The National September 11 Memorial & Museum

My mom lives near the newly opened National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the National 9/11 Memorial Museum) so she was able to be one of the first to visit it, and to do so free of charge. The museum officially opens today, May 21.

My mom admits that she went thinking she would not like the museum at all, but left feeling it was a beautiful and solemn tribute to a terrible event. In addition to an emphasis on the events of September 11, the museum also focuses on the construction of the twin towers, and the complex and massive engineering feat that construction was, as well as on the rebuilding of the towers that are present today. On display are a few of the massive beams, as well as other relics from the original towers.

There is also a "museum within the museum" where personal artifacts, photos of those who died, and other personal tributes are displayed, which while sharing important historical pieces from September 11 does not necessarily complement the feeling of reflection and contemplation brought on by the open spaces of the rest of the museum complex.

One of the highlights of the museum is the ten minute film Rebirth at Ground Zero created by Project Rebirth, which will be permanent part of the museum.The film, which is a time lapse compilation of the reconstruction of the towers, is the final piece in a series of nine short films which followed nine people directly affected by the 9/11 attacks over eight years. You can read more about the film, and the experience of viewing it at the museum in their press release "Rebirth at Ground Zero" Opens at the National 9/11 Museum. The film's score is by composer Philip Glass, and is magnificent.

In general, my mom thought the 9/11 Memorial Museum was very well done, with just a few misses. One of those misses is the regrettable choice to have a gift shop, and the other, to charge a very steep admission fee -- $24. (Both of these choices are discussed in 9/11 Memorial Museum's Admission Fee, Gift Shop Spark Controversy.)

In addition to the museum there are also 9/11 Memorial walking tours of the area.

Other Stuff I Wrote Lately - The MoMA, Iced Coffee and Where to Pick Your Own Fruit in New Jersey

Summer's almost gone, but I'm gonna pack as much fun into these last few days of the season as I possibly can.

Here are some of the summer-themed posts I've written lately:

For BaristaKids.com I wrote about the MoMA exhibit Century of the Child. I totally recommend a trip there (without kids) to check out all the great objects of design. (Exhibit closes November 5.)

For New Jerseyans, over at NJFamily.com I have top picks in the Garden State for a nice cool iced coffee, and where to Pick Your Own Fruit - but hurry, the fruit-picking season - like summer - is almost over.

I also found a few fun ways to encourage your child's pre-writing skills, so many creative ideas! Now to see if my three-year-old feels the same way.

And last, over at Momtrends.com I wrote about Blume and their cute tees for kids. There's my son rockin' the tie-tee last summer:

What are you doing on these last few summer days?

Have a great week!

At the MoMA - Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000

My kids have certainly put a crimp in my museum-going aways, and this irony was not lost on me when I made my way to a rare museum visit to see the MoMA exhibit Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000, on display until November 5, 2012.

I'm so glad I found the time to see this fascinating exhibit - and equally glad that I experienced it without my offspring. While the exhibit focuses on the furniture, toys, books and other miscellanea of childhood, it is an exhibit geared towards adults.

When I was at the exhibit I saw many a parent pushing a child riding in a paradigm of modern design, who despite their clearly progressive leanings could not get the kid to care at all about what they were being told to show an interest in by their doting parents.

In addition to displaying stunning objects of design like Art Nouveau playrooms and pull-toys inspired by Keith Haring, the exhibit did a wonderful job explaining why these things took the forms they did, and the many forces at work that resulted in children being treated one way, or another, during the hundred-year span covered by the exhibit.

One of the most interesting shifts was in the 1960s, the first time that kids were viewed as a major economic force in their own right, and marketers began truly in earnest to create products to be purchased by, or for, this demographic. Children's lives, and their position in society, has never really been the same since this shift in outlook occurred.

A few other gems of the exhibit including a video clip of Geometry of Circles which aired in a 1979 episode of Sesame Street, and features an original work by Philip Glass.



And I loved seeing the original set from the Pee-Wee Herman Show, a perfect end to this amazing exhibit.

And last, I would like to note that my children are lucky enough to own - and be allowed to play with on a daily basis - a fair number of the very items on display in this exhibit. And a certain husband (not mentioning any names) should be overjoyed and grateful that his wife scours the Internet for these museum worthy design examples instead of wincing every time a mangled box filled with "used" toys arrives in the mail. Overjoyed, I tell you. Overjoyed and grateful.

You can read my full review of the exhibit at BaristaKids.com, as well as find all exhibit particulars at MoMA.org.

I was not compensated for this post.