Jeeze Louise
Took the MARC line down to Washington today.
Arrived at the station early enough that I was able to work out how to print out my prebooked Amtrak ticket to Philadelphia, the online confirmation page for which went HAI HEER IS BARCODE, PLZ 2 B PRINTIN OUT N WAVIN AT MACHINE - not very helpful if one is accessing their site via a netbook and PRINTER NO CAN HAZ (or only at disproportionate expense in hotel business centre). However, I found that the relevant credit card and the booking reference, which I had cunningly written down, worked perfectly adequately.
I had decided that rather than exhaust myself trekking round the sights of DC (the ones I missed in 1995 due to either being nosedown in archives at the Library of Congress, or because everything was closed due to budgetary stalemate), I would be very, very selective and concentrate on scoring some Louise Nevelsons.
This I did at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
The Luce Foundation Center at the former had a couple of smaller pieces (and I was like to scream as they were in a glass case and one of them in particular was not well-served by this - v hard to see properly with the reflections and all): but in the main contemporary gallery there was Sky Cathedral - image rather fails to convey its utter awesomeness - I nearly did a Stendhal it was so stunning. (They also have other works of hers not currently on display chiz chiz.)
It's a rather spectacular building in its own right.
Also seen there and much impressed by, rather to my surprise as I have never really felt one thing or another about Hockney, a really amazing kinetic installation, Snails Space with Vari-Lites, "Painting as Performance" - image alas is static without the constant change and shifting of light - you really have to sit and watch it.
At the Hirschhorn, again, they have Nevelsons not currently on view (whinge), but they did have on display Black Wall (which I should probably have been more impressed by had I not still been vibrating from my encounter with Sky Cathedral) and the small scale but extremely wonderful Silent Music IX
Other moment of great cultural delight - the busker outside the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro, adeptly playing what appeared to be an electric viola.
Managed successfully to negotiate public transport and finding places, so yay me. A good day.
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