The American Museum of Natural History

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Our visit to New York corresponded with the arrival of hurricane Danny. As a result, we decided to spend some time indoors at the American Museum of Natural History, or as the boy likes to call it, The Night at the Museum Museum. 

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What a perfect way to spend a rainy day. The boy, who is a bit of a science nut, was in heaven. If the Ha family ever relocated to New York, I have a feeling the boy would want to visit the Museum on a daily basis.

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The habitat dioramas were spectacular. The dioramas, some dating back over seventy years, have been restored to their original grandeur. Some of the most impressive displays can be found in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life and the Akeley Hall of African Mammals.

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One of the boy's favorite things was a special exhibit featuring frogs. He took the opportunity to ask me no less than fifty times if he could have a frog as a pet. I told him not to hold his breath.

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Some noteworthy exhibits include a 62 foot Haida carved canoe, a full-size model of a blue whale which was suspended in the Hall of Ocean life, the prized 563 carat Star of India sapphire, and a 31 ton piece of the Cape York meteorite.

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While every exhibit in the Museum is world class, the true stars are the dinosaurs. The Museum houses the most extensive collection of vertebrate fossils in the world. To say that it was impressive is an understatement.

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A person could literally spend days in the Museum and still not see all the exhibits. In my opinion, it is a must see for anyone visiting New York.