Last May Constant Companion noticed a “sale” offered by one of the airlines. The mileage one could use for flights was reduced. Several trips followed: together we spent nearly a week of wonderful memories in Oklahoma (post forthcoming). He went to LA, Minnesota, and St. Louis for various reasons and I traveled to Boston and Finland to visit friends and more.

A few weekends ago, we used our final bargain mileage ticket to attend a family wedding in Washington, DC. It seemed a great and opportune time to gather with far flung family members, see friends, and enjoy the nation’s capital. Although planning late in January when it’s sure to be cold, who would have known about the snow, lots of snow, and very cold, too. But we survived, mostly.

Thanks to the ride share programs, we got around to all the wedding events: receptions, brunches, and the wedding itself. We were able to get to one museum in, the National Museum of American Indian, before even the Smithsonian was shut down. Many museums close when public schools close; no point in putting staff members on dangerous roads when no one is going anywhere.

On our appointed travel day, we got through the TSA checkpoint labyrinth at Reagan National Airport. Actually, we took this path three days in a row as flights were delayed, cancelled, non-existent because of weather conditions. After a while, the “Standard Travelers” sign has sure looked like “Stranded Travelers.”

You can imagine our disappointment when the snow put a stop to museum visits in DC. However, once in Terminal C of the airport, we got our art fix. We tried to see all we could as a way to spend the many, many hours fruitless waiting a flight home. Looking at the airport website, I see we missed some (https://www.flyreagan.com/photos/art-ronald-reagan-washington-national-airport).

Artwork was everywhere you looked – in the balustrades, in the terminal windows, embedded in the floors, and elsewhere. Thirty site-specific works of art were commissioned and integrated into the architecture of the building when it was built. The terminal windows caught my eye first.

Next were the 10 giant floor mosaics. The pieces include a great variety of materials: stained glass, marble and glass mosaics, terrazzo, cast bronze, hammered aluminum and copper, painted steel, porcelain enamel, and traditional paint on board and canvas. It was fun trying to photograph each work and watch busy travelers walk over them without even noticing!

Eidolon is a mosaic made of historic Spanish tableware designed by artist Molly Hatch in 2024. Up close, the work looks abstract.

Patterns and motifs stand out when viewers step back and take in the work as a whole. The artist’s goal is to bring into focus “centuries-old global travel and cultural exchange.” The work, sponsored by Capital One honors chef and philanthropist, Jose Andres, “We are all citizens of the world. Wherever you go, share a plate of food with a stranger, and you will find out who you are.”