My Vacation: Day 1

Today, I decided that I wanted to see the US Holocaust Museum. Sounds fun, right? Well, I never made it. I did, however, decided that a) I have the best job ever and b) I need to grow a pair. I was riding the metro from DCA to downtown, and the two hottest business men I've seen in quite some time were seated next to me. They were discussing how they just had three weeks off, and the really really hot one said he spent it playing X-Box. What I should have said was "oh, that sucks, I went to Disney, I'm here right now and am going skiing later in the week! AND I usually have 10 days off a month - but this month I got 17!". Alas, I said nothing, sat there "reading" and smirking, knowing that I have more days off than them, and did cool things with my time off... like stalk down my boyfriend, Buzz Lightyear (you should see my MySpace) and go skiing.

Instead of going to the Holocaust Museum, I went to Air and Space Museum (classic!) and the National Gallery of Art. I like Air and Space because it takes me back to the 8th grade when we went on our class trip, and with a career in aviation, I have a far greater appreciation for the principles of flight. I also noticed that in their commercial aviation display, my airline is not present. They had a lot of TWA and PanAm stuff, and all sorts of airlines that don't exist anymore like Piedmont, Eastern, Braniff, California Air, People Express. Air and Space also has a NorthWest 747 cockpit on display and I thought it was cool that the 747 pit looked EXACTLY the same as a 737-300. And they had a computer interactive display of the various aircraft that are currently in use... like the cute little Embraer that my Top Gun guy friends fly, the 737 that I feel like I live on, along with the new Airbus and Dreamliner. Nerdy? Yes. Fun? Oh yeah!

Then it was on to the National Gallery of Art, and I love landscapes. I was kind of saddened that the landscape wing is undergoing reconstruction because their collection of the Hudson School is beyond amazing. I did manage to run into Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life, and every time I see it, my mind is blown. I was sad that it wasn't where it used to be, in a small, square practically circular room but for such a masterpiece, it didn't matter. I've seen these paintings, and many others, a zillion times before. Yet, every time I go and look at these wonderous works of art, it still feels like the very first time.

Art and airplanes are sooo cool!