When I was somewhere around 9 or 10 years old, my Aunt Anna took me to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I don’t remember why I alone was singled out to go with her, but I was. Maybe it was my birthday or something.
Anyway, I remember us walking over to Myrtle Ave and taking a bus to the subway stop at Kew Gardens. After many stops and switching trains a few times we eventually arrived at the museum. I had no idea what was in store for me.
We saw many displays of Roman, Egyptian and early American artifacts. There were displays of life-size figures of early man in settings that depicted their environment many thousands of years ago. All very interesting, but none of it compared to the dinosaur collection that I was about to see.
We entered a huge room about the size of a high school gymnasium and there stood the life size skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and an even larger Brontosaurus. I was blown away! I had seen these enormous creatures on TV (probably on The Walt Disney Show), but to see the actual skeletons was incredible. There were many more dinosaur bones and fossils throughout that exhibit. If I remember correctly, the final exhibit was the life-sized Blue Whale.
That was a day I’ll never forget. I wish I had a camera with me to take pictures, but sadly I didn’t. The photos of Aunt Anna below are from various sources over the years.
Enjoy –
Phil