Elephants, Both Real and Stuffed

Last weekend, we decided we'd head down to the National Mall to check out the National Museum of Natural History. After we got off the bus, we cut through the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and we came across two guys walking an elephant, which struck us as kind of odd. Turns out someone had rented the Reagan Building and the elephant for an Indian wedding.



I don't know if you are aware, but Kinsey loves elephants. I mean, a lot. She wants a pet one. Although she was a little freaked out when the elephant laid its head on her shoulder for this picture.

Kinsey's elephant eating ice from a cooler.

The first thing that greets you when you enter the National Museum of Natural History is one of those stone statues from Easter Island. Seems like a good way to start off a museum.

Here's the antithesis to our earlier morning elephant experience: a dead one.

A leaping tiger that for some reason makes me think of Calvin and Hobbes leads into the mammal exhibit. This mammal exhibit was different from other museums because the animals weren't placed in pseudo-habitats, but were instead on finished stone slabs. Its like having a lot of taxidermy in your kitchen.

Let me explain this picture. When we saw this open-mouthed hippo I told Kinsey she should pretend to stick her head in its mouth. McKinsey must have a problem with simulating circus tricks with stuffed animals because she declined. So I stepped in and for some reason thought the bug-eyed evil grin look was appropriate for the situation. I only post this picture on Kinsey's insistence.

I like this shot looking through the backdrop at the mammal exhibit. It appeals to the architect part of me.

McKinsey enjoys her trilobite fossils.

The dinosaur exhibit. They did have a heck of a lot of complete dinosaur skeletons, which was pretty neat.

I caught someone else's flash going off when I took a picture of the T. Rex., which makes it look nice and spooky. Like an ethereal dinosaur going to a movie premiere.

You gotta love the wooly mammoth, an ancient creature that Nebraska can lay claim too.

The Hope Diamond. I've seen bigger.

After we left the Natural History Museum, we walked through the Smithsonian sculpture garden, which had this nice little fountain.

There was this really interesting building housing a cafe in the sculpture garden. The steel structure of this building is really expressive.
A sculpture by Claus Oldenburg.

This is a weird sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein. The corner of the house that looks to be closest to you is actually the farthest away. Optical illusion!

We headed over to the National Building Museum and walked by the Newseum, a brand new museum on the media designed by Polshek Partnership. We didn't go in because it cost money and we don't like to discuss money.

The National Building Museum seems pretty tame on the outside...

... but check out that interior! And I thought the Corinthian columns on the National Archives were big.


Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures in the exhibits. They were really good exhibits though. Trust me.