Nov 28 2012
My Adventure to the Museum of Natural History
My good friend Brian (yes, Brian McIntyre who you all probably know sadly) decided to accompany me on this journey, because we both share a love of dinosaurs. Now many of you might not know this, but whenever Brian accompanies me on cultural event trips something always seems to go wrong; whether it be lateness, going to the wrong place, or even losing people along the way. So I was surprised that Brian would still have faith in me to go on a cultural outing and think that everything would go as planned. Safe to say that didn’t happen.
After trekking in the sleet and rain crosstown and all the way uptown, we had finally made it to the museum. I, thinking that it would be most convenient, decided to go through the nearest entrance to where we were walking. This entrance was basically on the total opposite side of the area where we wanted to be. Okay yes so I messed up a little bit, but I mean it’s one mistake right?
Well that one mistake turned into us waiting on a line for over ten minutes, to find out we were waiting on the wrong line. And we later found out that the Museum of Natural History doesn’t accept our cultural passport (which was very upsetting). So when Brian was about to give up and go back to class, I still had the determination to see the dinosaurs and convinced him to give me one last shot at getting the trip right.
We finally made it to the correct area to get our tickets and purchased them. We were one step closer to seeing the dinosaurs! I was definitely more excited than Brian, and I looked like a five year old waiting in line to see Santa. But when we arrived at the dinosaur exhibit I could see a smile slip across Brian’s face. That was a good sign, because that meant he wasn’t going to kill me for messing up before. I would be able to live another day!
http://www.linden78.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/new-york-museum-natural-history-dinosaurs-t-rex.jpg
So the dinosaur exhibit was just as I remembered it as a kid, down to every single room and dinosaur bone. My favorite is still the triceratops. I know it might not be very artistic, but I think I learned a lot through the entire time at the museum. I realized that it is not just the exhibit, but the experience and memories that make the museum a cultural event. It made me think back to the first day of classes when we all went to the Brooklyn Museum, and Dean Ann Kirschner spoke about what the museums meant to her family. Each place held a specific memory to her family, such as her daughter’s first steps, and I realized that this was similar to my own family.
Each year we would celebrate my brother’s birthday by going to the Museum of Natural History. Every year held its own special memory that I still look back on, and when I went to the museum today all of those memories came back. The adventure at the museum was, in itself, a memory that I will remember for a long time and will be reminded of whenever I go back to see the dinosaur exhibit. I learned that you can’t just go to a museum or cultural place on your own and expect to gain something from it. You need to share the experience with others to create memories that will make you appreciate the exhibit, artwork, or anything else that you are viewing. That is when you know you are making the most of a cultural event; when you become part of the event and make it your own.
So I thank Brian for journeying with me to the museum, where we got lost and waited on tons of lines for absolutely no reason (all due to my misunderstanding), and I thank him for not strangling me from the frustration of my mishaps. I know his experience was probably more stressful and annoying, but it was thanks to that experience that I realized the importance and meaning behind cultural events. And I really liked seeing the dinosaurs!
