Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Wow a whole day! I spent about 3 hours there last July, and didn't think that was enough time. It will be well worth an entire day.
The William Gross gallery is very well done (as are most of the exhibits). Planning ahead will allow you to focus on what you are most interested in but definitely see the British Magenta and talk with the guard who is dedicated to watching over it. I don't know if he is there every day, but he had some interesting stories about meeting the new owner of the stamp. (By the way, cameras are allowed everywhere except the special section to view that stamp.)
I wish we had more time to look through the national collection that is displayed in pull-out panels. If you will have children with you, there are interactive exhibits in the lower level and a display where they can design a stamp. I also enjoyed the room with Civil war era covers and postal history but I think that is a rotating exhibit so there might be something else in there now.
The post office and gift shop are on the lower level. Not all that impressive but the clerk was friendly.
From a non stamp collector's perspective, my husband still talks about the British Magenta's security guard and the panels of forgeries in the pull-out panels in the national collection.
Hope you enjoy your day!
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I would have to go alone! The last time we went to Smithsonian as a family my wife and older daughter were impatient with me and my younger daughter because they didn't appreciate what was there. The big highlight for them was seeing Archie Bunker's chair. My younger daughter is more like me, enjoys learning things and seeing history. My wife was complaining, "Do you have to read every card?!" 
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"... If you will have children with you ..."
Bring a new, unopened Lego kit in a plain brown wrapper.
Worse comes to worst, set the kid down in a corner ...
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey (who understands that you might need to show security what's in the package)
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Thanks for all the ideas.
1. I will be by myself. The wife and kids will be going to the National Zoo. I had to chose between stamps and pandas. Not really close.
2. I like the idea about picking out what stamps to see before I get there. The trick will be to keep the list manageable.
3. I remember Michael#s talking about Owney. The dog is high on my list.
4. I'll mail the cover to my dad. He will get a kick from that.
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After dark, I found the outside of the museum to be quite impressive.
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@ tomiseksj,
Fantastic picture. We were just there over the summer; I had no idea that they did that at night!
Ernie
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09:22:54am
Wow, Talk about uncovering memories.
I visited the Smithsonian twice, once with wife and family in tow about forty years ago and as others have mentioned the stamp exhibit was not their main interest. However I was sent to Washington to participate in John Foster Dulles funeral procession and the stay lasted about a week as the poor guy lingered on in extremis for about four more days than expected.
So I had the time to spend a day or so in the stamp collection and another one in the Air and Space building with dozens of ship models and other nautical ephemera.
I'd certainly love to do it all once again.
Another non-philatelic memory was that while standing on line with two shipmates for the elevator to go to the top of the Washington Obelisk we struck up a conversation with a small group of cute co-eds. One thing led to another and the dare to climb the n800 o so steps to the top of the tower was taken up.
By the halfway point where there are some observation portals we realized we had been had as it turned out these young ladies were members of the George Washington University intramural Lacrosse team and while we were in great physical shape, so were the girls. It was fun and we all made it without embarrassment, but I never entertained sexist thoughts about the "weaker" sex again.
And yes my thigh muscles were stiff for a week.
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So I have to back to Washington. My visit there with my family coincided with super storm Jonas! We were stuck in our hotel room for one complete day, and with the government shutdown in effect, we had limited options on several other days. I was to visit the postal museum while the rest of the family went to the zoo, but the zoo never opened during our visit. I did pull on locked doors at the museum after lunch one day at Union Station. The rest of our visit was nice, however.
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I made it!! The family returned to D.C. this summer. I was able to get a morning free from the family to visit the museum. The William Gross exhibit hall was incredible. After looking at the 'Gems' a couple of times, I spent an hour or more just pulling out panels, reading and learning. I was chased out when a large group of 5-6 year-olds was ushered into the area. I found Owney the dog downstairs and sent my dad a postcard! I even pretended to be a kid for awhile and found some stamps in the children's section to bring home.
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This is on my bucket list!
Just reading through the old posts on this thread - cdj talking about taking the stairs to the top of the Washington Monument - I did that as a 6-year-old. We were in DC visiting family, and I have distinct memories of my dad asking us kids if we wanted to take the stairs all the way to the top. We did - and back down again, too. My dad never complained about his legs hurting - I wonder if they did ....
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In a few weeks, I will have the opportunity to visit the National Postal museum in Washington. For those of you that have visited before, I was looking for any 'don't miss this' items beyond the stamp exhibits themselves. I have visited their web page for ideas and an overview on what to see. Plans now will allow me an entire day to visit!
