My roommate and I seem to like to come up with unique, inexpensive things to do around town. It doesn’t happen very often, but every once in awhile inspiration strikes.
For several weeks we had heard advertisements on the radio for “Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs” that was playing at the IMAX Theater at the Louisville Science Center. Kinda nerdy, I know. But hey, let’s be honest, Egyptian culture is fascinating. Anyway, we decided to go.
Wanting to make an evening of it, we, along with another friend, headed downtown one Saturday. We had intended on going to an early-evening showing of the film, but alas we were late. And unlike the movies at the local cinema, if you’re late to the IMAX, you’re not getting in.
In order to pass the time, we decided to visit some other museums around town. We had three hours to kill, after all. As we drove downtown, we started listing off all of the museums we could think of and almost everything we came up with cost money to get in.
So, I suggested we visit 21C Museum Hotel. It’s free, plus I had never been. For those who have never gone, it’s more like a modern art gallery. Some of the stuff in there was really good, other stuff was a bit too artistic for me, if you know what I mean.
After making our way through the gallery, we decided to visit Proof on Main (also located in the 21C building). We found a spot in the bar area to sit down in, relax and enjoy a beverage.
As soon as we walked in, I noticed the different art pieces on display in the restaurant. Atop the bar was a frightening mythical-like creature that seemed to offer his apple to all who passed by. I can’t imagine the kind of fear that thing would instill in someone after they had a few drinks. The wall directly opposite to where we sat was adorned with boobs. Thankfully my line of site was blocked by customers, tables and wait-staff, so I wasn’t quite as distracted as my friends. The wall to my right was lined with several painted faces. I thought the piece was quite interesting and found myself staring at it throughout the evening. I wondered what it would be like to have my face on a wall for all to see.
After Proof, we made our way over to the Science Center. For those who have never been, outside the center is a giant satellite dish-type of thing that has several individual square reflectors on it. When standing in front of it, looking into it, you see a thousand reflections of yourself. The dish has been there ever since I was a child.
Let me just pause to say a few words about my childhood memories of the Science Center. Every year, when I was in elementary school, we would take a field trip to the Science Center. It was, without a doubt, my favorite field trip of the year. I still remember the feelings of anticipation, the excitement of packing my lunch, the smell of the diesel fueled school bus. Those were the days!
Anyway, I was excited to walk around the Science Center to see what sort of exhibits still remained. The giant pendulum was still there. So was the bubble machine. However, I was pretty disappointed to find out that the sound room was gone. They had this room where you could speak into this hole and you could be heard on the opposite end of the room. It was the coolest thing ever.
They did have some other cool stuff, though. They have an entire section dedicated to brain activity and how we percieve things. For example, our brains often group shapes together to make whole objects. Isn’t that interesting? They also had an area dedicated to nutrition (I passed the quiz with flying colors). Of course my roommate found the exhibit on reproduction. It was just like being in 5th grade again.
The IMAX film was short, yet educational. We learned about Egyptian culture, religion, medicine and a few of the Pharaohs. I thought it was pretty interesting. So did the five hundred kids behind me. Okay, I’m exaggerating. The kids probably didn’t like it.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening. The tour of the science center, along with the IMAX show only cost $15 a person. Plus, I learned a few things. What’s better than that?
