I walked down to the new National Museum of the American Indian this afternoon, hoping to catch a short line in its last open hour, but no luck: while the museum remains popular, entry requires a timed pass, and it will probably be so for a long time, as with the Holocaust Museum and the Washington Monument. I took some pictures instead, then walked around the First Americans Festival to get some native corn soup with pork (slightly gamy) and iced mint tea (minty!).

The NMAI is a lovely structure, yellow stone and sweeping curves evoking native dwellings and the natural world, while simultaneously complementing the the neighboring Capitol Dome and the gravelly paths of the Mall. A fitting tribute to America’s native heritage, I think.

(Photos taken with an Aiptek Mini Pencam 1.3MP SD.)