Museum Archives - Nightborn Travel

Well, hello! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I haven’t forgotten about Backyard Discoveries, dear readers, even if this particular discovery is a little belated (by say, oh, maybe three months or so).

I visited Indiana in October, and one of the places I found on a list of must-sees was the Indiana Medical History Museum. I enjoy the weird and the historical, so this seemed like a perfect place to stop on a soon-to-be-rainy afternoon.

Indiana Medical History Museum

Things to Know Before You Go:

The museum is only about three miles west of downtown Indianapolis – stop by on your way to or from downtown!

If you visit, it’s through guided tour only. Which you’ll want anyway, because how else would you learn about the building and its history? Our docent was an absolute delight and firecracker. They were super knowledgeable about the museum, and also about the medical field – being a former nurse and current nursing professor.
- No need to reserve a tour (unless you’re a larger group or perhaps need special accommodations), as you can just show up. Tours are given every hour, on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays.
- Admission is per person, but only $10 for adults and less for seniors and students. Might I also remind you that the museum is a non-profit and these fees help with funding (and so do donations, so feel free to give more if you feel so inclined).
Lastly and importantly, in case it wasn’t clear, this is a MEDICAL history museum. There are specimens. There is talk of cadavers. There is an autopsy table (pictured below). This building also was once part of the larger campus of a psychiatric hospital. If the thought of any of these things makes you or anyone in your party uncomfortable, do yourself and them a kindness and perhaps check out another Indianapolis attraction like the canal walk downtown instead!

The guided tour delves into the museum’s history, from the building’s inauguration in 1896 to its use as a place to study mental illness as a part of the former Central State Hospital.

You’ll get to see and learn about each room in this former pathological department, from a lecture amphitheater, to labs and even a photography room.

Not to be missed is the relics of their studies – slides, specimens and more. If you’re looking to see a slice of brain in a box or perhaps a full skeleton, this is the place for you.

That’s a wrap for this installment of Backyard Discoveries. And hopefully, it’s given you another idea of how to cure your little travel bug. See you next time!

Just what the doctor ordered,
Katie

The Un-Planner’s Guide To: New York City (Day 2)

By tigasngulo

On August 7, 2017

In Cultural Highlight, The Un-Planner's Guide, U.S. Travel

Hello, wonderful person! If you’ve made it here, that means you’ve made it to the second and final part of Un-Planner’s Guide to New York City.

I hope my itinerary, and I use that term VERY loosely, for Day 1 serves you well. Now, let’s get the show on the road for Day 2, we don’t have much time to waste.

Day 2:

Herald Square

Plan to meet up with family for breakfast, but start your day off a little bit earlier so you have time to wander.
Realize that you’re a block from Herald Square and its Macy’s of Miracle on 34th Street fame. Use store as a landmark to return to because it’s impossible to miss, considering it takes up an ENTIRE city block.
Pick a completely random direction to go in and enjoy strolling at your own leisure while watching sleepy businesses open and traffic buzz by.

Koreatown

Be lucky that Koreatown is close enough to Herald Square that you can stumble upon it by accident.
See a street sign for Korea Way. Follow the sign.
Decide that Korean food would be an AMAZING breakfast. Meet up with your people and tell them so.
Find that there’s an abundance of Korean (surprise, surprise) places to eat that you know nothing about.
- We interrupt this guide for the Un-Planner’s Mini-Guide to: Selecting a Restaurant (A guide within a guide. Guide-ception.)
  1. Yelp it.
  2. Be indecisive.
  3. Walk up and down the street looking at menus.
  4. Wonder how you ever make any decisions in your life.
  5. Say “to heck with it” and just walk into a random place.
Fortune smiles upon you and the restaurant you’ve chosen is New Wonjo, a popular Korean BBQ eatery that also happens to serve a really dope breakfast.

This beef and kimchi soup was as delicious as it was enormous. Pictured in the background are all our side dishes or banchan, plus some excellent fried veggie dumplings.

Be thoroughly stuffed, but it’s fine, because you’ll need all those calories for all the walking you’re about to do.

American Museum of Natural History

Take your first subway trip of the day.

For this iconic blurry subway train picture, I stood just a little too close to the platform edge and got the breath sucked out of me as it went by extremely quickly. 100% DO NOT RECOMMEND. Seriously, take your blurry photo from a distance.

Arrive at the American Museum of Natural History and marvel at its museum…ness.

KNOWLEDGE.

Buy the Super Saver pass because you want to do all the things and then realize you may have made a mistake because you have roughly three hours and 5 floors of museum. TRY TO DO IT ALL ANYWAY.
Run around from floor to floor ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ at things, but mostly getting lost because seriously, how is this place so large.
Pause to watch a planetarium show about the universe. Or more accurately, watch two minutes of the show and fall asleep because the chairs are comfy, the planetarium is just the right amount of dark and Neil deGrasse Tyson’s voice is really soothing.
Spend the rest of your time enjoying the dinosaur exhibit the most because they are GREAT.

