turnstilehoppers-blog

[turnstilehoppers-blog]

journey #3, #4, & #5

Hello all! I did not post blogs for journey #3, #4, or #5, due to stress and confusion, but here’s a quick recap. 

journey #3

November 3rd, 2017.

During journey #3, we went to Downtown Silver Spring. We went to Kaldi’s Social House, an amazing local coffee shop. The food there melts in your mouth, the service is friendly and helpful, and the environment makes you want to snuggle into the giant, cozy, leather chairs and read a good book. It’s a great place and definitely somewhere I would hide on a rainy day. We also went to the Silver Spring Library, which has recently been remodeled. That place just made me want to work. The architecture and design was so unique and innovative that it inspired me to create and work. 

journey #4 

November 17th, 2017.

Journey #4 was one of my favorite Metro Journeys because we went to Georgetown. Georgetown, if you didn’t already know, is a bustling college town.  Creativity and hustle seeps from the cracks in the sidewalks and the sewers. You can always find a group of laughing college students, no matter where you go in Georgetown. While in Georgetown, we visited many places, but mostly walked around and enjoyed the beautiful day. 

journey #5

December 15th, 2017.

I still remember the feeling of my nose freezing off of my face because of journey #5. For journey #5, our class was tasked with making our own movie. Of course, our very own up-and-coming director, Aya, had to lead this Metro Journey. We went to the Uptown Theater before recording our movie and watched the newest Star Wars movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After watching the movie, we ate lunch and then proceeded to shoot our movie in the rigid cold. We had a showing of our movie at school the following week. It was a huge success with the critics. Didn’t do too bad at the box office either. 

Thank you for reading my update and I hope I’m never going to have to write one again. I’d like to be up to date with my blogs. 

[turnstilehoppers-blog]

journey #6

January 19th, 2018.

Metro Journey #6 was the best Metro Journey we’ve had so far, if I do say so myself. Now, I am slightly (just slightly) biased, because I did orchestrate the entire ordeal. However, I still think it was excellently planned and executed.

The day began at La Madeleine, when my classmates and I convened to begin our journey. From there, we walked to Bethesda Metro Station and we took the Red line from Bethesda to Metro Center. Then we hopped on a Blue line train to Federal Center SW. From there, we walked up 4th Street SW to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). We arrived a few minutes before the museum opened, so we busied ourselves by taking some photos of the exterior. We eagerly waited for a whole two minutes.

The Exterior of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

Once inside the museum, we split up into individual groups to research our predetermined topics. While we were there, I noticed the detailed architecture in the museum. A sufficient amount of thought went into the architecture of the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum discussed with several Native American tribes throughout the United States before building the museum, in hopes of incorporating important spiritual and natural elements. The building was constructed using limestone from Minnesota, which gives it a naturally weathered feeling. NMAI has a mystical feeling to it. The way that it is constructed makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself, like you’re a part of history. I like that feeling, and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it in any other museum.

Here’s a link that explains the architectural and natural relevance in greater detail: http://www.nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/architecture-landscape/

The Interior of NMAI

Aside from the fascinating architecture and history of the museum, it also has some fascinating exhibits. The exhibit that my classmates and I first investigated is called “Americans”. The exhibit is about how Native American culture and imagery has been a critical part of American culture before Europeans “discovered” America. The main hall is covered, wall-to-wall, in famous representation of Native Americans, including the Land O’ Lakes butter packing, the Washington R**skins football team’s logo, Kayne’s Yeezus merchandise, and many more intriguing artifacts.

Here’s a link to NMAI’s website: http://www.nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/

A part of the Americans Exhibit at NMAI

After our group finished at the museum, we headed over to Chinatown to see the National Portrait Gallery. We jumped back on the Blue line and took it one stop over to L’Enfant Plaza. From there, we took a Yellow line train across the National Mall to Chinatown.

Chinatown is a tiny and ethnically-diverse neighborhood in smack-dab middle of Washington. People of all different backgrounds wander through the streets, speedily walking past you talking into their phones. The windows of the shops along H street are crowded with advertisements and menus. The neighborhood is small, but still remains one of few in DC where you feel like you could discover something new past every corner. My classmates and I took to exploring the streets during lunchtime.

The Friendship Archway in Chinatown, DC

Once everyone was finished eating lunch in Chinatown, we met up at the National Portrait Gallery. When we got there, everyone began to draw their portraits. After that, we waited to take a tour of the gallery. Our tour guide, Mitchiko, was lovely. She showed us around most of the gallery, talking to us about the history of the building and relevance of the portraits. Then, when our tour wrapped up, my classmates and I explored the gallery more. Personally, I found some fantastic exhibits, and even found one I wanted to revisit.

Here’s a link to the National Portrait Gallery’s website: http://npg.si.edu/

My Portrait

The Ceiling of the Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery

The Courtyard at NPG (National Portrait Gallery)

A Portrait of the Doors at NPG 

Until the next one, party people. 

[turnstilehoppers-blog]

journey #2

October 6th, 2017.

It was a breezy, warm, sunny fall day in Washington D.C. My classmates and I exited the Archives Navy Memorial Metro station into the clear air. We immediately spotted a street vendor, a group of tourists, and construction workers bustling about. Our class decided that these people would make perfect candidates for our Man on the Street Interviews. We had a quick group huddle, much like football players, and once we had a game plan we split off into our respective groups.

