Kuethes in the District: Museums

Kathryn interviewing me on the set of ABC This Week.

Newseum

Newseum is one of the few private museums in district which means you'll have to shell out a few bucks to get in (22 of them, to be exact). The cover charge and the silly portmanteau name have always limited my interest in the Newseum, but we've heard so many great reviews that we had to see for ourselves.

Newseum is impressively modern. The exhibits have a lot of fun, interactive elements, and the building has a very comfortable layout designed to maximize meandering and learning. The exhibits are focussed enough that you can easily skip sections that don't interest you (like the Elvis exhibit for me), but there's plenty of content if you want to take your time going through. This museum is a lot more than just old newspapers and photos.
Our favorite exhibits were probably the Berlin Wall, the 9/11 Gallery, and Capturing Katrina. It's cool to see a great presentation of history that we remember living through. The collection of Pulitzer Prize photos was also really cool too, but we were rushing through at closing time.
The 4-D movie is also worth catching.

A lookout tower from the East German side of the Berlin Wall. The only one in America. Frighteningly cool.

The West side of the Berlin Wall sections are covered with graffiti. The other side is completely bare.

This is Ted Kazinski's cabin located in the FBI exhibit, G-Men and Journalists.

Kathryn checking out some of the signs in the Katrina exhibit.

A radio antenna from the top of the World Trace Center - another powerful exhibit.

This is OJ Simpson's suit. It created a bit of a stir locally when the Smithsonian said that it wasn't worth placing in its archives, and the Newseum decided to take it instead.