Category: Museum

Behind closed doors of Ellis Island Hospital

Posted on Jun 24th 2017

The Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital has been abandoned and closed to the public since the late 1950s. Few decades later, the hospital was declared an endangered historical site and work has been done to try and preserve the buildings.

Currently standing in the state of rested decay the hospital is still closed off to the public, however, one can sign up to the exclusive hard hat tours organized by Untapped Cities and get a glimpse behind the closed doors. During the tour the attendees get to explore the over 100 year old laundry building, autopsy room, infections disease ward and walk the hallways of what used the be state of the art hospital of its time.

The Ellis Island Hospital was operational from 1902 until 1930s and had the lowest mortality rate. The patients had received top-class treatment. The hospital played an important role in screening the immigrants to prevent epidemics on the American soil.

Holocaust Memorial Miami

Posted on Oct 10th 2016

The Holocaust Memorial in Miami is one of the most beautiful memorials. The Memorial was opened on Sunday, February 4, 1990, but not without challenges. Many have opposed it when it was first proposed. The memorial is spanning several blocks with the physical address 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue. The street numbers coincidentally match the years of the Nazi regime and its war against the Jews.

Girl at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

The pond Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

People at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

The History of the Holocaust

Six Million perished at the hands of Nazis Holocaust

The map Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

Photographs of the Holocaust 1

Photographs of the Holocaust 2

Photographs of the Holocaust 3

Photographs of the Holocaust 4

Photographs of the Holocaust 5

The names of people perished in the Holocaust

The names of people perished in the Holocaust 2

The names of people perished in the Holocaust 3

The names of people perished in the Holocaust 4

May their memory live forever

The names of people perished in the Holocaust 5

The hand Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

The hand Holocaust Memorial

Reflection of the  hand Holocaust Memorial

Sculptures of those who suffered during the Holocaust 1

Sculptures of those who suffered during the Holocaust 2

Sculptures of those who suffered during the Holocaust 3

The hand Holocaust

Sculptures of those who suffered during the Holocaust 4

Entrance to the tunnel Holocaust

Names of the camps Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

The lonely path Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

Field Museum promoting new ancient Greece exhibit

Posted on Dec 08th 2015

While in Chicago for business and walking from the hotel to the office, I noticed something rather unusual. A huge Trojan Horse standing on top of the CTA’s Chicago Red Line station. Closer look revealed it was a promotion to the new exhibit about ancient Greece at the Field Museum. Very catchy and clever advertising.

The Greeks exhibit is co-presented by The Field Museum and the National Hellenic Museum. It will be on from Nov 25, 2015 to Apr 10, 2016 and promises more than 500 artifacts.

Trojan Horse hovering over Chicago Red Line Station

Trojan Horse in Chicago

Entrace to Chicago Red Line covered by Trojan Horse

Trojan Horse head

Trojan Horse promotion of Greek Exhibit

Trojan Horse promotion for Field Museum

Saint John Police Museum

Posted on Sep 18th 2015

This would have to be the smallest museum (also free) that I have been to. Worth while visiting, if you’re in Saint John. The entire museum is one small room that’s packed with all sorts of gadgets from the last century. There were a fingerprinting kit, a facial composite sketch kit, badges, IDs, firearms, and an old jail cell door on display. Also a call box, which was a phone hanging on a pole that officers on duty were required use to call in every hour. Let’s not forget, the Volkswagen Police car from 1960s parked on the street right outside the museum.

Original sign of the Saint John Police Museum

Remote phone used by the police in Saint John

Finger printing kit in displayed at the Saint John Police Museum

Close up of the finger printing kit in displayed at the Saint John Police Museum

Facial composit at the Saint John Police Museum

Volkswagen Car 177 used as police car in Saint John

Volkswagen Car 177 used as police car at the Saint John Police Museum

Ride the Polar Express

Posted on Sep 15th 2015

If you’ll be visiting the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum make sure to ride the narrow gauge train. For a total of $10 you’ll get admission to the museum and a ride on the Polar Express. The train ride takes about 40 min traveling the 1.5 mile long railroad along the waterfront of Casco Bay.

The locomotive of Polar Express train

Car on the narrow gauge rail

Polar Express cars connecting

Inside the open car Polar Express

Inside the closed car Polar Express

Polar Express car at a stop

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum

Posted on Sep 15th 2015

Located in Portland, ME, the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum has a number of artifacts from 19th century and early 20th century, including several rail cars from that era.

The gauge is defined as the distance between rails. In the US the “standard” is 4′ 8.5″. Any distance less than that is considered “narrow” gauge. From the late 1800s through the 1940s Maine had five common carrier two-foot narrow gauge lines.

Inside Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

Inside the passenger car

Another passenger car

Phillips and Rangeley Parlor Car from 1901

Newspaper inside the Parlor Car from 1901

Desk at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

Exhibit at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

Portland Observatory

Posted on Sep 15th 2015

The Portland Observatory Tower

Portland Observatory build in 1807

The Portland Observatory was build by Captain Lemuel Moody in 1807 as a maritime signal tower. Captain Moody asked the local business man to create a logo in the form of the flag. For a fee of $5 a year, he would fly the flag when the ship with supplies for that business was approaching. When their flag was up, they would know to line up the dock and the workers and be prepared for the arrival of the ship.

Until he developed that system, a lot of chaos was happening when ships arrived. They were not seen as they were approaching and practically were suddenly appearing in the harbor. Having the flag signals in place announcing the ship arrival greatly increased the efficiency of the harbor. During that time the Portland Harbor became the 4th busiest on the East Coast.

The tower remained family operated until 1923, the year when a two-way radio was invented. The tower was turned to the city in 1939 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. To this day the Portland Observatory offers panoramic views of the city.

Portland Observatory Timeline

Portland Observatory stairs

Portland Observatory window

Portland Observatory looking glass

City of Portland view

View out of the window Portland Observatory

View of the City of Portland

View of streets of Portland

Panoramic view of Portland from the Observatory

Raven Mai at the Portland Observatory

Carnival Splendor seen from the Portland Observatory