So, Randy and I met my mom, sister and nephew to see Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
The museum used to be the Union Terminal train station and is one of the most iconic buildings in Cincinnati. Our new house is just a few miles away.
I love being this close to downtown.
As we drove to the museum, I pointed out a traffic sign to Randy. You know those signs that tell you how many miles and minutes you have to drive to get to a specific place? And how every once in a while, the sign flashes an admonishment about safe driving?
Well, this one said “Don’t drive star spangled hammered”.
Which, really, is sound advice. One should never operate a motor vehicle impaired.
And I’m not saying I want to drive that way, but I wouldn’t mind finding out what star spangled hammered is, because that sounds fun.
Anyway, the Egyptian collection premiered here in Cincinnati.
It’s the first time these pieces have been seen in the United States.
I think my favorite piece was the kitty mummy.
There was also a slab of stone with the picture of a god carved in it that looks like one of the seven dwarfs. I think it was Doc. Doc Hotep. Probably.
The building houses multiple museums and an IMAX theater.
While we walked around the special exhibit, I told my mom about the time my son Zach and I slept in the museum.
Me: Yeah, it was when Zach was in the cub scouts, so about 25 years ago.
Mom: I don’t remember that.
Me: It was just one night, so not really memorable. Except I was super sick. Like the head cold from hell. I could barely breathe.
Mom: At least you weren’t outside.
Me: We were in a series of hallways by the natural history museum, just sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. I took a huge dose of NyQuil and passed out.
Mom: That’s miserable.
Me: Well, it was apparently worse for everyone else. Apparently, I snored so loud that everyone in the hallway moved their sleeping bags to a different hallway.
Mom: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Me: Yeah, Zach and I woke up alone. He said he woke up and saw people moving because I was so loud.
Me: Shell, this makes my day.
Me: We didn’t stay for the cub scout breakfast in the dinosaur room. We stopped at McDonald’s on the way home. Horrifying, really.
Mom: And now you’re back.
Me: Well, I’m not sleeping here.
Cringe worthy memories aside, our visit was lovely.
I mean, as lovely as mummies can be.
I always feel a little uneasy in these exhibits. I’ve seen TV before. Bad shit happens at mummy exhibits all the time.
I love the new design! I have so many memories of this building. My dad used to tell us stories of riding the train to see a movie and how he could do it all for 5 cents or some such shit. Then when they tried to make it into a mall we’d go there and get hot cake donuts which were the best in the world. Then the History Museum moved here and I was in heaven. Except for the Cinemax shit. That makes me throw up. Went to see Lewis & Clark on that with my daughter and ended up sitting just outside the door holding my head in my hands trying not to humiliate her further but barfing on her fellow students. Good times!
Thank you! We had to change, WordPress wouldn’t support my old theme.
And I am with you on the IMAX thing. I can’t watch them, I get completely motion sick. A show about Cuba is playing now and I would LOVE to see it, but no way I can get through that.
Star Spangled Hammered might be my new goal.
😀
We recently slept at a scout visit to the airplane museum and I had the same fear. I guess it was ok because everyone was still there when I woke up.
I love the Cincinnati Museum Center. I’ve been there a couple of times. Once they had a t-shirt with the galaxy on it that glowed in the dark. Unfortunately they didn’t have it in my size. It would have been the perfect thing to wear to a museum sleepover. Is it just me, though, or museum sleepovers a weird thing? I’m afraid I’d go sleepwalking and end up in the middle of an exhibit. Although I’m glad Zach stayed with you through the night.
I’ll look for this show in it’s travels but artifacts that old do worry me a bit about superstitions and such! Great that the old terminal is reused. In Paris the Modern Art Museum, I won’t type all Frenchy, is in an old terminal and the above lights just lend well to display.
Wow so cool… and yeah makes for a great memory, yet I really don’t like sleeping in museums either!
Star spangled hammered? Sounds like my neighbors, who had a goddamn bonfire in their back yard on the fourth. That’s kind of a no-no around these wildfire prone parts.
I’ve never slept in a museum, and now I feel like at my age the likelihood of waking up as a display would make it more stressful than it would be worth.
I do remember really liking the Oakland Museum of California, though, as local history fascinates me, but it has been many years since I went there.
That is one goofy looking cat mummy.
I loooovve the kitteh!