(no subject)

[apocalypsos]

Today I went to the National Aquarium and learned that you can't tell the aquarium workers you'd like the spiny lobster and ask where they keep the butter sauce regardless of the fact that the place looks like a cheap basement seafood place.

Also went to Air & Space Museum. Guess what? They have planes. I hate planes. I suppose I would have liked it more if it weren't for the fact that the only time I'm the least bit interested (and not astoundingly afraid) in planes is if they're in smoldering heaps and terrified people are running out of them. (Yes, I'm twisted, but you knew that.)

You know what this place needs? A Shipwreck & Submarine museum. I'd be all over that action. Gimme a U-boat and some pieces of the Titanic and I'd be in maritime-history-geek heaven.

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Ooh. I would so go or some of that.

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

actually, there's an *excellent* Titanic exhibit touring the country right now (was in Birmingham recently? i caught it in Tampa). it's soul-crushing, i tell you. if you ever get a chance to see it, it's well worth the dough to get in.

Forgive my ignorance...

[seferin.livejournal.com]

but how do you have a land tour of a shipwreck?

Re: Forgive my ignorance...

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

you remodel a floor of your museum to look like the deck of the ship, then offer up headsets--featuring a recorded tour of the thing that you can pause or play at your own leisure. then, you set out a whole slew of artifacts from the ship and let people wander through the thing at their leisure.

i'm not making it sound nearly as cool as it really is, but really. damn.
when i saw it in tampa/st. pete, they even had one room that was chilled to the same temperature as the night of the sinking--with the stars off the starboard in the proper alignments. the only other thing in the room was a lifevest in a case, with a history of whose body was wearing it when it was found.

it was awesome.

Re: Forgive my ignorance...

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

You know, with a little prep to get some of the names and times exactly right, I probably could have given a tour of that. Ten bucks says I probably would know exactly who was wearing that lifevest, too. I was a hardcore Titanic geek after I first read "A Night to Remember," and I still remember most of it.

[bnh.livejournal.com]

If you are ever down there, Key West has some really cool shipwreck museums. :)

[lots42.livejournal.com]

I went to the St. Petersburg Aquarium last year. They seemed to have more donation boxes then fishes. And the coffin-like elevators contributed to my claustraphobia.

[wal-lace.livejournal.com]

You should scuba dive. Because, shipwrecks?

[spyderqueen.livejournal.com]

Assuming by National Aquarium, you mean the one in Baltimore (since there isn't one actually in DC), last time I was there there was a weird submarine / military boat psuedo-museum across from the outdoor seal enclosure. The sub looks like a shark. I always meant to tour it, but never did (living near stuff means you never really visit them, because hey you can do that whenever)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, there's one in DC. It's in the basement of the Commerce Building, and when I say basement, I mean basement. It's two rooms and a hallway, and it's ridiculously stupid. Also, their security guards were asleep. No, seriously.

Trust me, I've been to the one in Baltimore. That aquarium could kick the ass of this aquarium. I've seen bigger pet stores. Blech.

[spyderqueen.livejournal.com]

Geez, really?

Man, no wonder they call the one in Baltimore the National Aquarium, cause it sounds like that one doesn't count for shit.



(Also, the Baltimore Aquarium pretty much kicks the ass of all aquariums except for Monterrey Bay. Sea Worlds do not count as aquariums)

[sleepyaardvark.livejournal.com]

Have you ever seen U-571? Its a war movie rather than a disaster movie and its actually very well done as opposed to being a cheap Hollywood disaster flick with an implausible plot--actually, on second thought, it probably wouldn't be your cup of tea.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have it on DVD. I love that movie. (And hey, the great thing about some movies is that even if they're implausible and they suck, you can still enjoy them. So there . ;P)

Aaaaaaand now I feel like watching it again.

[sleepyaardvark.livejournal.com]

The Hunt for Red October is good too, though the book was much much better. What can I say, I have thing for spy/submarine movies.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

That's one thing I share with my dad is that we can both sit down for hours and watch submarine movies and war movies. Ooo, and the History Channel. I also blame him for every bit of inexplicable anger I feel because the "Thunderbirds" remake doesn't have any marionettes in it.

[sleepyaardvark.livejournal.com]

So what's your top (5? 10? 20?) war and/or espionage flicks? I wanna see an entry ;-).

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Okay, you're on. But keep in mind, they might not all be good, and you might not like some of them. (I'm pretty sure no one but me likes one of them any more, but damn it, I like it.) *toddles off to write*

[freedomfry.livejournal.com]

Oh, the DC Aquarium is so terrible (the one near the Post Office Museum, right?). I think we were in and out of there in about 45 minutes, as part of a "we've seen everything else in Washington" tour during college. Then we walked over to the WWI memorial on the Mall. We found a couple of neat corners of the city that way, though.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the one. I don't know why I even bothered the second I realized they expected you to pay to get in.

Today was a "Yay! We're going on a class trip!" day. You know, without the actual class. Although I do kinda wish I'd stuck to the Natural and American History museums, but I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't before.

*sigh* There needs to be a Natural Disaster & Catastrophe Museum, and it needs to be in Washington, about ten feet away from the Smithsonian Metro stop. Just so I can go every weekend, and twice on my birthday.

[freedomfry.livejournal.com]

Instead of a final for my Advanced Reporting class we turned in our final project and went to the Newseum as a class. My best friend and I showed up wearing dinosaur nametags. Our professor was very, very afraid.

I'd be all over a National Disaster Museum. They could examine in depth the people who insist on building their homes on flood planes/earthquake zones, hurricane beaches, etc. and then get all surprised when their house is torn down for the third time in ten years.

::gets ready to write her Congressman on this important issue::