<p>Keep in mind while in Washington D.C. that the Corcoran Gallery of Art is around the corner from the White House, so if you’re in that neighborhood, Corcoran is very do-able and not the entire Smithsonian complex, which is a different neighborhood.</p>
<p>The Corcoran Gallery is devoted almost entirely to AMERICAN art, starting with Frederic Remington’s sculptures of cowboys, Hudson River Valley paintings, and contemporary works. So their mandate might interest our OP, who might already know European art.</p>
<p>At the Smithsonian, I like to see inventions like the first airplane ever flown at Kitty Hawk, or else the TV/Movie cultural artifacts such as: Mr. Rogers’ sweaters, Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs, Judy Garland’s red slippers from Wizard of Oz. The Smithsonian is kind of all on a mall, and as I recall, once I was there it felt hard to get to other neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Absolutely inspiring is the statue of Abraham Lincoln, and the reflecting pool/walkable mall with the memorials to WWII and Vietnam soldiers lost. I never found reason to walk all the way over to the Washington Monument, since you can see if from everywhere else. As a focal point beginning, I’d land at the feet of Abe Lincoln’s statue, then walk it from there. Even if you never get “to” the Wash monumnet, you’ll see it. Abe Lincoln is more inside a rotunda, so not visible from afar.</p>
<p>P3t, but American History is closed for the next year and change… sniff! I went to DC a couple of times in HS and spent hours and hours reveling in that place – it used to be open til 9 pm in the summers back when there was better funding.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2: I guess I figure all restaurants in NYC could be closed if randomly observed, and D seems so casual about it, I decided to take cue from her. Yeah, I agree, it’s not too appealing.</p>
<p>They are redoing Lincoln Center courtyard to make it more “people accessible.” Supposedly, it’s too elitist and cut off from street life. I love Lincoln Center, and don’t think anything will make up for the loss of the fountain, but maybe they’ll surprise me.</p>
<p>mythmom - I think all restaurants in NYC get visits from the Board of Health, but they are not all closed down. I think it takes quite a few repeated violations for a restaurant to be closed down. That’s not always the case, I suppose. Maybe the NYC Board of Health is just focusing on high profile places like Serendipity and The Magnolia Bakery (many months ago). I’m sure most food places in the city have some degree ofpest problems - I try not to think about it too much - but if a place is closed down because of those problems, it definitely makes me think twice before eating there again.</p>
<p>I had no idea about them redoing Lincoln Center’s courtyard. That is so sad. I love that it is cut off a bit from street life - sort of like an oasis. I don’t think that makes it elitist, just more peaceful.</p>
<p>Bryant Park has a free ice skating rink. You can even make reservations (called The Pond at Bryant Park): [The</a> Pond at Bryant Park](<a href=“thepondatbryantpark.com”>thepondatbryantpark.com).</p>
I went to DC a couple of times in HS and spent hours and hours reveling in that place – it used to be open til 9 pm in the summers back when there was better funding.</p>