With Ian still causing rain, we decided to brave the storms and drove down to the College Park metro station. We reminded ourselves of how our metro smart cards worked and the general layout of the DC Metro subway system. We took the Metro to the Smithsonian station before exiting into rain showers. We walked past the old Smithsonian building, called the Castle, which is now a visitor center, and made our way to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We spent several hours walking through the exhibits on mammals, oceans and human origins. The exhibits were modern and well laid out. We decided to go back to the Castle and see the inside of the visitor center. The old architecture and exhibits reminded you of the Smithsonian we have seen in the movies with the old wooden cases, classic architecture and beautiful wood work and floors. We then found a open bar and grill and grabbed an early dinner to give the metro rush time to dissipate. We are disappointed in the current state of the Metro systems. The stations and trains are dirty, and show signs of people peeing on the platforms and in the trains and elevators. Although we did not witness any crime, we found ourselves on edge the entire time we were in the system. But we did get a feel for how long it will take us to get from the RV Park to the major tourist areas for our future appointments.
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| The Smithsonian Castle |
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| Main display in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History |
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| Floor in the entrance to the Castle. |
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| Old Smithsonian displays in the Castle. |
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