Newseum Balcony Interior

April 20, 2009
Tags: Museum of American History, Newseum, Washington, DC

The Newseum was my favorite museum in DC during this last trip. It is thorough and complete, with a good mix of modern technology and classic exhibits. It's not free, but you'll leave feeling that the price of admission is well-deserved.

By contrast, I was a little disappointed by the new Smithsonian Museum of American History. The bulk of the museum is well-done and thorough, in particular the transportation, electricity and science sections, which each filled entire wings. Others felt hurried and incomplete. I was very disappointed by the musical instrument exhibit, which is now merely a cramped room. There were clearly many people interested in the instruments, but we had to go through a closed door into a roughly 700-square foot room with a small collection of instruments. The Americana section is also underwhelming: they've got the famed ruby slippers and Kermit, so maybe they're going for quality, but there's a severe lack of quantity: it's also a single cramped room. And finally, and where did the computer section go? That was always my favorite part!