SO MAJESTIC.

Central Park

Morning has somehow quickly bled into afternoon. Head over to Central Park, which happens to be just across the street.
Walk through Central Park while thinking, “I think I’ve seen that in a movie.”

I can’t tell you what part of Central Park this is, but you’ve probably seen it in a movie.

Keep walking a find yourself amidst a lot of hubbub you don’t understand. Tourists are standing in a circle and taking photos of the ground (and of themselves and the ground).
Make it to a break in the circle and it suddenly all makes sense. You wandered into Strawberry Fields, an area paying tribute to late Beatles member, John Lennon.

Imagine all the people… trying to take a photo with this mosaic. It was a lot.

Chelsea Market

It’s time to regroup with the rest of the family, so back to the subway you go.
Really experience the ride. People watch. Read the poetry that the MTA has put up in the cars, or the other fascinating literature other passengers have left behind.

Uh, where exactly is this train going, again?

Decide on Chelsea Market because your group cannot agree on dinner. Thankfully, the market is a block long and chock full of a variety of restaurants and shops.
Let the smell of french fries take you to the Creamline for a burger and fries that you practically inhale. Then for dessert, the mini-donuts that your brilliant father has gotten from the Doughnuttery.
Roll out of Chelsea Market.
Struggle to find the right train station with machines to refill your metro card.
Arrive at correct station.
Zombie walk to hotel because you’re full of a combination of sun, food and exhaustion.
And finally, sleep.

That’s all she wrote, folks. Thanks for joining me for this brief and devil-may-care tour of NYC!

Happy Un-Planning,

Katie

Little Tokyo Feels Like a Little Slice of Japan

By waitingforrain28

On September 15, 2015

In U.S. Travel

I have been to Little Tokyo in Las Angeles twice now, and my experience both times has

been totally different, despite the fact that the place stayed the same. The reason for this is simple. The first time that I visited Little Tokyo, I had never been to Japan, and

honestly, knew very little about Japanese culture. In going the first time, I had a good experience, but I couldn’t appreciate how much this little spot really is like a tiny slice of the country for which it is named. Being there after having traveled to Japan in the spring, I actually felt something akin to homesickness. Little Tokyo made me miss Japan, and reminded me about a lot of the little things that I enjoyed while visiting the country. It should also be noted that during my second trip, we also stayed out in Torrance, rather than Anaheim, which doubtless added to the feeling of familiarity. This part of Los Angeles is home to a large population of Americans with Japanese ancestry as well as immigrants, and they have imparted some lovely things on this part of the city. Besides all sorts of delicious restaurants, Torrance is home to Mitsuwa Marketplace, a market that is truly reminiscent of the massive stores that Japanese cities have. Not only were there groceries to be found here, but there was an entire food court, as well as candy stores, cosmetic stations, and spaces for cultural classes and events.

In Little Tokyo itself, my favorite thing to do is dine. Not only are there amazing sushi restaurants here (probably one of my all-time favorite foods), but there are also a variety places with Japanese noodles. As far as I have seen, you really can’t go too wrong eating out in Little Tokyo if you enjoy Japanese fare. There is also a pretty comprehensive Japanese bakery here, where I always love to stop for dessert. Stores on the main drag of Little Tokyo are nice souvenir stops, and they have some of the most adorable little things. If there was one thing I learned about Japanese knick-knacks, it’s that they are the cutest. America has nothing on the cuteness that Japanese artists and designers can attain, and for anyone who loves adorable things, Little Tokyo will not disappoint. There are also stores in an underground, mall section of the area that sell model kits (great selection for an American store, very modest when compared to what you can find in Japan), complete with the blinding white lights that Japanese stores love to use to showcase their hundreds of model kits for sale.

Little Tokyo also comes complete with traditional temples. I actually don’t know if these are open to the public, but their presence certainly lends a certain authenticity to the area. Finally, Little Tokyo is home to the Japanese American National Museum, which has a library for Japanese ancestry research, traditional and modern Japanese art and photography, as well as an extensive exhibit covering Japanese American internment camps. I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy the museum as much as I did, but it has some of the immersive elements that I enjoy in museums, and I learned a lot of history that I didn’t know previously while there. It is definitely a nice addition to any trip to the area.

Tag: Museum

Backyard Discoveries: Indiana Medical History Museum

Indiana Medical History Museum

Things to Know Before You Go:

The Un-Planner’s Guide To: New York City (Day 2)

Day 2:

Little Tokyo Feels Like a Little Slice of Japan

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