Good reviews on the National Crime & Punishment Museum

May 24, 2008

So Washington, DC’s newest attraction opened up yesterday to the general public. The National Crime & Punishment Museum is located right in the heart of downtown near the Verizon Center and quite convenient to get to via the Metro system. It’s a good museum, but when I found out where it was, I would probably have passed right by it because not only are they doing construction near by, it really blends into the buildings and you might not notice it unless you see the big banner hanging down the side of the building. It’s right next to Rosa Mexicano and across the street from the Hotel Monaco and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

So I walk into the Crime & Punishment Museum and the first thing you see is a car riddled with bullets in the lobby. I’m not sure whose car it is, but the license plate says “Dillinger”. The lobby is quite small so if there is a crowd, it’ll get quite uncomfortable after a while, even with ropes corralling you around the lobby in an organized fashion. Their gift shop, or “cop shop” is right next door and you can get all your law & order gear there. All the people that work there, save for the actual security folks, are dressed up in bright orange jumpsuits like they got out of Rikers or Levenworth and it’s their work-release program.

After getting your ticket, you go up the stairs and begin your tour. They have audio tours for you if you are interested, but I browsed through the museum at my own leisure without any devices. As soon as you get up the stairs, you’ll notice a bunch of TVs hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier which gives you an idea of what’s going on with the musuem. Then you’ll see exhibits of items used over the years and historical things that occurred in the law & order days. You can have your picture taken of you in the stockades or shoot some bottles at the OK Corral back in the old west. Some of the interactive features requires some payment, but they’re really cheap - the OK Corral cost $1 to play.

There’s even an arcade (although 2 real games) that you can play to get into the law enforcement experience. But for the adults, try out your luck on any of the dozens of kiosks throughout the museum to learn more facts. They even have a fingerprint scanner that you can print out your very own fingerprint ID that shows what crime you committed. It’s all fake info anyways, but it’s a fun little souvenir - and it’s free!

Near the end of the museum, there are two great things: a CSI lab that you can check out and even the brand new “America’s Most Wanted” studio where John Walsh broadcasts his show…in fact, John Walsh was there on opening day at the Crime & Punishment Museum! I saw him! He seemed skinnier in person than on TV, but he’s a cool guy. You can check out the studio, get yourself in a green room and what I really thought was really nice is that they have a place where you can have your kids get fingerprinted and have an ID in case they ever get lost. Way to protect the young!

Overall, for a price tag of $17.95 for adults, that’s a little high but probably worth it compared to paying $14 something for Madame Tussauds. I would say the experience is quite comparable to the Spy Museum and you should definitely check it out. For $14+ at Madame Tussauds, you’re not really getting that much of a experience and there aren’t that many wax figurines. But at the Spy Museum and Crime & Punishment museum, they can keep it fresh.

So go get your law & order fix today…

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Posted in Daily Life, Sightseeing