Air & Space Museum

DCMacLean wrote:
I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space Museum
sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to do both
sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of kids with us
also.

Parking is difficult on the Mall. Try to use public transit.

DCMacLean wrote:
I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space Museum
sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to do both
sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of kids with us
also.
Thanks for any input.
DCMacLean
If you want to see aircraft and spacecraft themselves, go to Dulles.
The Mall is space constrained and only has a few "name" artifiacts
like the Spirit of St. Louis, the dubious Wright Flyer, and Spaceship
One, for example. Lots of more "canned exhibits" like how things fly
and a pretty good remote sensing gallery.

Marty Shapiro wrote:
"Peter Duniho" wrote in
:


Besides, the NASM is the only place you can see "To Fly!". Frankly,
that alone would be the reason to see the original Mall site first, if
you've never been to either. Dulles will be there later, with all of
its great artifacts as well.

Pete




"To Fly!" is available in VHS. A quick search found it at eBay and
Amazon.com. At one time there was also a LaserDisc version. I do not
recall ever seing a DVD version.

To Fly! shows occasionally at Hazy (it's not in the rotation now
apprently). But since it was the FIRST movie that the NASM IMAX
had (and the only one for a long time), I've seen it a ton of times.

Best to check www.nasm.si.edu to see what is showing if you're going
to base your visit on what is there. They only show To Fly! one time
a day (1:45 currently) downtown.

Fighter Pilot and Magnificent Desolation are also good ones to see
in the current rotations. I haven't seen Roving Mars or Space
Station yet.

Maybe To Fly! will return to Hazy after they get rid of Harry Potter
(ugh).

Stubby wrote:
DCMacLean wrote:
I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space
Museum sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to
do both sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of
kids with us also.

Parking is difficult on the Mall. Try to use public transit.

Parking is easy at Hazy, but it is also being used to defray the
construction expense of the museum, so be prepared to pony up
$12 for the honor of parking at the free museum.

There are two good dodges for locals however. First off, if
you come in after 4PM (which gives you an hour and a half before
the voice of god announces that the Udvar-Hazy center is closed
and the security guards shoo you out) the parking is free because
the gate keepers go home then.

They also now have an annual pass for $65.

Stubby wrote:
DCMacLean wrote:
I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space
Museum sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to
do both sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of
kids with us also.

Parking is difficult on the Mall. Try to use public transit.

L'Enfant Plaza is a bit closer to the Mall musueum than the
Smithsonian Station (but they are both walkable).

I give up trying to park in DC during the daytime.

DCMacLean wrote:
I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space Museum
sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to do both
sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of kids with us
also.
Thanks for any input.
DCMacLean

I was there in February. The NASM in the Mall is partially under
renovation- it may be done now, but one of the larger galleries was
closed. However, it is absolutely still worth the effort. The Dulles
facility is excellent as well. If you have the time, I would recommend both.

Also there is a shuttle bus that runs back and forth from NASM to the
Dulles facility. It is quite convenient.

Len

Ack! (And I mean that in a Bloom County Opus way)

What's this? Bill the Cat masquerading as Pete Duniho? G

It's been a few years since I've been to DC and the Smithsonian, can't
wait to check out the U-H annex. Last time I was there the Enola Gay
exhibit was dumbed down to just displaying the 60ft fuselage and a
historical perspective on the A-bomb. Don't know what all the fuss over
this exhibit was about - IMO it was very low-key and respectful. I'd
like to see the EG complete as it is now like Bock's Car at the AF
Museum in Dayton. (Got a personal tour there a few years ago from the
colonel whose Saratoga I ferried out from CT)

Of all the museums I've been to: AZ's Pima A&S, Champlin Fighter
Museum, NY's Intrepid Air & Space Museum, American Airpower Museum,
National Warplane Museum, FL's Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola and
Flying Tigers Resto Museum, RI's Quonset Air Museum, the New England
Air Museum here in CT - all have impressed me with their acft displays
because (most) weren't over-restored and shiny but looked more or less
as they served. My goal is to eventually hit all the major museums in
the US. I guess that leaves Weeks' Fantasy of Flight, Planes of Fame,
CAF museum in Midland TX, and PA's Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. Which
others have I missed?

"Marty Shapiro" wrote in message
...
"To Fly!" is available in VHS. A quick search found it at eBay and
Amazon.com. At one time there was also a LaserDisc version. I do not
recall ever seing a DVD version.

That must be what I was thinking of; I remember looking for a DVD copy for
myself, without success. Now that you mention it, I think the VHS version
may still be available new.

However, I wouldn't even consider getting it on VHS. Bad enough to have to
suffer through a standard-definition, small-screen DVD version if one
happened to be available.

But it's absolutely worth seeing on the full IMAX screen. A person who
hasn't yet, and who has the chance to, needs to do so.

Pete

Never been to the one at Dulles but the Mall Museum is fantastic. I
like historic and warbirds so that place was a treat. Go early on a
week-day and not a holiday week to try avoiding the crowds.


On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 21:05:26 -0500, DCMacLean
wrote:

I'm going to be in Washington for a few days next month. I have
limited time and would like some opinions re the two Air & Space Museum
sites -- at the Mall vs at Dulles. Since I won't have time to do both
sites, which would be the better. We will have a couple of kids with us
also.
Thanks for any input.
DCMacLean

For some reason, I like the one in DC better. Maybe because there are
other museums to visit right afterwards. Although I've been to both
many times, I still look forward to the next visit. :O)

The Monk