And for my 2 cents on roadside museums...
I was surprised that John Strand, nor any other posters, mentioned all the
wonderful attractions that dot America's highways in shapes like hot dogs,
dinosaurs and shoes. Being a native NYer, my favorite if The Big Duck in
Flanders, NY (located in the crux of Long Island's fish tail - that's
north & south forks for those unfamiliar with the geography).
The Big Duck (featured in an issue of Museum News last year) was
originally a duck and egg shop that caught many an eye, but it also
contained photos and memorabilia of LI and the duck farming industry,
which was once very big. A few years ago, there was talk of tearing down
The Big Duck, and the citizens of the East End banded together, purchased
a new peice of land for it, and it still gets adorned with a giant wreath
at Christmastime.
While I practically grew up inside the American Museum of Natural History,
I will always hold The Big Duck nearer and dearer to my heart because it
is closer to my roots than any architecturally magnificent building filled
with dinosaurs big enough to swallow me whole or mummies that followed me
home and hid under my bed at night. The Big Duck is Americana. Maybe it's
not on the grand scale with AMNH or the MOMA or the Guggenheim, but I can
touch it and taste it better than any of them.
 
Karen J. Kroslowitz                     phone: 808-848-4118
Natural Sciences, Malacology            fax:   808-841-8968
Bernice P. Bishop Museum                [log in to unmask]
1525 Bernice Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
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The opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not necessarily
those of Bishop Museum.