So. Lonely Planet’s new DC city guide is out. They’ve got the neighborhoods, nightlife and Obama era vibe down, but I gotta quibble with their top museum picks:
1. Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery
2. Corcoran Gallery of Art
3. Hirshhorn Museum
4. US Holocaust Memorial Museum
5. Freer Sackler Galleries
First off, how can you not include the National Gallery of Art, the Mall’s eminence grise and one of the world’s great museums? And the Hirshhorn? Sorry, but I can go a couple years without setting foot in that place and not miss it. I rarely find their temporary exhibits engaging. And if I have to pick between the Corcoran and the Phillips, the Phillips wins, for consistently creative shows in an intimate setting. I love looking at art while walking on creaky floorboards.
Here, my amended list:
1. National Gallery of Art
2. Freer Sackler Galleries
3. Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery
4. The Phillips Collection
5. US Holocaust Memorial Museum
But that’s me. Maybe a little more establishment than the Lonely Planet credo.
