Well, I woke up incredibly early after ten hours of sleep and did all things tourist at the capitol. The National Archives, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, blah, blah, blah. The Smithsonian museums, particularly the gardens and greenhouse, are amazing. Lots of outdoor sculptures by Oldenburg and Lichtenstein, which were the best.

The American Gallery of Art was probably the best part of my time in D.C. It offered a vast collection of modern art by some of my favorite individuals, including Judd, Ruscha, Oldenberg, and Rothko. Along with my typical favorites, there was also dozens of Calder mobiles, ranging in size and medium. A specific room caught my attention, with over ten smaller Calders in a semi-dark space. In this setting, each of the mobiles existed along with the mirror of it’s distinct and animated shadow, forming a second sculpture on the wall that twisted and changed as the mobile slowly moved.

That night, MacKenzie and I celebrated her job offer with a proper eveing: a carafe of wine and dancing at 18th Street bar in the city. Great fun, especially since I somehow found some of the only Persians in the city who were kind enough to teach me some Farsi. Too bad I’m not studying at Tehran University.

The next few days in DC were spent exploring other parts of the city, seeing Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, in a dashing orange pant-suit, drinking at least 80 oz of slurpee and dancing on the bar at McFaddens. MacKenzie graciously treated me the entire night since she had a $50 bar tab from winning a beer-chugging contest, naturally. My time in DC was amazing (thanks MacKenzie, Sean, Ms. Clinton and the rest of the TAMU people), and I hope to visit again soon or work there, whichever comes first.