The 2006 AALS Annual Meeting will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.

Local Attractions

Hours listed are current at press time but subject to change. Schedule and prices available at press time are as follows:

Smithsonian Institute Museums: Call Dial A Museum at (202) 357-2020 for daily events. Web site: www.si.edu/ . The telephone number for information is (202) 357-2700, unless otherwise noted. Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and admission is free.

Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture, 1901 Fort Place, S.E. anacostia.si.edu. The Museum of African American History and Culture explores American history, society, and creative expression from an African American perspective.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, on the Mall at 1050 Independence Ave (Smithsonian Metro) www.asia.si.edu . The Freer and Sackler galleries together form the national museum of Asian art for the United States .

Freer Gallery of Art, on the Mall, 12th & Jefferson Drive, S.W. (Smithsonian metro stop) www.asia.si.edu . The Freer Gallery houses a world-renowned collection of art from China , Japan , Korea , South and Southeast Asia, and the Near East .

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 7th & Independence Ave., N.W. (L'Enfant Plaza Metro ) hirshorn.si.edu; Hours: Plaza 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sculpture Garden 7:30 am to dusk. Conceived as the nation's museum of modern and contemporary art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has as its genesis a passion for collecting and for the art of our time.

National Air and Space Museum, 4th & Independence Ave., S.W. (L'Enfant Plaza Metro or Smithsonian Metro ) www.nasm.si.edu. The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world.

National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., S.W. (L'Enfant Plaza Metro or Smithsonian Metro ) www.nmafa.si.edu . Dedicated to the collection, research, and exhibition of African art.

National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W. (L'Enfant Plaza Metro) nmai.si.edu. Visit the Smithsonian's newest addition and learn about the lives of the earliest Americans.

National Museum of Natural History (IMAX Theatre), 10th & Constitution Ave., N.W. (Federal Triangle Metro) www.mnh.si.edu ; IMAX tickets are $8.50.The National Museum of Natural History is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it.

National Portrait Gallery, 8th & F Streets, N.W. ( Gallery Place Metro)

National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. (Union Station Metro) postalmuseum.si.edu. The National Postal Museum began in 1887 with a sheet of ten-cent Confederate stamps. Since then it has expanded to include more than 5.9 million items regarding postal history and stamp production.

National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. (walk from Marriott Wardman Park ) (202) 673-4800 (Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro) nationalzoo.si.edu. At the National Zoo people can marvel at wonderful animals, learn about wildlife and its conservation, and enjoy a beautiful, peaceful experience in the gardens.

Renwick Gallery of the American Art Museum, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street (Farragut West Metro) americanart.si.edu/renwick. The Smithsonian American Art Museum 's Renwick Gallery collects, exhibits, studies, and preserves American crafts and decorative arts from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries.

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th & F Streets, N.W. (Gallery Place Metro) americanart.si.edu/museum_info. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is dedicated to the art and artists of the United States .

Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th Street, N.W. (Farragut West Metro) (202) 639-1700; www.corcoran.org Open Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday until 9:00 p.m. The Corcoran Gallery presents, interprets and preserves the art of our times and of times past.

Folger Shakespeare Gallery at Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol Street, S.E. (202) 544-7077; www.folger.edu Open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Folger Shakespeare Library is home to the world's largest and finest collection of Shakespeare materials and to major collections of other rare Renaissance books, manuscripts, and works of art

Ford's Theatre, 511 10th Street, N.W. (Metro Center Metro) (202) 426-6924; www.fordstheatre.org . Ford's Theatre blends its rich history with performance excellence in serving as a living tribute to President Lincoln's love of the performing arts.

National Gallery of Art, 4th & Constitution Ave., N.W. (202) 737-4215; www.nga.gov Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery's active art collection includes paintings, sculpture, and works of art on paper, from the late middle ages to the present, from Europe and the United States .

National Building Museum, 401 F Street, N.W. ( Judiciary Square Metro) (202) 272-2448; www.nbm.org Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. $5 donation is suggested. The National Building Museum is America 's premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., N.W. (Metro Center Metro) (202) 783-5000; www.nmwa.org Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $8.00. Welcome to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists.

The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, N.W. (Dupont Circle Metro, Q Street exit) (202) 387-2151; www.phillipscollection.org Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with extended hours to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Sunday hours are noon to 7:00 p.m. Admission is $10.00. Featuring a renowned permanent collection of nearly 2,500 works by American and European impressionist and modern artists, the Phillips is internationally recognized for both its incomparable art and its intimate atmosphere.

The Textile Museum , 2320 S Street, N.W. (202) 667-0441; (Dupont Circle Metro, Q Street exit) www.textilemuseum.org Monday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Suggested donation is $5.00. The Textile Museum is dedicated to furthering the understanding of mankind's creative achievements in the textile arts.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W. (202) 488-0400; www.ushmm.org 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. Tickets are distributed on a first-come first-served basis. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America 's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as this country's memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, 10th St. & Pennsylvania Ave., (Federal Triangle Metro) (202) 324-3447; www.fbi.gov/aboutus/tour/tour.htm . Closed for renovations until further notice

Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave., S.E. (Union Station Metro, Capitol South exit) (202) 707-5000; www.loc.gov Hours vary for each building, see website for details. The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with more than 130 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves.

National Archives, on the Mall (Archives-Navy Memorial Metro) (202) 501-5000 or (301) 713-6000; www.archives.gov - Monday & Wednesday 8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Saturday 8:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. The Rotunda of the National Archives houses the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

National Geographic Society Explorer's Hall, 1145 17th Street, N.W. (Farragut North Metro) (202) 857-7000; www.ngs.org Monday through Saturday and holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. At National Geographic's Washington , D.C. , headquarters, past and current expeditions, adventures, and scientific research come to life.

U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 14th & C Streets, N.W. (Smithsonian Metro) (202) 874-3019; www.bep.treas.gov/ Public Tours : Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (every 15 minutes) The BEP is the largest producers of security documents in the United States , printing billions of Federal Reserve Notes each year.

U.S. Supreme Court, 1st & East Capitol Streets, N.W. (Union Station Metro, Capitol South Metro) (202) 479-3000; www.supremecourtus.gov Available 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, on the Mall near the Lincoln Memorial (Ten minute walk from Foggy Bottom Metro) (202) 619-7222; www.vvmf.org . The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America 's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.

White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. (202) 456-2200; (McPherson Square Metro) www.whitehouse.gov Advance reservations required for tours

Woodrow Wilson House Museum, 2340 S Street, N.W. (202) 387-4062 (Dupont Circle Metro) www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org/ 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Tuesday - Sunday. Admission is $7.50. The museum houses a remarkable collection of artifacts that offer the visitor unique insights into the personality of one of America 's greatest leaders.

Arena Stage, Maine Avenue & 6th Street, S.W. (Maine Avenue Metro) (202) 488-3300; www.arenastage.org

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New Hampshire Avenue & Rock Creek Parkway (Foggy Bottom Metro), includes Eisenhower Theater, Opera House, Concert Hall, Terrace Theater, and Theater Lab). Tickets available at box office or through Instant Charge; www.kennedy-center.org

MCI/Verizon Center, 601 F Street, N.W. (Gallery Place Metro) (202) 628-3200; www.mcicenter.com

National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (Metro Center Metro) (202) 628-6161; www.nationaltheatre.org

Warner Theatre, 13th & E Streets, N.W. (Metro Center Metro) (202) 783-4000; www.warnertheatre.com

Weather: The average high in January is 45 degrees with lows in the 20s and 30s at night. Snow is possible but rain is more likely.