The Daily Feed

Extended Final Hours for Terra Cotta Warriors

Photo courtesy of
‘Assembly Line’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

The National Geographic Museum has announced it will extend hours for the closing weeks of “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor” from March 19-31, making an additional 16,800 tickets available. These tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 19 – 25, and from 9 a.m. – Midnight from March 26 – 31. The new exhibit “Sacred Waters: Photography by John Stanmeyer” will also be open during the extended hours in the M Street Gallery.

Tickets are available for purchase online, by phone at 202-857-7700, or in person at the box office. Anyone purchasing day-of tickets must do so at the box office or over the phone, as they will not be available online.

Don’t miss this excellent exhibit before it packs up and heads back to China!

News, Special Events, The Daily Feed

NatGeo Closed, Warriors Open

Photo courtesy of
‘National Geographic Terra Cotta Warriors – Eternal Faces – 11-18-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Some important information NatGeo wanted us to pass along:

Though the National Geographic Society and its employees will be closed Monday, the National Geographic Museum and its popular exhibition “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor” will reopen to the public for regular operating hours from 10-6 p.m. Only ticket holders for Monday, Dec. 21 will be permitted during their designated time.

Exhibition tickets for Saturday, Dec. 19 will be automatically refunded minus the ticket-processing fee. Previously announced alternate viewing hours have been cancelled due to predicted icy road conditions in the evening. People interested in attending the exhibition at a later date should contact the ticket office by phone at 202.857.7700 so that further processing fees can be waived. Due to system limitations we are unable to waive fees for tickets re-purchased online. Continue reading

Downtown, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts

First Look: the Terra Cotta Warrior Invasion

DSC_4413

Yesterday was the opening of “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor” at the National Geographic Museum. A rare treat, the exhibit is on the final stop of a four-city US tour and closes on March 31, 2010.

Promotion for this visit has been going on since spring of this year. The hype is justifiable, however. This particular exhibit features the largest number of terra cotta figures to ever visit the US. Fifteen figures from the tomb of China’s First Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (221 B.C. – 210 B.C.) are in a magnificent display that spans two galleries ans 12,000 square feet.

I only had an hour this past Wednesday to visit – SmithGifford and NatGeo had a special invitation-only event for local bloggers and photographers. I was too busy shooting photographs to really absorb the whole experience, but I definitely will be heading back to soak it all in. It’s well worth the cost. And there’s a special offer for WeLoveDC readers as well – I’ll spill the beans after you browse some photos from that evening; you can decide for yourself if you want to go. Continue reading

The Features, We Love Drinks

Tea Time!

Tea Time at home
Tea time at home
by Corinne Whiting

A few years back, a loveably zany Irish friend of mine lugged tea bags with her from her Drogheda cupboards to the communal hostel kitchens of Buenos Aires, Rio, La Paz and Cusco. I’ll admit that I didn’t really get it. (“If only I had brown bread right now too,” she’d sigh dreamily, nearby mate drinkers looking on curiously as she downed cup after cup of her smuggled vice.) To say that Edel is a tea enthusiast is an understatement.

I didn’t understand her tea passion…that is, until I moved east to windswept Scotland, where a steaming cuppa is sometimes the only sure way to chase the chill from one’s bones. There I also learned to appreciate the soothing and intimate ritual of gathering with friends over a shared refreshment that requires time—time to steep, to cool, to sip, to savor, to merely pause and take it all in.

Coffee culture seems the more visible beverage addiction in most US cities (DC included), while the army of tea devotees tend to fly under the radar. But I suspect they’re out there. So where can a tea lover get a fix here? The options include spots pretentious and proper, casual and cozy, and those somewhere in between.

Continue reading

Special Events, The Daily Feed, Tourism

National Geographic Museum: Terra Cotta Warriors

Photo courtesy of
‘Terracotta-29’
courtesy of ‘akiwitz’

You’ve probably heard of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi’s terra cotta warriors, the thousands of life-sized statues buried with him in his tomb, intended to escort the Emperor to the afterlife. Discovered in 1974, they were one of the biggest archeological finds of the 20th century.

They’re making their last US appearance right here in DC, at the National Geographic Museum. Admission is $12, and the exhibition runs November 19th through March 31. The exhibit will showcase 15 terra cotta figures from Emperor  Shihuangdi’s tomb, including nine terra cotta warriors, two musicians, a strongman, a court official, a stable attendant and a horse. Also on display will be weapons, stone armor jade ornaments, roof tiles and decorative bricks, a bronze crane and swan, and a gold coins pièce collection. According to a rare coin dealer, this gold coin collection is highly valuable and costs millions of dollars.

We’re getting a full preview of the exhibit on the 18th, so look for our review shortly thereafter. In the meantime, here’s two ‘sneak preview’ photos provided to us by National Geographic… Continue reading