National Building Museum

Place:	National Building Museum
Location:	401 F Street NW, Washington, DC
Phone:	202.272.2448
Hours:	Monday–Saturday:10:00am–5:00pm Sunday:11:00am–5:00pm
Website:	http://www.nbm.org

The National Building Museum was a natural first museum stop for The Crafty Ones. It's an unsung historic building with beautiful architecture and great exhibits. It's also located in a really accessible location - very close to Gallery Place and Chinatown. We went on a Saturday afternoon and had no trouble finding parking right in front of the building.

Upon entering the building you immediately are possessed by the grandeur. The majority of this building is an atrium that is separated only by massive Corinthian columns.

Currently there are three exhibitions - House of Cars, Cityscapes Revealed, and Washington: Symbol and City. House of Cars is a really cool dissertation on parking garages throughout history (1900 - now) and how parking has been key to the development of cities. Parking is a unique challenge for city planners in that it's something people take for granted, require, and don't want to focus on. So parking structures have to be convenient and inconspicuous. Now we've added the challenge of making parking garages green, too! Cityscapes Revealed was an interesting review of facades used on buildings around the country. Washington: Symbol and City was a close look at the city over the past two hundred years. I learned a lot about the neighborhoods of DC and how they've grown and changed over the years.

National Building Museum Pre-Arrival

Many DC residents think this museum is part of the Smithsonian group of museums, but it is not. It is housed in a beautiful brick building and has one of the biggest indoor patios in the city, it is for this reason that most of us know it, since it is a place for galas, dinners and even inauguration balls. But what we all know little about is the museum itself that is what the crafty ones are going to try and figure out this weekend. We also hope to take some breathtaking pictures – which from Knick’s perspective means beautiful zoomed in pictures and lord knows what Knack’s pictures will be of, but we promise a detailed and well thought analysis of the place.

Lauriol Plaza - Restaurant

Place:	Lauriol Plaza
Location:	1835 18th Street NW, Washington, DC
Phone:	202.387.0035
Hours:	Monday–Thursday:11:30am–11:00pm Friday–Saturday:11:30am–12:00am
Website:	http://www.lauriolplaza.com/

Last night Knick, Knack, and The Baker went to Lauriol Plaza for some Mexican food. This restaurant is not new to us, and I think we went primarily because of the location (You know what they say: Location, Location, Location!).

The food is just ok, the margaritas are plentiful but also just ok, and the service is good but I'd actually say it's too good. You know when you're enjoying your evening out, and just getting into the swing of dinner, and your check has already arrived? I could have used 5 more minutes in between ordering / appetizers / entrees / check.

Intro

Welcome to our new blog, we are Knick and Knack. Two Long time DC area residents that have decided to finally explore what DC has to offer. Over the next few years we will be visiting some lesser known tourist spots and giving you our opinion and impressions.

Knack is a 30 year old woman who is living in Falls Church and works in DC. She has done very little US travel and spent the last decade visiting international locations. She is a picky vegetarian, a crotchety old woman-in-training, and loves to find a bargain.


Knick is a 33 year old man living in DC for the past decade. He travels across the country regularly and also completes a ton of international trips every year. A true foodie and craftsman, Knick has too many hobbies, of which we've just added this on top.


Knick and Knack encourage your thoughts, suggestions, travel itinerary ideas, and (only) positive feedback on our travels and adventures.

The Rating System

Rating	Description
	1 OWL So bad that we felt bad leaving it without any feathers, DO NOT RECOMMEND.
	2 OWL Meh. Could live without the experience.
	3 OWL Good enough to go back to, but nothing spectacular.
	4 OWL Better than average, it ruffled our feathers.
	5 OWL Color me knowledgeable, this is quite a find.