Well, our 4 day stay in NYC went very well. Our main reason for visiting the Big Apple was to satiate my four-year-old daughter's appetite for dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History. Although she enjoyed seeing the bones on display, she loved the Discovery Room. She and her cousin got to dig for fossils and put together bones to form a dinosaur skeleton, among other hands-on activities.
The Dinosaurs Alive movie wasn't what we expected because it was more about what paleontologists do rather than what dinosaurs did. I was just happy that four-month-old Ostara let me watch the movie in peace. She only cried for 30 seconds during the movie. Someone had the nerve to say, "I can't believe they brought a BABY in here." Well, some parents actually DO have the nerve to bring their children with them EVERYWHERE because they value family time together. It still amazes me how child-unfriendly this culture can be.
Everyone working in the museum was VERY helpful and accommodating. We had a party of 12 with us and the admissions person told us we didn't have to pay the suggested donation of $34 per adult as it was ONLY a suggestion. That's okay, we spent more than enough money in the gift shop and with the movie theater tickets to make up for our "less-than the suggested" donation.
All in all, the museum was a grand experience. The only thing I'd change would be to spread the visit over two days rather than trying to cram it all into one day. We planned our itinerary before we knew about the museum donation only being a suggestion.
Other museum highlights included the American Indian exhibits, the North American animal displays, and the cafeteria food (expensive, but tasty and pleasing to vegetarians and meat-lovers alike). I regretted not being able to see all of the dinosaur skeletons, the Hayden Planetarium, and the Woodland Indians floor. Oh well, I guess we will have to schedule another trip!
Rebecca
Labels: new york city