The National Portrait Gallery - A Brief Introduction

Last Friday, I met some friends for dinner at Graffiato, a delicious, Italian-inspired restaurant owned by Mike Isabella, of Top Chef fame.

Look familiar? photo credit

I had some time to kill between work and our reservation, so I took a quick trip to the National Portrait Gallery. I only got to see one exhibit, so I'll definitely be back and posting again about it, but figured I'd share my first impressions! The Portrait Gallery is a stately and very impressive building, which looks like it could hold anything from a small presidential monument to an office of the US Mint.

photo credit

I used the 8th & F entrance; it's a short block from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop (Red Line). Tip: Don't be frightened by the large crowd of people sitting on the steps facing the Verizon Center. Those are always crowded with people just sitting; they aren't waiting in line or anything! I don't even think you can enter the museum from that side, anyway.

Enough about the outside; walking into the museum was a little different than the others I've visited so far! I expected to have to go through a metal detector or have my bag searched by security - neither happened. You just walk right on in. There is a security guard sitting at a desk near the door, but I doubt he or she approaches you unless you look pretty suspicious. Very confused, I walked up to the front desk and asked, eloquently, "Um, so, do I just, um, walk in?" The woman sitting there was very kind, and mentioned that the museum was only open for another 30 minutes. I told her I just wanted to waste some time, and she recommended that I check out the American Cool exhibit on the second floor.

This is a look down the hallway that serves as the main passage for the exhibit. There are 3 rooms branching off to either side that are filled with more pictures and themed music! photo credit

The exhibit is basically a collection of photographs of people who have been considered "cool." It explains the first-ever use of the word (have you ever thought about a time before the word "cool?"), and describes the types of people that have embodied it over time. The main hallway features people from 1980-today, including Madonna, Jay-Z, and Tony Hawk, and the rooms branching off to the sides go through the three other time periods: the Roots of Cool (before 1940), the Birth of Cool (1940-1959), and Cool & the Counterculture (1960-1979). Each of the rooms has music playing that fits that time's definition of "cool," and some have interactive screens where you can watch scenes from movies featuring the cool. It's a great exhibit, and it's also a good place to pick up some interesting trivia!

I had to leave pretty quickly, but I did see some paintings lining the walls near the elevator that made me excited about the next time I can come back to the Portrait Gallery! I also want to check out the atrium (Kogod Courtyard, officially - named one of 7 modern architectural wonders by Conde Nast). Check back later for another post!

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What to Bring
Nothing in particular - you can't eat, drink, smoke, or take pictures in the gallery, but I would recommend bringing a pen and notepad so you can jot down any paintings or artists you want to look up later!

What You'll Spend
Absolutely nothing, unless you visit the gift shop or cafe.

How to Get There
The Metro is definitely the easiest; just hop on the Red Line to Gallery Place/Chinatown, exit at 7th & F, and turn left to walk to 8th street. Then you'll cross to the other side of F, and be standing in front of the museum!

When to Go
The museum is open from 11:30 am - 7:00 pm every day except Christmas. Tip: The cafe closes at 6:30. There are plenty of great restaurants around, though, so don't worry if you leave the museum hungry!

What's Around

Chinatown is packed with great places to explore! The International Spy Museum and the Crime Museum (not free, unfortunately) are just down 7th Street - check back later for a post about these!

 

Matchbox, one of my favorite restaurants I've discovered so far, has great pizza (I recommend the chicken pesto or the prosciutto & black mission fig) and is located at 7th & H.

Directly from my last post about the National Archives: if you're hungry, two of my favorite frozen yogurt places are nearby: Tangysweet, home to traditional yogurt and smoothies, and FroZenYo, which is a self-serve place that has what is essentially healthier ice cream. Both are delicious and delightful. If you want cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakery is right next to Tangysweet, and always smells delicious, and if you want real food, Hill Country Barbecue and Jaleo are both well-known restaurants. Shake Shack is also nearby!

 

The Crowd
The Portrait Gallery, seemed to be mostly adults; it isn't the most entertaining or interactive museum around. Take this with a grain of salt, though, as I was there right after a workday and right before closing! I'll let you know more next time I go.