Hood River: Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum

I want to highlight some things that the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum does well.

You could almost take for granted that it has a huge collection, but if you were not sure, it does:

The Visitor's Guide gives the last count as over 350 airplanes, automobiles, motorcycles, jeeps, and tractors.

So just from the point of view of being able to see many antique and classic vehicles, the goal is already met.

Beyond that, I appreciate the attempts to provide context with the displays.

This might include an outfit and luggage next to a touring car, or air mail memorabilia next to a mail plane.

While most of the information is conveyed through signage, there are also video stations.

One sign that really caught my eye was for the Ford Model-T Driving School.

That is only the start of the hands-on learning. There are classes for newer cars, for plane restoration, classes targeted toward children and teens, and even one preparing for the FAA exam.

There are also regular activities like fly-ins and play days, and a picnic area.

There are many options for how you want to enjoy the museum, including volunteer opportunities.

When you are collecting large items, you may find that you are also acquiring collections of smaller items. We enjoyed displays of vintage toys and phones and cameras. We had that Mickey Mouse phone when I was a kid!

Perhaps even more noticeable was a large and neatly organized display of fishing lures.

This represented local manufacturer Luhr-Jensen, whom we would learn more about at our next stop.

We noticed storefronts bordering the walls as decor in one hanger; they were nodding at businesses that had been part of the area's history. 

That was a nice touch that added to the sense of place.

Staff were helpful and friendly, creating an overall good experience.

COVID: The vastness of the hangars made distancing relatively easy, though that might be less true on an activity day. I kept my mask on.

Accessibility: Not only are the hangers very navigable, with wide aisles (the guides are mostly riding on scooters) but the guide also specifies that there are wheelchairs and walkers available. (Not the ones pictured.)

WAAAM is recommended.

https://www.waaamuseum.org/

San Diego: Seaport Village

 Seaport Village is a shopping, dining and entertainment complex right on the waterfront in San Diego.

We really enjoyed our time there, but in retrospect I see that I really concentrated most of my photo-taking on the carousel. There were other things there. I should have taken more pictures, with a little more variety.

It is the historic Looff Carousel that anchors the Carousel District, the section of the village closest to Tuna Harbor and attractions like the Midway Museum, the Greatest Generation Walk, and the Star of India. It is perhaps a good thing that there is a cluster of casual dining restaurants here. We ate at San Diego Burger Company.

I say it's probably good that the casual dining is here, because you may have had a bit of a walk, depending on what you are doing before. Pedicabs are cruising all around offering rides, though we did not take one.

The entire village covers 14 acres, though the Lighthouse District at the far end does have several "Coming Soon" or "For Lease" signs. Shopping tends toward souvenir-type merchandise, though there is Hot Licks, with hot sauces, rubs, and spicy snacks.

Personally, I cannot believe I did not take more pictures at Seaport Coffee & Fudge Factory. Everything looked great, but the staff was also great and we were busy chatting.

And of course, we did ride the carousel. We were surprised to see that this one had spent some time in Portland in the 1980s, but that is a minor part of its history, which dates back to 1895. (The one in Spokane is also by Looff, but from 1909.)

Please note that this one is $4 per ride and only takes cash.

COVID: You can spend a lot of time outside, except for entering various shops, the finer dining restaurants, and the carousel is somewhat open but it might make sense to mask, especially when there are more people. We were there on a Thursday evening and nothing was that crowded.

Accessibility: The pathways are very navigable, though distances should be taken into consideration; remember those pedicabs! However, the carousel had a high step to get on, and I did not see a ramp. That part would be considerably less accessible.

https://seaportvillage.com/

San Diego: Greatest Generation Walk, including monstrosity

I just keep hating that statue more. 

If at some points I sound less than enthusiastic in my review of the Midway Museum (which was very well done), that relates to concerns about the military-industrial complex and some of the macho domination issues that go with that, even while seeing the value of World War II and appreciating traits like courage, loyalty, and sacrifice.

So I am not against the various memorials in the area, and see a logic to their placement, even though the way things are done it seems like there is always some construction or something in the way.

I could have tried harder to get good pictures, and I admit that, but I also think it is fair to say that the execution could have been better.

Which I guess makes everything about the monstrosity make more sense. And I was not going to go any closer!

Having seen it in some commercials, I had been thinking that having it so large and in color was in questionable taste. My bigger concern was with the origin of the photo.

https://nypost.com/2012/06/17/the-true-story-behind-the-iconic-v-j-day-sailor-and-nurse-smooch/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11154561/Iconic-kiss-sculpture-depicts-sexual-assault-says-French-feminist-group.html

The woman did not want to be kissed. The man just grabbed her, even though he was on a date with another woman who was standing right there and he could have kissed her. People still call it romantic, even when they admit it wouldn't fly today, that back then it was okay.

In addition, even though everything about the statue makes you think of Alfred Eisenstaedt's photo "V-J Day in Times Square", to avoid copyright infringement the "artist" says it was based on a similar, non-copyrighted photo. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconditional_Surrender_(sculpture)

I can't believe it works, I hate the tackiness of the names, either "Unconditional Surrender" or "Embracing Peace" (because there are a whole bunch of them out there), and all I see is an assault, glorified and romanticized by a patriarchal culture. Boo!

COVID: It is outside.

Accessibility: It's pretty navigable.


https://fundiegofamily.com/san-diego-fun/san-diego-attractions/san-diegos-greatest-generation-walk/

San Diego: USS Midway Museum

 My memories of the Battle of Midway previously were mainly that we had watched the Midway (1976) movie on television more than once. (Our father watched a lot of war movies.) 

The museum is a good place to learn.

One of the lessons is that this particular ship was not involved in that battle. It was named after the battle, and the became the museum after. The USS Midway does have information about its own service as well.

More of the information relates to the battle, often seen as the turning point in WWII, at least as far as the war in the Pacific went.

Naval aviators are a big part of that history, so there are many artifacts for that.

There are also some fun souvenirs.

You can also learn a lot about ship life.

The displays and the movie did a good job of giving the details of the battle and the significance, and honestly, the did a reasonable job of maintaining respect for the Japanese and not getting caught up so much in the macho thrill of victory that the many lives lost are forgotten.

There were so many lives lost.

My phrasing there may indicate that I would have been fine without going, which is probably true. I do not regret going.

There are people who are going to be much more into it, and that's okay.

COVID: There were not a lot of people masking. There is some open air, but not everything is and it can get crowded.

Accessibility: There are elevators, and a lot of the spaces are very navigable. There are some areas below the main deck that may be difficult or impossible to access. In addition, there are some strobes and loud flashes in the movie. The notifications are good for knowing what is available.

https://www.midway.org/