Being Conflicted at the National Air and Space Museum

After years of saving, I finally found myself in Washington D.C. Akin to a kid in a candy store, I found myself racing around to as many museums as I could, attempting to visit as much of the famous Smithsonian as humanly possible. While each was a treat, I would like to talk about the Smithsonian that made me think the most.

The National Air and Space museum has incredible flow to it. Due to the large amount of space needed to house such enormous machines, the museum feels massive and open. Having just come from the intentionally claustrophobic Holocaust Memorial Museum, the towering ceiling and wide walkways were refreshing, allowing several large groups to pass by me with ease as I stared up at a space shuttle. Despite the large amount of open area, the flow of the exhibits was never interrupted. Each exhibition had a clear and concise path for visitors to follow with multiple exits and alternative options such as elevators for those who needed them. As well, the exits conveniently led to another exhibit allowing a continuous flow through the eras of flight, along with a direct path back to the massive main area. Even with its sheer size, I never became lost which is a testament to excellent design.

There is absolutely no denying how important the Smithsonian museums are to D.C.; each year they alone attract thousands, if not more, tourists to the nation’s capital. That being said, I did not feel the same sense of community as with the Spy Museum I previously visited. While everything was there to meet or go above AAM standards, the museum felt very much like its own institution, not part of the city. Within the walls there was little mention of events going on elsewhere in the city, there was plenty of staff, but most available were either security with little knowledge of the contents or clerks chained to the gift shop.

Perhaps I’m more of a small museum type of guy, because while a must visit museum, the National Air and Space Museum lacked many of the finer, more communal touches that make museums special to me.