The Newseum

The Newseum, as its name implies, is dedicated to the media. The outside wall is decorated with the wording of the first amendment and the exhibits extol the virtues of the four freedoms. We started our day here with a docent led tour that gave us a good overview of this interactive museum. The displays honoring winners of the Pulitzer Prize in Photography gave background on such iconic pictures as those of Vietnam, Iwo Jima and Columbine. A photo from the sports section was also very important. Can anyone other than Harold name the player????


The museum has an actual section from the Berlin Wall with graffiti on the western side and totally blank on the other.

Newsbooks (the earliest form of newspaper dating back to the 1400s) and newspapers dating to the 16th century have been scanned for visitors to read. One we were interested in was the San Francisco Examiner, Call Bulletin, Chronicle from April 17, 1906 telling about San Francisco having been destroyed. Another interesting one bore the headline “Dewey beats Truman”. Acknowledging media error, plaques in the bathroom quote embarrassing mis-writes.

The most striking point in this excellent museum was that we remembered most of the “history” reported; radio and tv coverage began not long before we were born.

The National Botanical Garden is decorated each holiday season. This year the theme was great structures from antiquity. Model trains chugged around the Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids and other buildings.


The Tackle Box is one of our must visit restaurants. A funky place where every sits together on wood benches creates wonderful seafood dishes and sides. We enjoyed our dinner and the company of one of Cheryl and Dave’s friends from Hawaii.