At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

On Thanksgiving Day, we discovered that the sites of Washington, DC, were uncrowded and welcoming.

What a difference a day makes.

Returning to the Mall—specifically to the Smithsonian and its National Museum of the American Indian—on Thanksgiving weekend Friday, we found an entirely different scene. Crowded? You betcha.

So crowded that we couldn’t even gain entrance to the museum’s food court. Indeed, we couldn’t find seats at a nearby Cosi, Au Bon Pain or Pot Belly Sandwich. True, we were a group of 11, including a toddler, but still . . .

Tragic. The NMAI serves the best food on the Mall, an enticing variety of signature dishes of tribes across the continent. And fry bread to die for.

But, NMAI ranks among the Smithsonian’s best sites. A dramatically designed building with an open circular center space on the ground floor, and spiraling walkways that lead to galleries on three floors above, it exudes a dynamic that few museums do.

A Maize Festival was taking place over the weekend, drawing scads of families to watch native dances and sand painting and to do crafts. But, the highlight for me was the special exhibit “Strange Comfort” by Brian Jungen—a series of sculptures in which native themes are carried out through media comprised of everyday modern American items.

Such as?

• totem poles made of golf club bags
• a warrior made of baseball glove pieces
• an athletic shoe eagle
• a huge whale skeleton made from white plastic resin chairs.

Superb.

But, next year, I think we’ll museum-go on Thanksgiving Day, and eat turkey on Friday.