Newseum

Newseum (source)

I visited the Newseum in Washington DC for the first time today. Before even entering the museum, we were presented today's front pages from fifty newspaper's representing each state. It was really interesting to see how the front story varied across each region, but sadly the Indiana state fair tragedy was the focus of most papers.

Alaskan Newspaper (source)

First stop inside the museum was the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery. It was my favorite exhibit and definitely the one I will recommend friends to see. The gallery had every prize winning photograph dating back to the 1950s. Each photograph seemed to be a symbol for the era they were taken in. The majority of the images were unbelievable in the the way they were able to capture the perfect moment when the photographer only had a split second to react.

Pulitzer Gallery (source)

After the Pulitzer gallery we headed downstairs to visit the Berlin Wall Gallery. The centerpiece of the exhibit were eight pieces of the Berlin Wall.  The gallery told the story of how news and information helped bring an end the the wall. In a way it made me think of the similarities with social media's role in the Middle East political uprisings.

Berlin Wall (source)

There were several other interesting exhibits in the Newseum but the one that left the most lasting impression was the 9/11 exhibit. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a portion of mangled satellite antenna that was once the highest point in NYC. The mangled steel was a disturbing realization of how destructive that day was. The film "Running Towards Danger" was playing in the gallery's theatre. It focused on journalists on scene the day of the attacks and how they reacted to such a horrible day. 

Another great part of the museum was the Hank Greenspun Terrace overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue. The view was incredible thanks to the building regulations in DC restricting the height of the surrounding buildings. As a landscape architect student it was interesting to see how the security measures protecting government buildings were camaflogued into the streetscape. 

Terrace View (source)

We could have easily spent all day in the museum but after a few hours we were ready to eat. We went to the tasty mexican restaurant Oyamel on 7th street. The restaurant specialized in authentic small plate mexican dishes. Believe it or not they even had a cricket taco on the menu. I had to try it and it was surprisingly my favorite dish of the evening.  

Oyamel Restaurant (source)

We took the beautiful George Washington Memorial Parkway on the way home. It was amazing to see how thoughtfully the road was laid out each bend seemed to provide a more spectacular view of the Potomac and Georgetown University. As I stared out the window I found myself wishing I was one of the people relaxing on the boats below. It was a nice way to end an amazing day in our nation's capitol. 

George Washington Memorial Parkway (source)