Museum of Science and Industry

Relatively long post today. Cathy and I had a day off earlier this week so we decided to go to the Museum of Science and Industry, which is apparently the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. I've never been there so I brought my camera along and took some touristy shots:


Obligatory shot of the Transportation Gallery. There was a train, a 727 (which you could go into), the Spirit of America, a Spitfire, and a bunch of other crap I don't remember. When I later went up into the 727 and sat in a coach class chair, I swear I began feeling the same minor anxiety (or is it annoyance?) I might experience during an actual flight. Good work guys.


There was an exhibit on various possible applications of technology in the future. Here is Cathy looking at a floating red blob from the future. I'm kidding, it's just dry ice and a projector (from the future).


An instrument in the future technology exhibit. Each block had different musical qualities which interacted in various ways depending on which side it rested on, it's location in relation to other blocks, and the multitude of groping hands pushing and prodding the blocks with no rhyme or reason.


Orville Wright on the Flyer. It's amazing to think that flight was not much more than fantasy 100 years ago, and yet now we've got planes that can send shit to outer space. Also, maybe it's just me but I would not be wearing a hat if I was planning on flying through the air.


Aerial view of Midwest farmland from the balcony level. This is actually just a very small part of a huge exhibit illustrating the railroad journey from Chicago to Seattle, complete with true-to-life scale models of buildings, people, and natural landmarks. One of the many fascinating details was a Chicago Red Line station that was "recreated brick for brick and is populated to reflect the individuals who were waiting for the train at 1:56 p.m. on April 3, 2002." Too bad this is the least exciting photo I took of the exhibit and I'm only posting it because two semis appear to be on a collision course.


The Berghoff in "Yesterday's Main Street" (at night I guess). I like the creepy mannequin staring out the window.


A psychedelic display of flowing bubbles and colors during an exhibit explaining the refining process of crude oil. To be honest, I was so busy staring at the bubbly visuals that I didn't hear a word of the narration.


A Foucault pendulum from two stories up. It's a visual demonstration showing that the Earth rotates. I remember seeing one of these in the Detroit Science Center as a kid and having the urge to just shove the thing as hard as I could.


Good times.