Thank god for the good weather in DC..

I guess I'll summarize the rest of the trip and hit the highlights. We got to a few art exhibits and museums, including the Phillips Collection ( Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec) and the National Gallery of Art (Cezanne and Dada). I loved seeing these new forms of art, although I wish I knew how to understand the art better to appreciate it. Degas liked portraying young ballerina dancers. While Cezanne was famous for his landscapes in Impressionist style? and Dada was a revolutionary movement in art post WWI with artists speaking out against the current state of the world and the evils of war. One piece of Dada I really liked was the Mona Lisa with a goatee and moustache. However, I think that piece is one of the most popular works of Dada. I might try to create a piece of Dada poetry using newspaper clippings. I want to come back and see all of the National Gallery of Art.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces of the art I saw:

Marcel Duchamp - Dada - "L.H.O.O.Q."


Paul Cezanne "The Big Tree"


Degas "L'absinthe"



We also saw the Jefferson and Roosevelt memorials today to top off our trip. After that, we literally hurried back to get our luggage and make our way to the metro and then to BWI. We got to the airport in time.

The other day, we left early for the White House tour and upon reaching the main gate were told that we weren't allowed to carry anything inside. So we found a nearby hotel to check our stuff in unofficially. And the White House seems so much smaller, than what is portrayed in the media. Doesn't seem larger than life. However, it was interesting to see some of the things that they had out for visitors to see. Also, the UMD trip earlier was good too. I got to meet a few professors. One of them started testing me asking what kind of tests could I test the properties of nano particles with. And I was unprepared for that part of nanoscience. I am more aware of thin films synthesis since that is what I worked on at ORNL. I don't know what he thought of my experiences though varied. The others told me about their projects and different research opportunities along with showing me the brand new labs in the new Kim building that went up a couple of years back. The social in the evening with other engineering students and grad students was good. I got to ask a lot of my questions. The duck pin bowling in the evening was fun as I had never played that game before. The burritos at Chipotle and beer at the bowling alley didn't hurt either ;). I got back to DC in time before the Metro stopped for the night. Maryland is compact but large and is pretty. I like the landscaping. So, it's still one of my top choices. I am waiting to hear about the financial offering..

As for the food, we got to try Indian, New Orleans (cajun), and Falafel too. We have eaten something different every meal. We also had a few drinks yesterday after walking back from the National Zoo. By the way, don't go to the Zoo in the evening. All the animals had already gone into their shelters and we hardly got to see any thing. The main attractions, the Pandas weren't there either.

This is perhaps the first time that I actually saw all of what I wanted to see in the city and more. Jessi is the best travelling buddy that one can ask for. We would get back in the night and have fun online or watch the tv shows that I had downloaded. I think I have her hooked on Related.. We also discovered the fun of the Personals section of Craigslist. Both of us are going to have withdrawal symptoms from not walking 7 miles or more a day because it take 10 minutes to cross Coe diagonally :P.

Tags: Life, Pictures

[Listening to: Savin' Me - Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (3:39)]