  The National Archives Building & Metro Station (not pictured)

After we conducted our interviews (about U.S. History), we headed to the National Sculpture Garden. We walked briefly until we reached the small cafe inside the garden. We sat in our interview groups, compiling our data. Everyone was surrounded with beautiful abstract sculptures, the hustle and bustle of D.C., and the quiet chatter of birds in the trees. Eventually, everyone went to lunch. 

The Ice Rink in the National Sculpture Garden

After lunch, our group crossed the National Mall and met in the Sculpture Garden at the Hirshhorn Museum. We explored the garden and the outside of the museum for awhile, before going in to find our tour. 

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The Sculpture Garden at the Hirshorn (top) & Fountain Outside the Hirshhorn (bottom)

The tour of the Hirshhorn was detailed, educational, and inspired a different view of the artists’ work. The first exhibit our tour group visited was an exhibit from the Kabakovs, a Russian couple. Their work is very metaphorical and always has a storyline or text to go with it. It illustrates a certain point of view, forcing you to think outside of the box. It’s an exhibit worth checking out and definitely worth taking a tour of.

Here’s a link about their work at the Hirshhorn: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/kabakov/#detail=/bio/ilya-emilia-kabakov-utopian-projects/

House for Humanity from The Utopian Projects by the Kabakovs

The other exhibit was on Ai Weiwei’s work. His work is interesting because he uses his influence to talk about certain political issues. The project our group saw honored people that Weiwei felt were wrongfully put in prison for protesting important causes. Ai Weiwei constructed lego portraits of over 150 people, taking them around the world. This particular project was first put on display at Alcatraz, but Weiwei was not able to visit because he was still on house arrest.

Here’s a link about Ai Weiwei’s work at the Hirshhorn: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/ai-weiwei-trace-hirshhorn/#collection=ai-weiwei-trace-hirshhorn&detail=https%3A//hirshhorn.si.edu/bio/ai-weiwei-trace/

Ai Weiwei at the Hirshhorn

After the Hirshhorn, our group walked across the National Mall to the Nation Gallery. There, we saw an exhibit by Alexander Calder. His work is mostly sculptures. Calder’s sculpture’s hang off of the ceiling, so the exhibit is takes up space. Calder’s work reminded me that sometimes you also need to look at what isn’t there to gain the full picture.

Here’s a link to Alexander Calder’s work at the National Gallery: https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/special/tower-2-alexander-calder.html

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The National Gallery of Art & Alexander Calder’s work

And with that, I leave you. Until next time, party people.

[turnstilehoppers-blog]

journey #1

September 22nd, 2017.

Friday, September 22 began a little differently than usual. Friday was my schools’ first Metro Journey. A Metro Journey is a student researched and planned trip, utilizing the use of the Metro. So, to start the day, my classmates and I hopped on the Red Line train going to Glenmont. We were going into Washington D.C. to see a few important places in history...

The Metro trip to D.C.

    Columbus Memorial Fountain & Liberty Bell (not pictured) outside of Union Station

We got off the Metro at Union Station in D.C. Directly in front of the station, when you walk out, you see the Columbus Memorial Fountain and a replica of the Liberty Bell. From there, we began walking to the Capitol building, which is the “office” Congress works out of. The Capitol is both a functioning workspace for members of Congress and also a important landmark in history. The buildings’ iconic Rotunda is a symbol that represents America. Speaking of the Rotunda, my classmates and I got to see the inside of it. 

     The Rotunda of the Capitol Building 

The Rotunda is a large, circular room. It is a room dedicated to depicting U.S. History, which is shown in the collection of statues (not pictured), paintings, and murals, housed in the room. There are several large paintings around the room (not pictured) that portray different scenes from American history. There is a frieze underneath the windows and there is also a mural on the top of the Rotunda. 

The mural, a fresco, on the top of the dome is about the length of a basketball court, and shows George Washington surrounded by fifteen women. The two closest to him represent Liberty and Victory. The other thirteen are a representation of the thirteen original states. The frieze underneath the windows is a timeline of American history, starting with Columbus landing in San Salvador, and ending with a woman who is supposed to be a representation of America. The frieze took 75 years and 3 artists to complete. 

This link provides more information about the painter, Constantino Brumidi, who painted the fresco and the frieze. 

https://www.aoc.gov/art/other-paintings-and-murals/apotheosis-washington

After our tour at the Capitol was finished, we walked across the street to the Supreme Court. We did not spend much time there, since there isn’t a opportunity for a private tour. The only spaces open to the public are the courtroom and the ground floor. 

We ate lunch, and then headed to a used book store called Capitol Hill Books. There, books are pilled high from floor to ceiling. They spill out of the shelves and seem to grow up from the ground. 

This is a link to Capitol Hill Books’ website. 

http://www.capitolhillbooks-dc.com

Alex at Capitol Hill Books

Eastern Market is right across from the book store, and that’s were we went next. Eastern Market is a local fresh food market. There, vendors sell things like fresh flowers, fish, meats, fruits, and vegetables. 

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     Eastern Market

And thus concludes our day. Until next time, party people.