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re: National Postal Museum
Wow a whole day! I spent about 3 hours there last July, and didn't think that was enough time. It will be well worth an entire day.
The William Gross gallery is very well done (as are most of the exhibits). Planning ahead will allow you to focus on what you are most interested in but definitely see the British Magenta and talk with the guard who is dedicated to watching over it. I don't know if he is there every day, but he had some interesting stories about meeting the new owner of the stamp. (By the way, cameras are allowed everywhere except the special section to view that stamp.)
I wish we had more time to look through the national collection that is displayed in pull-out panels. If you will have children with you, there are interactive exhibits in the lower level and a display where they can design a stamp. I also enjoyed the room with Civil war era covers and postal history but I think that is a rotating exhibit so there might be something else in there now.
The post office and gift shop are on the lower level. Not all that impressive but the clerk was friendly.
From a non stamp collector's perspective, my husband still talks about the British Magenta's security guard and the panels of forgeries in the pull-out panels in the national collection.
Hope you enjoy your day!
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re: National Postal Museum
I would have to go alone! The last time we went to Smithsonian as a family my wife and older daughter were impatient with me and my younger daughter because they didn't appreciate what was there. The big highlight for them was seeing Archie Bunker's chair. My younger daughter is more like me, enjoys learning things and seeing history. My wife was complaining, "Do you have to read every card?!"
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re: National Postal Museum
"... If you will have children with you ..."
Bring a new, unopened Lego kit in a plain brown wrapper.
Worse comes to worst, set the kid down in a corner ...
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey (who understands that you might need to show security what's in the package)
Login to Like
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re: National Postal Museum
Thanks for all the ideas.
1. I will be by myself. The wife and kids will be going to the National Zoo. I had to chose between stamps and pandas. Not really close.
2. I like the idea about picking out what stamps to see before I get there. The trick will be to keep the list manageable.
3. I remember Michael#s talking about Owney. The dog is high on my list.
4. I'll mail the cover to my dad. He will get a kick from that.
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re: National Postal Museum
After dark, I found the outside of the museum to be quite impressive.
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01:56:18pm
re: National Postal Museum
@ tomiseksj,
Fantastic picture. We were just there over the summer; I had no idea that they did that at night!
Ernie
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
10 Jan 2016
09:22:54am
re: National Postal Museum
Wow, Talk about uncovering memories.
I visited the Smithsonian twice, once with wife and family in tow about forty years ago and as others have mentioned the stamp exhibit was not their main interest. However I was sent to Washington to participate in John Foster Dulles funeral procession and the stay lasted about a week as the poor guy lingered on in extremis for about four more days than expected.
So I had the time to spend a day or so in the stamp collection and another one in the Air and Space building with dozens of ship models and other nautical ephemera.
I'd certainly love to do it all once again.
Another non-philatelic memory was that while standing on line with two shipmates for the elevator to go to the top of the Washington Obelisk we struck up a conversation with a small group of cute co-eds. One thing led to another and the dare to climb the n800 o so steps to the top of the tower was taken up.
By the halfway point where there are some observation portals we realized we had been had as it turned out these young ladies were members of the George Washington University intramural Lacrosse team and while we were in great physical shape, so were the girls. It was fun and we all made it without embarrassment, but I never entertained sexist thoughts about the "weaker" sex again.
And yes my thigh muscles were stiff for a week.
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re: National Postal Museum
So I have to back to Washington. My visit there with my family coincided with super storm Jonas! We were stuck in our hotel room for one complete day, and with the government shutdown in effect, we had limited options on several other days. I was to visit the postal museum while the rest of the family went to the zoo, but the zoo never opened during our visit. I did pull on locked doors at the museum after lunch one day at Union Station. The rest of our visit was nice, however.
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re: National Postal Museum
I made it!! The family returned to D.C. this summer. I was able to get a morning free from the family to visit the museum. The William Gross exhibit hall was incredible. After looking at the 'Gems' a couple of times, I spent an hour or more just pulling out panels, reading and learning. I was chased out when a large group of 5-6 year-olds was ushered into the area. I found Owney the dog downstairs and sent my dad a postcard! I even pretended to be a kid for awhile and found some stamps in the children's section to bring home.
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re: National Postal Museum
This is on my bucket list!
Just reading through the old posts on this thread - cdj talking about taking the stairs to the top of the Washington Monument - I did that as a 6-year-old. We were in DC visiting family, and I have distinct memories of my dad asking us kids if we wanted to take the stairs all the way to the top. We did - and back down again, too. My dad never complained about his legs hurting - I wonder if they did ....
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