour of some kind with a lot of people going through it. We are used to having the place to ourselves over this last year. It’s harder to get good photos with people milling about. My husband prefers the activity - I prefer the quiet. Anyway, it was a lovely visit as usual. When we moved from DC two years ago we knew we would probably continue to visit. It’s a great diversion with or without a pandemic. 

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

It was a long walk but well worth it. It’s been almost six months since we actually got out of the car in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood.  We decided to take our morning walk following in our old footsteps. That lead us to the Capitol and the national mall to the Smithsonian Castle and Gardens and back to the US botanical gardens. In the middle of all this was the Hirshhorn sculpture garden - a place we have seen and been through in every season and many times. We didn’t think we would be able to enter, but surprisingly the guard waved us in. There were a couple of people visiting and a few staff doing some kind of work. There was a new sculpture that had been placed since we were there last. It’s called “We come in peace.” It’s a 12 foot woman warrior with five faces by Huma Bhabha. It essentially takes over the space and sits in the center of the garden. My favorite is the couple sitting in the corner. It was a pleasant enough walk to enjoy the space once again with signs about to remind us of social distancing and hand sanitizer stations. None of the Smithsonian museum buildings are open so things still look weird in town. We are just glad we have the option to visit when we feel like it. 

Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Fall Flavor

It took a while for Fall to show up. And when it finally did it was really pretty. We usually drive to the eagle’s park out past Mount Vernon, but we just didn’t get there. Last week our morning walk turned in to an afternoon walk instead - which is very rare. But with that comes a very different view and the lighting is very different. And since it had just rained - and was still sprinkling - it sometimes brings out the autumn colors even more. So we stopped at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden to see how things looked. The view from above was unexpected as there were no visitors to be seen. We felt like the only ones on the Mall. I have a favorite sculpture there - a “man and woman” sitting on a bench of sorts. The leaves had fallen “just so” on their laps and around their feet. All of the dark pieces stood out against to brightness of the surroundings. It’s such a different look from cherry blossom season but just as enchanting. Most of the leaves have blown away since then. It was a nice time to amble around the art. It felt like our own personal space - very peaceful and serene. 

Sculpture Garden Cafe

We haven’t been there for quite some time. We were thinking of places to stop in for a bite to eat on our mid morning walk. I didn’t remember when they opened, so we just walked over to the sculpture garden cafe to see if it was. Surprisingly the ice rink was still set up, and they were trimming trees around it. A few customers were already inside, as it opened at ten AM. So we checked out the menu and the displays of the food options and decided to go with the feta cheese concoction, a bowl of barley beef soup, and a cinnamon bun with a glass of water on the side. You order at the counter, get a buzzer, and find a table until everything is ready. We watched the pedestrian traffic outside as we munched our way through. We were first introduced to the sculpture garden when we moved here twelve years ago. The summer months are much different than now with a lot more activity. It is a very pleasant place to visit regardless of the time of year. Across the street is the Archives building and there were hints of spring in the air in spite of the drizzle. Would we stop in again? Probably. The food is okay, but that’s not the main attraction. 

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Pavilion Cafe

My husband usually makes breakfast when we get home from our daily mid morning walk. It's more like lunch because it's about noon time. But today as we were walking through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, we saw the menu at the Pavilion Cafe and decided to have a cinnamon roll, croissant, and soup instead. The restaurant was just opening, so we just beat the spring time crowds that soon gathered. We've been here a few times before - for jazz in the park in summer, and with visiting friends. It's a very pleasant place. It sits across from the Archives on Constitution Avenue. During the winter, there is ice skating. It looked like there were a lot of workmen deconstructing the skating rink and preparing it for the summer time fountain show. With spring in the air, everything is starting to look fresh again. Aside from the US Botanic Garden, this is the place to sit, relax and enjoy whatever passes by.