Viewing the solar eclipse, Washington DC

I have been listening to the hype on local TV about the upcoming solar eclipse, and saw that several organizations had planned an event on the National Mall in DC. Decided at the last minute to go and join in the fun. I was not sure if I would be able to snag a pair of free solar eclipse glasses since the reporters said most places have run out. So I ordered 2 pairs on Amazon, which were received on Saturday. Turned out I could have saved my money, the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, NASA and NOAA had tables on the Mall and there were plenty of glasses being given out. The weather was fantastic, low 70's, sunny and clear.

I took a bus to the New Carrollton metro station and got off at the Smithsonian station. There were not as many people around as I expected, but then it was just past noon. Took some photos, then sat under a tree to eat the lunch I brought from home. Since there was still about 2 hours before the event, I walked to the National Air and Space Museum, but discovered that they now required timed passes to enter. Instead I walked back to the National Museum of Natural History which was free to enter, passing by the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art on the way and saw some of the new pieces on display.

It had been a few years since I visited any of the museums on the Mall, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the new exhibits. Spent a couple of hours walking around, revisited the Hope Diamond exhibit, used the restrooms and even had coffee and dessert in the cafe downstairs.

By the time I came out, the eclipse was underway, and there were a whole lot more people on the Mall. It was pretty cool to be able to clearly see the moon slowly blocking the sun. There were a few clouds here and there, but the sky was mostly clear. We had a partial eclipse, but at 89% it was still quite an event, especially when it got visibly darker.