Yesterday, I took the boys to a blogging event hosted by my friend Beth (Role Mommy). It was at the Discovery Times Square Spy Exhibit that I had mentioned wanting to see in a post last month. After a quick bite, we received a special, informative tour. I think that history buffs and spy lovers of all ages (5 and up) would enjoy it.
The exhibit begins with a real time image of a globe with satellites (weather, intelligence, and such) and a short film on the necessity of spies. Then, there are two floors filled with various spy artifacts throughout the years. Interactive, hands-on exhibits are sprinkled throughout – including the kid favorite Laser Maze. Personally, I learned several tidbits including a gross one about rats. For example, did you know that…
-There are 24 time zones? (They are monitored on different clocks at the exhibit.)
-There is a Five Eyes alliance? (There are five countries that don’t spy on one another and share intelligence. The United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are the members.)
-That during the Cold War the CIA used the hollowed-out bodies of rats for dead drops in Moscow? (They were able to put money, notes and other contraband for their agents who were moving Moscow. Hot pepper sauce was used to deter the cats from tampering with the dead rats. Yuck!)
In any event, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 115 pictures/115,000 words(?) that I took at the event. (Normally, people can’t take photos in the exhibit, but we were given special permission.)
The only picture that I DIDN’T get was the one that melted my heart… of Sean hugging Dawn Sandomeno. Sean is a great judge of character. He instinctively knows kind people (and crazy ones). The former he gravitates towards while he tends to avoid the latter. Anyway, Dawn had bent down to Sean’s level to say, “Hi”. (She had read about him from my Facebook updates but had never met him in real life.) He went right over and hugged her…for a while (?!) It was so sweet…I love when my work and family life mesh in such ways!