Metro DC
Made a dash down to DC for a few days to visit Claudette. First time spending more than a few hours in the district. Great restaurants (stayed on Dupont Circle), interesting museums, clean and friendly enough – but thought that it lacked the swagger and personality of NYC.
Although DC has a somewhat limited subway system, it is spectacular. Smithsonian museums are free, but you make up for it in incidental charges. The African elephant in the rotunda of the Museum of Natural History is somewhat emblematic of the Smithsonian, but I have mixed feelings about it (shot by a hunter in Angola in 1955).
Highlight of the trip was the Hirshhorn Museum. Got a few ideas for an installation while visiting there.