Is This The Smallest Museum In The World?

After reading an article about Museum in the NY Times, I had to see this place! I found the Museum in a clandestine location in an alleyway in Chinatown! Is this the smallest museum in the world? I'm not sure, but it's quite possibly the smallest in NYC.

Only three people are allowed in to peruse the exhibit, no touching, but pics are allowed. The exhibitions are very kitschy, like fake vomit, the shoe an Iraqi Journalist threw at George W. Bush and the Al Goldstein collection (former owner and publisher of Screw Magazine). The toothpaste and snack collection from around the world, and the items from from prison inmates are just plain bizarre. Take a look at the virtual catalog to find out more about the carefully curated strange collection.

Visiting the space gives you an intimate connection with the exhibit. It's a unique experience to say the least. The Museum is only opened on weekends, and it would be advisable to check the website for hours to make sure. 

If you're looking for a slice of culture on the bizarre side of the spectrum, go check it out. They do ask for donations, but its arbitrary. I left a few dollars. 

Images after the jump.

The Inmate collection

Getting the explanation

Taking it all in

Sexual Aid with a dubious claim

The shoe thrown at George W. Bush's head

Toothpaste collection

Exotic snacks

The Al Goldstein collection 

Get two of theseAl Goldstein calendars, put them together, circa 2002

Nags Head/Roanoke Island/Manteo- OBX Day 4

Cape Point Beach

The last day in the OBX was a bit melancholy, but upon reflection, the previous three days we spent here were relaxing and informative, with the beach being the focus. I felt rested, my mind soothed, hesitantly ready to assimilate back into the hectic world, but wait, I had one more day.

Tower Circle Motel

Before I left the OBX, we did the following:

About 7:30 AM, way before check out time, I coaxed my GF into an attempt to walk to the eastern most end of Hatteras Island, Cape Point Beach. Less than halfway through on the eerie secluded beach with waves pounding the shoreline she gave up, convinced that the roughly 3 or 4 mile walk was just too far! She wussed out man! I think she got scared because there was no one walking at that time. Like no ONE! Still, we could have made it! Damn, next time I'm going with or without! 

Walking back up the shore, the Lifeguard station appeared closer and closer. I was actually kind of relieved. During the walk, the sky had this ominous grey tone and the sound of the surf was loud, it felt like we were walking toward the end of the Earth! Yeah, it was like apocalyptic!  There's literally one section of beach that is roped off to swim in and that was right by the Lifeguard station like 2 miles back. I wouldn't have gone in the water that day no matter what. It just didn't feel right. The power of the sea was quite evident that day! Very scary, but still had this blissful calmness! You had to be there I guess. 

Hatteras Beach, the walk to Cape Point Beach

The Hatteras Lighthouse from the coastline

Bathroom break 2 miles up

Hatteras Lighthouse through the dune plants

We had a couple more stops to make before the drive back to Wilmington.   

The next destination was Nags Head to visit Jennette's Pier. The Pier really wasn't that exciting. We stayed less than 20 minutes, which gave me time to snap a couple of photos. We had lunch at a Sam & Omie's across the street. A waitress from Diamond Shoals recommended it. It was crowded, but the food was standard fare. Time to go!

Jennette's Pier

Nags Head Beach

Sam & Omie's 

The next and last stop of our OBX excursion, Roanoke Island- home of the mythical Lost Colony. 

Ok so you know the history; In 1587 English settlers (the second set of settlers) arrive on Roanoke Island- which they called Virginia. They live a strained, but peaceful existence with the Algonquian people. In August 1587, Virginia Dare is born, the first English settler to be born in North America. Dwindling food and supplies and low morale cause internal dissension. John White is elected to be sent back to England for supplies and food. He leaves 115 settlers behind, including Virginia Dare. It takes White 3 years to return. Upon his return there is no sign of the settlers. Only the words "Croatoan" carved into a fence post and "CRO" carved into a tree. According to historical documentation, no search was conducted and in fact, the men left next day! Hmm. No remains or traces of the settlers were found, ever! Theories and hypothesis have been suggested, but no scholar who's studied the subject can conclusively offer a concrete reason for the disappearance. 

Inside the park there's a small museum where you can view relics and get historical information, including a short docu-drama detailing the history. Also, everyday in the summer you can see a live reenactment of the Lost Colony (for free) at the outdoor amphitheater.  

