During my Spring Break I travelled to Washington D.C. so I could finally visit the Smithsonians and get a taste of large-scale museums, other than the Henry Ford. However, a significantly smaller institution, rather than a large complex, fell in line with what we have been talking about in class. I feel that the International Spy Museum in D.C. has a large community impact on the city, especially for being a smaller institution.
One such way is the large amount of staff available to a visitor. The museum is a twisting, turning, pseudo-maze to make a visitor feel like a secret agent infiltrating a base. However, this design never becomes a problem as at least one staff member is posted in each gallery to help direct the flow. The staff that I encountered were also very polite and helpful, answering questions that the other guests and I would ask. They never felt as if they were lurking over your shoulder, but they also never seemed inattentive or bored. This kind of balance seems difficult to strike, but due to it I stayed even more engaged while walking through the galleries.
Another means of building a community aspect was how involved the museum seemed to be in the city. The front desk where you buy tickets was littered with both spy memorabilia and fliers for current events. Advertised there were events going on within the museum, events at other museums in the city, and also assorted events all around D.C., from poetry readings to local sporting events. Since the people I was attending with were also tourists we asked about what else we should do while in town, and the receptionist pointed us to more local, community events rather than common tourist traps.
Not only is the International Spy Museum an entertaining and highly interactive museum, but it is also an establishment that promotes great customer service and community events. It is, in my opinion, one of the highlights of Washington D.C.
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