Woody Wilder, Outside of Class Assignment, Newsuem

News extends into the bathroom stalls at the Newsuem in Washington. June 15, 2013.  

A copy of Sal Veder's "Burst of Joy" is on display in the Pulitzer Prize Photo Gallery at the Newsuem in Washington. June 15, 2013. 

Portions of the Berlin Wall are one of the feature exhibits at the Newsuem in Washington. 

Inside of the Berlin Wall Gallery of the Newsuem, a headless Vladimir Lenin statue is on display. Washington, June 15, 2013.

Located conveniently between the Capitol and The White House, the Newsuem is a popular tourist attraction along Pennsylvania Ave in Washington. June 15, 2013. 

Let me preface my post by saying I'm a guy that is usually not found in a museum, but I absolutely loved the Newsuem. Such an amazing experience!

I walk in and figure I should start on the bottom level, and what a start it was. The Berlin Wall Gallery was quite eye-opening. My preconceived notions of the Berlin Wall were "eh, how tall exactly was this thing." Being close up to it and seeing one side full of graffiti and the clean was a telling story. I was not alive to remember the Berlin Wall, but it definitely took on a new meaning to me.

After seeing the wall, I made a wrong turn and fortunately stumbled into a theatre showing the history of sports media. An amazing film! It chronicled the history of sports media--the field I want to go into--from the times of early radio to the current ESPN days. It also provided a lot of historical information and video clips. It was awesome for my sports nerdy self.

The Pulitzer gallery was especially awesome. I included my favorite, "Burst of Joy," in the photos above. Most of the pictures caught my eye because of negative emotions--Vietnam, poverty, war, ect.--but this one was a breath of fresh air. We've all experience the feeling of seeing someone you haven't seen in awhile and just running to them.

The timeline of the dogs of the presidents was sweet. Immediately took a picture and sent it to my mother. She was jealous. Still think my dog would make a better First Dog than half of those pooches.

The 9/11 gallery was the last "big" thing that I loved. It's our generations "where were you moment." Just seeing all of the press and mangeled wreckage from the tower adds how it's etched into our memory.

Other tidbits of the trip: I wasn't too keen on the JFK stuff; the front pages from tons of world newspapers was cool; the archives of print back to the 1500s was cool as well. The view from the terrace outside the 6th floor was beautiful. Didn't get a chance to make the Meet the Press expo.

Overall. Loved it.