When I was growing up on West 83rd Street there were many places to play and to visit.  I always think of the American Museum of Natural History, a short walk from home from where I have fond memories of the giant whale who hung from the ceiling in the two story hall.  

It’s still there and she is still amazing.

The spot under her snout remains one of my favorite places in the world.

When I was much older and living in Forest hills Queens the Museum of Modern Art became one of my haunts.  Museums are places to learn, to immerse one’s self in other times and places, to see things as others see them.

While Natural History was a short walk from home, MOMA was a subway ride of reasonable length.  I joined and went frequently.

Today, living in Nassau county I got in my car, picked up a friend and used a free pass garnered from my local library and visited the Cradle of Aviation Museum. 

There’s always more to learn from institutions like this, always.  At 73, since I don’t  get around like I used to, I walked through the exhibit halls that I could and was thankful for places to sit. 

It was disturbing to see how much flight and violence are linked. The Great War exhibit was being rehabbed and unavailable but the World War II exhibit and the fighters and bombers displayed from additional times were pretty scary.  

The fact that one of the major reasons Long Island thrived was because of the Military Industrial Complex was a critical lesson learned on this visit.  The glorification of war was another one. We bring our children and grandchildren to a place like this; I wonder what they come away with.

I understand honoring those who fought but not their wars. There was nothing great about World War I except its size.

Comments are welcome Ken@leavingwest83rdstreet.com