Neon Vegas

The tour guides do a good job of walking through the development of technology over time. The progression from bulbs, to channeled bulbs, to simple neon and complex multi-colored and fantastic design follows the path through the site.

I’m a big fan of the original CSI TV show. It was quite a treat to compare the glitz and sharp edge of the city portrayed on TV with the dusty and seedy reality. North on Russell is the covered boulevard, with street performers and buffets and a million lights overhead. The main section of Boulevard, with casinos like the MGM Grand and Bellagio, lights up with LED fixtures now.

Old Vegas

Casinos line Las Vegas Boulevard. Tourists walk the sidewalk and browse the shops. Cars roar and crawl in traffic. The hotels and casinos have larger and more elaborate signs than ever before. But it all started with millions of flashing bulbs in thin metal signs. Old casinos were swept away for larger and more luxurious high rises. These signs remain.

Fort

The mission served as a safe retreat for the missionaries and their converts. Walking around the walls, you could feel that this was a close community, but that quarters in the mission were probably nicer than most of the area. The support facilities, like the kitchen, are spacious and clean, although a bit claustrophobic inside the walls.

River Walk

Joy and I spent the heat of the afternoon walking along the sunken river walk. Joy’s friend Carrie directed us to Boudro’s on the walk, where we had the best guacamole of our lives. The steak was delicious, but the guacamole was only topped by the double chocolate brownie. The guacamole recipe is available on their website.

Houses

Small farms dot the acres of the museum. A stone wall or split rail fence define a homestead. Each one describes a different nationality of settler on the frontier. Visitors explore the houses and grounds, and find actors ready to play out a role. I much enjoyed speaking with a lady in deerskin about the construction and utility of wigwams in this area.

Blacksmith’s Shop

Even on a cool day, the blacksmith’s shop is warm. The blacksmith and his apprentice worked the bellows and hammered the metal, making new items for use around the homesteads of the museum. The hard work did not discourage these fine men from wearing proper attire. I took much inspiration from Strobist David Hobby’s video tutorial on photographing a blacksmith. I hope I did it justice.

Below Decks

The various decks of the carrier form a maze. The deck plates have arrows to the next hatch or ladder or turn to follow a particular tour. Joy and I spent hours walking the tours and peering into the rooms. So many pipes, cables, dials and motors cling to the walls and floors and ceilings.

Flight Deck

I enjoy most seeing the aircraft. Most of my favorite planes launched from carriers, and I could name many of the planes on display. After a few hours wandering below decks we emerged into the sun and breeze of the flight deck. We climbed the Island and then strolled among the planes.

In a Cell

The cells today are mostly empty. Plastered and whitewashed walls have crumbled over the years. Landslides of dust meld floor and wall in a rough curve instead of a sharp angle. Scattered furniture inhabits random cells. There are hints that during its heyday the prison could be comfortable.

Tenement Museum

Immigrants defined the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the 19th and 20th centuries. Communities like Little Italy and Chinatown gave the area distinctive qualities of culture and class. The Tenement Museum seeks to capture this history of working class immigrants. Joy and I took the Irish Outsiders tour. The old building, with ruined and restored sections, feels like it still holds the ghosts of the people who lived and died there. After the tour, we walked the neighborhood, down Grand St in Chinatown, before heading north to Central Park.

Central Park

Since it was such a beautiful day in New York City, people flocked to Central Park to get some sun and outdoor time. Joy and I walked across the park from the 81st entrance to the MET on the east side. People walked and ate and lay on the green grass. We especially liked seeing the Castle in the park, as it had been featured on CSI New York. We couldn’t find any restaurants on the west side of the park, so we settled for a pretzel and a bottle of water from a food truck.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

No one can do the The MET justice in a day or a paragraph. The museum hosts a giant collection of Egyptian art which I am always excited to see. Not one, not two, but three structures are recreated in the museum; a tomb, a temple, and a gateway. The statues and artifacts range from large to huge, but the exhibits shortchange any close examination in favor of spectacle. Suffice it to say, I found the museum showy but merely whelming.

9/11 Memorial

Joy and I visited the World Trade Center site in 2002. Then it was a rubble filled hole in the ground. Now it has been transformed into two holes in the ground dotted with trees. I can’t understand why the Twin Towers were not rebuilt. It makes perfect sense to me.

Two square pools cascade water into deep, black stone pits. The 9/11 Memorial feels like a large paved park, combined with enough surveillance cameras and armed guards to manage a prison. That makes visitors the inmates. Visitors should not be surprised that security is as tight as an airport, with x-ray machines, bag checks and ID screens. At least shoes can remain on.

I’m glad I requested tickets to the first entry group to the site Sunday morning. Our first few moments at the pool felt intimate. Only the new blue skyscraper peered over our shoulders as we looked down into the falling water.

Estonian Maritime Museum

Located right on the harbor, the museum features four warships retired from the naval forces of Estonia. While we waited for the nearby prison to open for the day, we walked around admiring the large and small vessels, waiting forlornly out of the water.

Medieval Collection

The artwork from the early to late Medieval period on exhibit strongly shows the influence of the Church on the country, and conversely, the particular influence of Northern sensibility on sculpture and iconography in Denmark. Rich dark wood carving and monster motifs speak of dark forests and wild coastlines. I was most fascinated by this carving of St George, and it’s particular location in the museum space.