Monthly Archives: February 2015

Rochester NY

George Eastman Home and Museum

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If you are a Millenial, there’s a good chance you might not even know the name George Eastman. He is considered the father of popular photography and film and was the inventor of the Kodak camera. During his lifetime, he donated millions to public parks, hospitals, clinics, the arts, and other charitable institutions. And tucked away just outside of downtown, New York, you can tour his massive 19th century home and estate, which also serves as the International Museum of Photography and Film. The museum’s holdings rival any in the U.S. when it comes to early photography. The home, built between 1901 and 1905, contains 50 rooms and covers ~35,000 square feet of space.

An interesting aside: Kodak is a word Eastman (with rumored assistance from his mother) created. He liked the letter K and wanted a short word that could not be associated with anything other than itself.

SAS Score: 4

San Diego CA

U.S.S. Midway

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Beginning service in 1945, just after the close of World War II, the U.S.S Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955. Seeing action in the Vietnam War and Desert Storm, she was operational for 47 years. Post decommission, the Midway moved to its current home along Navy Pier in San Diego and now serves as a fantastic museum. The ship itself would be worth the time to see, it’s massive. Self guided tours are complemented with audio devices and many docents along the way to enhance the experience. You can freely walk the ship to visit the flight deck, huge galley, engine room, hospital, barber shop, workshop, jail, laundry, sleeping quarters, post office, and the bridge. As if that wasn’t enough to make it worth the stop, the museum also includes numerous exhibits and restored historic aircraft covering multiple eras. There are also flight simulators, films, and several interactive items to take in. One could easily spend several hours wandering this very cool location, but for those with only an hour or so, it’s still worth a stop if you are close to downtown San Diego.

SAS Score: 3

Chicago IL

Tribune Building

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I found it amusing that several of my good friends from the Windy City didn’t even realize this little gem existed. Not the Tribune Building itself, but the artifacts that line the outside of the building from very famous locations throughout history. There are over 140 pieces ranging from The Vatican to a jagged piece of steel from the attack on the World Trade Center buildings in 2001. There are also fragments of the Alamo, Edinburgh Castle, Notre Dame Cathedral, Bunker Hill, The Forbidden City, The Berlin Wall, The Sydney Opera House, The Great Wall, and the beaches of Normandy. There is also a moon rock, not embedded, sitting in the window of the building. With so many more I won’t list, the ohhhh ahhhh factor is pretty high if you are into history. SAS Score: 4