What is something new that you learned?
I learned that LA has a wonderful, old school natural history museum! Having been in the city for two years, I’ve never heard anyone talk about visiting the museum, and based on the fact that it was 1) a free admission day and 2) over nearly 100 degrees outside, I was shocked it wasn’t flooded with people escaping the heat and taking in some culture.
What story did you encounter that captured your imagination?
Of all the exhibits I wish I could have spent more time in, the LA exhibit on water and the history of the city is my number one pick. My knowledge of this story is based mostly on Chinatown, so when I read that Mullholland was responsible for a broken damn that killed over 4,000 people, I thought, “Oh… The story didn’t end with the siren blaring and John Huston stealing away with his daughter/granddaughter.”
What question did you leave with? What do you now want to know about or explore further?
I wanted to know more about the museum itself. How does it plan to stay relevant in a world of ever increasing interactivity?
What challenged you during the event? [either frustrated you, something you wanted more of/less of, etc]
In general, natural history museums are dark and dry: I feel like the mummies I’m admiring every time I leave. The little interaction I had with the very eager staff were great, but they knew as little as I did about what we were looking at, which, in this case, was the visiting blue diamond.
If there were a section of the museum that you could bring to life around you, what would it be? (the Mary Poppins “jump into the sidewalk chalk picture” question)
The under water creatures who were half skeleton, half wire frame shape. I wanted to swim with them as one of them.
Write a headline for your experience today.
Stay Cool and Get Smart at the Same Time.
If you could have brought someone, living or dead, to the event with you today, who would it be and why?
I did bring someone this time! My other half, Brad, joined us on our field trip. What’s amazing to me is hearing his very singular experience of the museum. How funny and wonderful that the same rooms say such different things to each person.
