انجمن راهنمایان محلی
Ron Epstein
1 نظر در 1 مکان
Certainly, one of the greatest museums in the entire world. I haven't been here in 40 years and I am amazed at how much this museum has changed while keeping some of the same mammal picture-window exhibits that I remember from the 1960s.
So why only three stars? We arrived here on a Monday morning shortly before opening and had tickets for 10 a.m. entry. By the time we arrived at 9:45 a.m., there was an immense line of people lining the street and wrapping themselves around the corner. Once the museum opened, that line moved very slowly. Fortunately, once inside, if you had a scannable ticket on your phone you could get in immediately.
I am amazed that there isn't better management of the lines getting inside. Even though there are signs posted all over the grounds outside mandating attendance is by appointment only, it seems like they still allow walk-ins to visit and that is apparently why the lines are tremendous at opening. If we did not buy our tickets in advance, we would have been stuck in another incredibly long line inside the building just to purchase tickets for that day. So, in all, a very stressful process of just getting inside the museum. I think the trick is to come a little later in the day.
There is just so much to see here. We paid for the "everything" pass so we got to go into the butterfly exhibit which was really cool. We also saw the Hayden Planetarium show, but sadly, it wasn't as impressive seeing it as an adult as it was a child. That huge projection machine that used to sit in the middle of the floor is now gone and replaced by hidden projectors. The show seems more like a movie than the celestial event of my childhood years. I also miss the old planetarium that was torn down on the museum property in favor of integrating it more into the museum.
Be aware this museum gets very crowded. It's also a haven for children, and as such, there were always the constant sounds of screaming that echoed through every exhibit and after a while became very cumbersome to the ears. As usual, parents not supervising their children as they ran across the hallways, leaned all over the protective railing, and put their fingers all over the exhibits. If this kind of behavior drives you crazy I would avoid the museum altogether or visit in the fall/winter when school is in session.
So why only three stars? We arrived here on a Monday morning shortly before opening and had tickets for 10 a.m. entry. By the time we arrived at 9:45 a.m., there was an immense line of people lining the street and wrapping themselves around the corner. Once the museum opened, that line moved very slowly. Fortunately, once inside, if you had a scannable ticket on your phone you could get in immediately.
I am amazed that there isn't better management of the lines getting inside. Even though there are signs posted all over the grounds outside mandating attendance is by appointment only, it seems like they still allow walk-ins to visit and that is apparently why the lines are tremendous at opening. If we did not buy our tickets in advance, we would have been stuck in another incredibly long line inside the building just to purchase tickets for that day. So, in all, a very stressful process of just getting inside the museum. I think the trick is to come a little later in the day.
There is just so much to see here. We paid for the "everything" pass so we got to go into the butterfly exhibit which was really cool. We also saw the Hayden Planetarium show, but sadly, it wasn't as impressive seeing it as an adult as it was a child. That huge projection machine that used to sit in the middle of the floor is now gone and replaced by hidden projectors. The show seems more like a movie than the celestial event of my childhood years. I also miss the old planetarium that was torn down on the museum property in favor of integrating it more into the museum.
Be aware this museum gets very crowded. It's also a haven for children, and as such, there were always the constant sounds of screaming that echoed through every exhibit and after a while became very cumbersome to the ears. As usual, parents not supervising their children as they ran across the hallways, leaned all over the protective railing, and put their fingers all over the exhibits. If this kind of behavior drives you crazy I would avoid the museum altogether or visit in the fall/winter when school is in session.