Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Originally planned as a two hour tour, my visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History became a four hour excursion. I got wrapped up in exploring the exhibits of mammals, gems, dinosaurs, ocean creatures, and a bunch of other interesting stuff.
The museum is home to the Hope Diamond, which at first glance was disappointingly smaller than I imagined but after further viewing I came to appreciate that while small it was simple, blue, and brilliantly beautiful in its own way. Surprisingly stylish in design, the environment and stuffed inhabitants of the Behring Hall of Mammals exudes personality. Yet despite all of the wonderful things I saw that day, my most memorable experience was holding a ginormous (technical term) live cockroach that was slightly shorter than my palm.
