1. I took the train to Foggy Bottom this morning, with the intention of seeing the Oscar nominated short documentary films at West End Cinema. But, I had read an outdated schedule and the films weren't playing until 1:30. I thought they began at 11:40. So, I decided to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, let the Obamas know I was back from Idaho (they were delighted), and head to the National Gallery of Art. I decided to have a different kind of cultural day and get in plenty of walking. As you'll see, I got in plenty of both. By day's end, I walked 8.5 miles or 17,453 steps. All day, the temperature was around 35 to 40 degrees, perfect for walking long stretches of the nearly abandoned Washington, D. C. streets.
2. I strolled into the National Gallery of Art thinking I'd go find the current El Greco exhibit and take it in. Now, when I go to an art gallery, I prefer not to know where something I want to see is. Instead, I go searching for it, knowing I'll find art along the way that will sidetrack me, slow me down, and surprise me. This happened today when I suddenly couldn't take my eyes off the exotic portraits painted by Amedeo Madigiani and Auguste Renoir. Then I stumbled into a thrilling exhibit of ballet dancers sculpted and painted by Edgar Degas and one room over was mesmerized by a row of paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. A little while later, I accidentally came upon an unnerving room featuring the American painters Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, and George Bellows. Having sat with all these paintings for quite a while, by the time I got to the El Greco exhibit, I didn't have the energy to look at them, so I hope to get back before the exhibit closes.
3. I left the National Gallery and started the long trek to the Logan Circle neighborhood so I could have a beer at the ChurchKey. The ChurchKey is a long narrow craft beer haven at the top of a flight of steps and today the joint was jam-packed with young people, delighting in the many taps and bottles available at the ChurchKey. I managed to find a seat at the very end of the bar and ordered a beer from Pennsylvania's Troeg's Brewing Company, an imperial amber, Nectar Nugget, recommended to me by Julie, who keeps me posted on tasty beers brewed in the Keystone State. I enjoyed it a lot. Its alcohol content warmed my insides and, while a bit hoppier than McMenamin's Hammerhead, my favorite beer of all time, its taste threw me back to the many pints of Hammerhead I've enjoyed over the years at the High Street joint in Eugene. So I enjoyed an excellent beer, some pleasant memories, slid off my seat, and walked down to the McPherson Square Metro Station and started my trip back to Greenbelt.
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