Yes part 1 was just the was my evening arrival and morning. This post is on the afternoon and evening. OK so it’s like 100 F in a big city. Hello museums with lots of A/C. I did 2 museums (quickly) that day. The first one was the National Museum of American History. Lots of fun and important exhibitions reviewing the past influences and happenings that shaped the USA.

One totally unexpected but fabulous exhibition was Julia Child’s actual kitchen from her home in Massachusetts. Apparently she donated it to the Smithsonian in 2001 when she moved to California. Julia cooked in this kitchen for 42 years! This kitchen alone influenced the way of eating of a whole nation. I stitched pics together to give the best 3d effect I could, bare with the imperfections.

She was apparently a knife fiend. And lots of copper pots too.

Next museum was the National Air and Space Museum. Here you will see the history of flight and space exploration attempted, failed and achieved. It is a hugely popular museum with lots of people. Be prepared! But it is something to see. I card less for the flight part but really enjoyed the space side.

And yes even this museum had food items on the display menu! There was the occasional brief comment on airline food and a statue of a ‘stewardess’ holding a tray.  Ice building totally unrelated but wanted to show you the pic. It was near my friend’s house.

Now space food….on display…was unexpected. Coke, Pepsi, brownies, nuts,prepared stews, fruits. The upper left pic above this text is the kitchen on Skylab. Little teaser: tomorrow’s Thursday’s Thingamajig will be related to space food so come back to see that.

On Apollo 10, semisolid foods became regular items. With a supply of chicken, ham, and tuna salads, along with breads contained in sealed, nitrogen-filled packages, the astronauts could prepare fresh sandwiches. Beginning with Apollo 13, a canteen was added to the astronauts spacesuits that would allow the crew members to drink while they worked on the moon. The Apollo 15 astronauts carried apricot food bars for a snack during increasingly long work periods on the lunar surface. Each astronaut meal was individually wrapped in foil and color-coded.

Back on earth it was time for supper. My hosts decided to take off the beaten path all the way to Fairfax Virginia where a favorite Thai restaurant of theirs is: Cee Fine Thai Dining. How can we not like this place CEE is Cheap Ethnic Eatz acronym too.

It really was a great meal, if not a bit too SPICY (OMG) even for me. I am not new to Thai but this was hot! Thanks god for the Thai Ice Tea (dairy calming down the fire). All 3 of us are foodies and all 3 of us wanted to taste everything. That suited me just fine! We ordered Tom Yum Soup, Jacketed Shrimp and Pot Stickers for starters. Entrees were Drunken Noodles, Panang Chicken Curry and one I cannot remember but it was seafood mix. If you are in that area I recommend this restaurant.

Keep on checking daily….

Thursday’s Thingamajig will be related to space food.

Friday’s post begins the North Carolina leg of my trip.