Anchorage Museum

This museum is a gem. Extraordinary. It contains an exhibit on the native peoples of Alaska that came from  the Smithsonian. It's beautiful, but the room was dark and no flashes were permitted, so I was unable to photograph any of it.

Fortunately there was another amazing travelling exhibit from the Field Museum of Chicago. It was on Mammoths and Mastodons. Mr. Grizzly met us at the entrance.

He and his mastodon neighbor were mighty impressive.

Aidan was particularly impressed by this life-like exhibit on animal scat, and how researchers determine exactly what animals eat. Aidan wanted to gross out his family.

I love  museums. The order, beauty and heavy silence, the shiny halls and gleaming surfaces, all organized to teach and inspire.

We had a delicious lunch at the museum's gourmet restaurant, Muse. Aidan ordered gourmet mac and cheese, but was really into Papa's cell phone.

After lunch, we hit the children's wing called the Imaginarium. It was fabulous. All kinds of fascinating machines and devices to intrigue children. This chair was self-hoisting with a rope and wheel. 

Aidan launched this hot air balloon by pressing buttons that filled it with hot air.

Pretty amazing cause and effect environment for an 8 year old.

This was an infra-red photo of the three of us. Can you see our cameras?

This addictive device allowed you to pull a bubble up and around you. Can you see that Aidan is surrounded by a giant bubble?

Here's a smaller version. He pulls a smaller ring through the air...

and flips it over his head, creating a u-shaped bubble over himself.

Here it popped, raining soapy droplets all over him.

Translucent jellyfish are always magical, looking like aliens floating in space.

This machine recorded him jumping and replayed it in slow motion so he could see himself off lifting off the ground.

Another grandiose bubble machine. Can you see him blowing bubbles out into the space behind?

An enormous ball machine thing. I have no idea what you call this, but it's amazing to see the genius behind the many pathways the balls travel in perpetual motion. You just want to sit and stare.

On the walk back to the hotel , there are many carved moose lining the sidewalks in front of the shops. Here's one in a plaid shirt and overalls. Aidan patiently poses for me each time I ask. He's got an easy-going nature and is still smiling in the cold walk home after several hours in the museum. He's an easy kid with whom to travel, and I hope he feels the same about us. : )