National Gallery of Art, District of Columbia, United States

5Austengirl 5:00 PM Feb 6, 2022

Spent five hours there
If you love art, this is the place to go. They have an incredible collection, especially of paintings from medieval through Impressionism. The newer wing has modern art but we didn’t bother because we’re not found. We did take a break for about 45 minutes for lunch in the cafeteria but other than that we spent the rest of the time, five hours, just enjoying the art. We’ve been a number of times but this definitely had by far the fewest people we’ve ever seen there. We went on a Sunday at 10 AM the second weekend in February so while it was cold outside, we got amazing parking for free (we could literally see our car from the main entrance on the street), We never had to jostle to try to see paintings, and there was hardly anyone in the cafeteria. I don’t know how much of that was also due to Covid but we would definitely brave the cold and come back again this time of year just to avoid crowds and get rockstar, free parking. The cafeteria had far fewer offerings than a few years ago, again probably due to Covid and reduced numbers, and you need to show proof of vaccination in order to eat inside. The food isn’t great and it’s expensive for what it is, but it’s not worth the time it would take to leave and find a restaurant and then come back so it makes more sense to eat there. Next time I will definitely bring my own bottle of water (which they say you can have on you as long as it is in a pocket or in a bag) to avoid paying four dollars for a bottle of water, plus some sort of snack.

5NorwichCarrow 5:00 PM Oct 2, 2022

An outstanding collection
The Gallery has an outstanding collection of European Art from Renaissance masters to Impressionists and beyond. There is also a superb collection of American art. Unusually entry is free and staff at the reception desk are very friendly and knowledgeable. Absolutely unmissable visit in DC.