The Lost Colony Amphitheater

I also discovered that in 1862 during the Civil War, the Union made Roanoke Island a Freedmen's Colony, a haven for freed African American slaves. By 1865, the population swelled to 3900 people. The colony flourished with settlers, contained a church, several schools, houses and a saw mill. Sadly, by 1867 the government decommissioned the colony, giving the land back to the original owners forcing most of the original African American settlers to move away. Thankfully, there are decedents of the original families that continue to inhabit the island in 2013. This short chapter of the African American experience has been egregiously overlooked and under documented. This discovery was a satisfying conclusion to a memorable four days!

The only documentation in the park regarding the Freedmen's Colony

*I did not take the photo of Cape Point Beach, but the rest of the images are mine. 

Stay for awhile, check out prior OBX blog posts Day One, Day Two, Day Three and on the beach with the kiddies. 

Damn, Summer's Almost Gone!

So what have you have done this summer? Did you hit the beach? Go to some free concerts in the park? Go to some museums? Take a summer trip? or Did you attend any free movie screenings in the park?

It seems like the movie in the park thing increased this summer! Screening films in the park is not a bad thing, unless it's 80 freakin' degrees at night (think back to that 7 day stretch in mid July w/90+ temps), or mosquitos are feasting on your arms and legs or it's another screening of "Grease"!

As summer rapidly eases away (it's August 11th already!) it's time to fall back, figuratively and literally! Fall is just one month away (September 22nd).

So here's what's on my late summer/fall/winter film radar!

Did I forget a film? Do you have a list of your own? This would probably be a good time to leave some comments.


1. The Butler (I've seen it, it's good!)

2. Lovelace (a biopic about the chick that was in "Deep Throat". I've never seen "Deep Throat" Anybody got a link, email me!)

3. The Counselor (this film looks sick, plus there's some talent in this flick!)

4. American Hustle (a late 70's vibe, Christian Bale always brings it. Renner's in it. The weak link could Cooper)

 

5. 12 Years A Slave (the Soloman Northrup story, another film documenting the African American experience. I got angry watching the trailer!) 

6. Walk of Freedom (how Mr. Mandela began his historical struggle. I got angry watching this trailer too! Oscar bait for Elba.)

7. Oldboy (can Spike Lee out do Park Chan-wook? The hammer scene, whoa! Netflix the original!)

8. Gravity (have you seen this trailer? I want to know how she survives this, no Hollywood ending please.)

9. Jobs (yeah I know, Eisenberg played Zuckerberg, so you know, Kutcher can sell it!)

10. The Wolf of Wall Street (ok, one more try with Scorcese and DiCaprio. Is DiCaprio really Italian?)

So there you have 10 films to fill your pop culture plate!

And you can still get a taste of summer, check out my past posts of my OBX beach excursion here, here and here.

Kill Devil Hills- OBX Day 3

Wright Bros. Mem, top of Kill Devil Hill

Most of you know that man's first flight took place somewhere in the Outer Banks or somewhere in NC. For those of you who flunked US History (no disrespect intended, I flunked Algebra), the flight was conducted at Kill Devil Hills by the brother tandem from Dayton, Ohio- Orville and Wilbur Wright AKA, the Wright Bros.

A quick side note, the largest sand dune on the east coast is in Nags Head (the neighboring town down the road). You may or may not know that. I thought I'd throw that in there anyway. We did not go to that sand dune! When inquired about the locals weren't enthusiastic about us visiting the dune. Skipped it! That doesn't mean you should, I mean if you really want to see it.

First impression- history exudes from these grounds and so do many tourists! I'm usually not one for touristy spots, but this one is a must see simply because the undeniable innovation it bought to the world. The first flight was one of the most important innovations of the 20th century. It's up there with the printing press, the railroad, the car. Man flying was just the catalyst to overpriced airlines and no food, and those understandably ridiculous wait times! I digress, sorry where was I? Yeah, so flight disrupted mankind's existence both negatively (war planes, V-1 rockets, Military drones, Air Trans Airways) and positively (business class on Emirates Airlines, Pan Am's 70's stewardess, the Space Shutter, the Mars Rover). Whatever your stance, you can't deny the irrevocable impact on mankind!

Ok so, the first visit here in 1999 was a bit of a wash out. Dreary weather, no full scale replica plane, and the use of a crude Kodak disposable camera to document a significant part of the trip made it suck more upon reflection!

This time immediately I noticed some changes. One, it wasn't overcast or raining! Two, there were two new additions to the park site-  a Centennial Pavilion (a commemorative building celebrating a 100 years since the first flight) and a Visitor's Center which holds a full scale replica of the plane (amazing) and other artifacts. Three, wait, oh yes, a series of life size statues depicting that monumentous event. Four, I was able to capture some really good images and some video!

