With Casey still in class back in Madison, I started exploring some of the sights of D.C. by myself. After taking the train downtown, I ventured onto the National Mall, taking some pictures of buildings like the National Archives, the Capitol, and the Botanic Garden.
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I spent most of the morning at the Library of Congress exploring the exhibits and then getting my Reader Identification Card. In order to access any of the reading rooms and use the materials of the Library, you have to have to a card. After getting my card, I hung out in the Main Reading Room for a while exploring the onsite reference collection. I found a couple old books on Wisconsin place names and eventually found where they keep all the old catalog cards.
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I grabbed lunch from one of the concessions stands on the Mall and then spent the next several hours exploring the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). In addition to exhibits on US-tribal treaties, Indian iconography in consumer goods and daily life around the world, and a really in-depth examination of the Great Inka Road; the landscaping around the Museum showcases native agriculture and design philosophies.
After seeing everything I could at NMAI, I ventured back out into the heat to check out the Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as "The Castle." It was closing shortly by the time I got there though, so it was soon time to find some dinner and head home for the night.
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On the agenda for tomorrow: the opening session of the ALA Annual Conference and Casey flies out to join me in D.C.