There was plenty of business at the Grand Secretaries’ Conference, but there was a little time to dash into town to see one floor of the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. There were all sorts of Americana displayed there — from Julia Child’s kitchen to a Southern Railroad steam locomotive to a steam piston nearly four stories tall.

Nearly as entertaining was the ride from Alexandria to the Museum on the Metro. The tubes and stations were beautiful in their concrete simplicity. The passengers stood not-so-snug in their personal cocoons of non-interaction.

The underground hallways searched for substitutes for windows.

More pictures are here.