A couple facts I'd like to share:
1. The first flight was tested on flat ground, lasted just 12 seconds and went a total distance of 120 feet.
2. The big Kill Devil Hill was only used for testing the gliders, which they flew over a 100 times before the first flight.
3. Images of the locations where those significant moments took place will be included in this post.

NO more words, if you want history and more facts go here, here and here. History geeks, I'm sure you know all that stuff, but hey, I knew some of it too,  and it was still cool to learn some stuff I didn't know.

Ok enough! Here's the pics, the photos, the images and a video (a KBR/NYC snip)!

Full scale replica of the hand glider

First flight statues

The walk to Great Kill Devil Hill 

Full scale replica of the first plane 

Inside the Wright Bros. shack 

The actual distance of the first flight marked by stones

A view from midway up Kill Devil Hill

The memorial stone marker

And I'll leave you with a short KBR/NYC snip-

Walter White: The Sad Sad Demise of the American Dad!

“America cannot continue to lead the family of nations around the world if we suffer the collapse of the family here at home” —Mitt Romney Exerting

A insightful article about Breaking Bad on MUBI.
http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/breaking-the-american-family-bad


The hype machine keeps spinning!



The hype surrounding Breaking Bad's last episodes are arguably warranted, it's in my top ten of all time great TV shows. But unlike the Sopranos or the Wire's last episodes, which felt a bit rushed, I'm not as vested in Breaking Bad and therefore won't morn its finality.

I do, with excited anticipation, want to see how Walter White's story ends. So I will be glued to AMC at 10 PM on Sunday August 11 (just over a week away) for the final episodes!


Also check out two of my posts here and here and check out some of the images in my other posts as well.

Hatteras Village/Ocracoke Island- OBX Day 2

The common misconception is that the Hatteras Lighthouse is in Hatteras when in fact it resides in Buxton.

Quick story, when I came down to the Outer Banks in 1999 they were in the process of moving the lighthouse because of significant beach erosion. It's a fascinating story, read about it here. I didn't get a chance to climb the stairs or take in it's history. In fact, it was raining and we stayed for 10 minutes, a rushed glimpse! 

This time was different (see images as proof). It was a clear sunny day, no rain in sight, and the lighthouse was solidified in it's permanent position. The lighthouse now sits about 2900 feet from its a original position and about 1600 feet from the shore. No beach erosion to worry about for the foreseeable future.

I won't go into too many lighthouse statistics and facts, but at 210 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse in America. And yes, I did climb all 12 stories. 

It's highly recommended that you take the walk to the top!

We also decided to drive further south. We caught the ferry from Hatteras Village to Ocracoke Island. The intriguing part of the 40 minute ferry ride was seeing various sandbars throughout the waters (this part of the Atlantic off the OBX coastline is aptly named the "graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the sandbars and the unusual amount of wrecked and sunken ships). There were people fishing on some of these sandbars (freaky). Without a boat you cannot gain access to some of these sandbars.

The ferry drivers deftly navigated the sandbars with expert precision! Slowing down and speeding up staying inside the buoy markers for a smooth ride. It was like the sea version of an obstacle course! Nice work fellas! Shout to the NCDOT!

Images from the ferry ride!

Then we made our way back to Buxton for a few brews and a beautiful beach sunset.

Day 2 in the books! There's some laptop wallpapers in here! Day 3 coming up next! 

Pattern Recognition @ MoCADA

On a hot ass Thursday evening when your apt is way too hot, what do you do? Go to a cultural event!

Plenty of AC and cold drinks! So my cousin and I decided to check out the opening reception of Pattern Recognition @ MoCADA for some free Brooklyn Brewery Ale, but turns out the art was really cool!

Many of the works used mixed media with mixed results, but overall there are some solid pieces of art work on display here (by the way I'm not Jerry Saltz)! And as always that BK bohemian swag was in full effect! How can you deny BK's place right now on this planet! There's nothing like it even on a hot summer evening.

This was a cool stop over before we hit the final destination, Red Hook.

Check out the MoDADA website here.

I have to admit, I didn't know about this place until I saw a twitter message from Brooklyn Exposed. Another trusted source I'll be adding to my favorite site list.

MoDADA is worth the visit! The gallery space is near a plethora of restaurants or bars a short walk away on Fulton Street. It's also near the Barclays Center so no excuses!

Take the C to Lafayette or the G to Fulton. The gallery is a block away on 80 Hanson Place. They have some interesting exhibitions coming up and MoDADA is affiliated with the Soul of Brooklyn Week coming August 17th. A quick post on that coming real soon!   

Check out the images of some of my favorite pieces and the vibe of the opening reception. The exhibit runs through October 6.