Another cheap Washington thing to do: The Dying Gaul

I remember as a kid my mom took my brothers and me down to the National Gallery of Art to see the Mona Lisa. I was pretty young at the time but found the experience amazing. I think I was more impressed by the crowd and long lines than anything else. And the solemn presentation of the painting. I remember how silent everybody was as if viewing a body at a funeral. As a work of art,  I really was too young to appreciate the significance of the Mona Lisa and only grew to know it when I was older. But I am glad my mom took us. The Mona Lisa does not travel out of France much. (only once to to the US  in 1963 and once to visit Tokyo) My mom also took us to see The Pieta when it paid a visit to the US. It was exhibited at the New York Worlds Fair in 1964. Once again, I was very young but I thought it was beautiful. I remember back then being impressed at how natural and smooth the stone looked.

My point is that I am pretty lucky to see two of the greatest works of art in the world. Not many can make that claim. I really appreciated my mother for making it happen.

We are very fortunate then that one of the most famous artworks of Western antiquity has come to our own National Gallery of Art. Much is unknown about the origins of "The Dying Gaul" which is currently on exhibit in the main rotunda of the Gallery and will be there until March 16th of next year. (The Washington Post article on the statue incorrectly states that it is leaving in January.) It is thought that the statue is a Roman  copy of a Greek bronze that has been lost to history. And here is a chance for you to see one of the finest examples of classical art for "free." Yes, you heard me. As far as I can tell there is no admission and you do not need to reserve a pass before hand. I am sure that the lines will be long and there might be some standing outside in the cold but if you are careful and go at off times (weekday morning when kids are in school) then you stand a better chance of seeing the statue without too much of a wait.

And I say do it. This statue has not left Italy for 200 years and it is not likely to be back in the US in any of our lifetimes. I can speak from experience. Works of art such as these will stick in your minds for a lifetime. They are exceptional for the impression that they can make on people. Go see them and drag your kids along. Make them leave their cell phones in the car for a change. They probably won't but perhaps they just might thank you later. You never know.

Five cheap Washington DC things you can do in five days. Day one: The National Cathedral

We took my niece and grandniece down to the Washington National Zoo two weeks ago. Although my niece loved the zoo, she told me that the most amazing thing about the zoo is that admission is free. She is from Austin Texas and the nearest zoo in San Antonio costs money to get into. That got me thinking about Washington versus other cities. We really have a unique city in that so many great tourist sites are free to see, or cost very little. Here are a few of my favorites. The first that comes to mind is the National Cathedral.

When I was a kid, they were actually still building the cathedral. My mom used to take us downtown to see the stone work that they were preparing to place on the walls and spires under construction. In addition when you visit we visited  the cathedral there were all sorts mysterious passages and staircases that are closed to the general public. I can't imagine many ten year old kids who would not fantasize about climbing up those narrow stone spiral staircases? Well, it turns out you can. For my birthday a few years back my wife took me on a special guided tour of the cathedral that allows you to see all sorts of magical places.  Best part was that we went on a weekday in the winter (always the best time to go see things) and we were the only ones on the guided tour given by two very elderly and knowledgeable docents. Our tour included plenty of fun nooks and crannies such as a trip onto the roof (made of lead, you know) where we could gaze on unseen gargoyles and panoramic vistas of DC, and a trip to the attic vaults to see some of the "brick and mortar" bones of the cathedral.

Two of the many gargoyles on the cathedral. The creature to the right is from the move "Alien."





There are a number of specialty tours of the National Cathedral that you can take as well, such as a climb up the massive bell tower. Our tour was called "Behind the Scenes" and took about 90 minutes to complete. Fee for the tour was $15 and was well worth it.