Educational Tours

November 19, 2008

• New York's Federal Reserve

  When I went to the website for New York's branch of the Federal Reserve today, I was hoping to find a giant flashing icon on the home page, "Would you all PLEASE calm down?  We've GOT THIS."  It wasn't there, although I suppose I should be equally comforted by the fact that the website still exists.  Apparently the backbone of our economy is still standing after all. (…)

November 18, 2008

• World Trade Center Site

  Apparently this is what it will look like - the building that will stand where the Twin Towers once stood.  They call it Freedom Tower, and according to the website dedicated to it, it is scheduled to be completed in 2012.  (Photo by gniliep on Flickr)
  Right now the site where the towers stood until the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, is largely a construction zone and one of the most visited locations in the city by tourists.  A friend who went there told me it is unbelievable and that your heart feels as though it's fallen into the giant footprint left by the destruction. (…)

November 14, 2008

• Battery Park, New York City

  City parks, if they hadn't before, certainly got their due credit this past week when Grant Park in Chicago became the scene for one of the most historic moments in our country.  All of the other city parks probably wished it had been them. (…)

November 13, 2008

• Ellis Island

  It was the Irish potato famine for me.  For many, it was religious persecution, financial despair - and most often, simply an unquenchable conviction that America offered hope for a better future.  These are some of the reasons many of our ancestors made the dangerous trek across oceans to become a part of the newest and greatest nation on earth.  Many of them entered through Ellis Island in New York City.  (Photo by melanzane on Flickr). (…)

November 12, 2008

• Lady Liberty

  New York City is also one of the most popular cities for student travel.  There are so many attractions here perfect for senior class trips as well as educational tours.  The art and history museums as well as those with a little more pop culture, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway - New York City is packed - from one bridge or tunnel to the next - with excitement, education, inspiration and awesome memory-making potential. (…)

November 11, 2008

• The Smithsonian's Zoo

  This is the most famous resident of the National Zoo in Washington D.C.  The zoo in our nation's capital was established by the Smithsonian Institution.  It's a complete learning center for the conservation of animals around the world.  (Photo by tiranno on Flickr)
  I've featured Washington D.C. (…)

November 10, 2008

• The Sad Legacy of Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House

  Abraham Lincoln faced the daunting task of bringing together a country that had previously divided to the point of war.  Few presidents accepted the office with such a weight. (…)

November 7, 2008

• George Washington's White House

  Now that we have a new president-elect, we're hearing everything from what he plans to do first to expert opinions on just which dog he should choose for his children when they all move to the White House. (…)

November 6, 2008

• Gettysburg National Military Park

  (photo taken by the National Park Service)
  So many different states, different religions and world views, different ethnic groups - all making up the United States of America.  One thing we almost always agree on is the privilege of living here.  And I think the greatest threat against us comes not from the outside but from within.  There are many things we disagree about - passionately disagree.  Many of us fear, I think, that the dividing lines will become more prominent than those that unite. (…)

November 5, 2008

• Inauguration 2009 with President-Elect Barack Obama

  Whether you voted for him or not, surely you can feel at least the excitement in our country that we've turned a new page. (…)

November 4, 2008

• Museum of African Art

  These days it seems people are always trying to get us to remove our religious beliefs from our decision-making, especially as it pertains to politics.  We are told to remove both religion and politics from conversation - lest we offend.  There are always arguments about spirituality and religion and the roles they have played in the past and should or should not play in the future of our country. (…)

November 3, 2008

• Museum of American Art

  What strikes me about the various art museums throughout the country is the efforts taken to create an atmosphere worthy of the art on display.  The designers and architects seem intent on creating a complete aesthetic experience for the visitor, a perfect frame for the work of its artists. (…)

October 31, 2008

• If You Build It

  If National Geographic is a tribute to nature's miracles, the National Building Museum is a celebration of our own.  A celebration, as the museum says itself, of the world we build for ourselves.  (Photo by Jeff Kubina on Flickr)
  Washington D.C. (…)

October 30, 2008

• So Much to Discover

  If the most basic goal of educational tours is to inspire students to learn, then this museum was made for them.   After all, National Geographic for over a century has been trying to do just that - for the entire world. (…)

October 29, 2008

• Mission Possible

  Children usually have this natural instinct that slowly teaches them which things in life are fairy tales and which are real.  It's a skill that failed me when it came to spies - probably because it failed me when it came to bad guys. (…)

October 28, 2008

• A Tribute to the News and to Those Who Bring it to Us

  I'll never forget an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks when I was a kid where Alvin had a dream that the Berlin Wall came down.  They sang a song in the episode to which I can still remember the chorus.  "Let the wall fall down/tumble to the ground/and we can live in peace all around."  In my memory the episode was written the year of but well before the wall was actually removed.  In my childhood, the prophetic aspect of the episode was basically magical.  In reality, I'm sure the writers were more in tune than I to what was actually happening in the world. (…)

October 27, 2008

• Where Science Meets Current Events

  This picture was taken at the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington D.C. (…)

October 24, 2008

• Money, Money, Money

  Don't you wish we all had a little more of this?  
  Now, personally I'm not scared. (…)

October 23, 2008

• As Told by Daniel

  The Holocaust was perhaps the most tragic era in human history. (…)

October 22, 2008

• Museum of the American Indian

  I was in fifth or sixth grade when my teacher asked what nationality I was, or perhaps where my family came from or some question along those lines, and I answered, "I'm just American."  Not exactly to her credit, I remember her laughing. (…)