My friends and I arrived at the Newseum, a 250,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the history of news, just as a downpour started. Even though the weather got better, we spent the entire afternoon exploring its six floors of displays. That's the First Amendment inscribed on the front of the museum:

In the first level was an amazing wall-mounted sculpture made of rescued type:

The section devoted to coverage of Sept. 11, 2001, was really impressive. What looks like a sculpture here is a chunk of the radio tower formerly atop the World Trade Center. In the background are an assortment of international front pages from Sept. 12:

It would have been easy to spend a few more days in the museum, especially because of this area, full of hundreds of front pages depicting historic events:

The next day, I spent some time at the National Portrait Gallery before my flight left. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited in many of the areas, so I don't have any pictures of amazing art to show you, but I do have a picture of this wonderful outlook:

And of the newly remodeled atrium:

I really enjoyed the current "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" exhibit, especially the work from Kehinde Wiley.

What impressed me most about DC is how affordable it is. So many of the museums are free (though the Newseum's admission is $20), that my only real expenses were food and Metro passes! Plus, my friends and I stayed at a very swank hotel for cheap because they cater to business travelers, who head home on weekends.

One of my favorite areas to explore is the Alberta Arts District, which stretches out over 15-20 blocks of NE Alberta Street. Amid the plentiful clothing boutiques and taquerías are a lot of great galleries and stores that feature a lot of local work. Here are a few of my faves:

REDBIRD STUDIO

I visited Redbird Studio last year and loved it immediately. This year, I happened to stop by on the studio’s second birthday, which meant free cupcakes!

Owners Paul Evans and Melissa Rau make a lot of the stuff for sale in the shop, which includes lots of stationery and cards, handmade accessories and screenprinted T-shirts and baby things.

I really loved the large-scale portraits by Kevin Noonan of political figures that were on display in the back of the store, which is a whole other gallery called Haiku. Melissa told me Kevin intentionally puts very affordable prices on his paintings. They were so low I seriously considered buying one and toting it home on the plane with me.

And if you’re in the neighborhood, right next door are HiiH Gallery, which sells beautiful handmade paper lanterns, and Guardino Gallery, which displays contemporary art and crafts.

Redbird Studio, 2927 NE Alberta St., 503/593-0833

TOGETHER GALLERY

Together Gallery popped up since my last trip to Portland. I arrived just in time to see "The Color of Nature," an exhibit featuring work from local artists Seth Neefus, Amy Ruppel, and Jill Bliss. Together also has a healthy offering of zines and small press publications, which I’m a big fan of.

Together Gallery, 2314 NE Alberta St., 503/288-8879

OFFICE PDX

Anybody who loves industrial-strength work supplies has a one-way ticket to heaven at OFFICE. The décor and the goods are heavy on the Americana, with a hearty dose of Japanese utility.

I got to check out Jill Bliss and Brittany Kate Powell's kooky "Califoregon" collection while I was there. And, like I always do, I spent too much money on letterpressed cards.

OFFICE PDX, 2204 NE Alberta St., 888/355-7467

• Honey Space: As The New York Times describes it, "Approximately 800 square feet, ground floor, no windows, no heat, no drain pipe under the sink (slop bucket required), constant traffic noise, fine coating of black gunk on everything." A no-frills free-for-all.
Ongoing.
148 11th Ave. (Chelsea)

• Be Kind Rewind: Director Michel Gondry's teamed up with Deitch Projects to recreate the video store from his latest movie in a gallery.
Through March 22.
18 Wooster St. (Soho)

• Chris Ware: "Drawings for New York Periodicals" at Adam Baumgold Gallery displays the master cartoonist's recent illustrations for The New Yorker and The New York Times.
Through March 15.
74 E. 79th St. (Upper East Side)

The French government has closed off the caverns entirely and to replace the air circulation system to try to save the drawings, estimated to be at least 15,000 years old. Historians believe hunter-gatherers drew the mineral-pigment paintings that include images of horses, bulls, birds and a rhinoceros.

The caves have been closed to the public since 1963, but wannabe spelunkers can explore a nearby replica of two of the Lascaux caves. Tourism ends up being a problem at a lot of attractions, both natural and art-based: Simply by being there, you're altering what you came to see.

I attempted to post from home but couldn't log in—c'est la vie. So here's some good reading I've come across in the last little while. Happy new year!

• The New York Times on the Ashcan School
• Cityscapes painter Herman Rose passes away
• Jacob Lawrence's Migration of the Negro
• Schools catering to booming interest in comics (via ArtsJournal)
• Exhibit shows "extreme embroidery"

Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings is on display at MoMa until March 10.

There are varying reports of exactly how many people have been injured by Shibboleth, but in a New York Times story today, the reporter writes about witnessing such an event:

Two visitors from the Netherlands, Manon Straatman and her husband, Victor, were equally mystified by the perils of "Shibboleth."

"Maybe someone walks into the museum and isn't interested in what's in the museum," Mrs. Straatman mused.

Mr. Straatman said the crack was modest in its width and depth, hardly the sort of gaping abyss into which you might plummet to your doom.

"Oh look, there's someone falling now," he said suddenly.

Indeed there was: A woman nearby had caught her foot in the crack and pitched awkwardly forward, ending up sprawled on the floor.

You can get a sneak peek at the work in an online slideshow from MoMA and a slideshow from Slate.com. The MoMA slideshow (which requires Adobe Flash and Acrobat) focuses on his sketchbooks, subjects and conservation. The Slate slideshow looks at his relationship with art critic and anarchist Félix Fénéon, who championed Seurat's work and helped get it in the public eye.

Georges Seurat: The Drawings is on display at MoMA until January 7, 2008, with many related lectures and talks in the coming month.