The Grand Rapids Public Museum, Part 1

On Friday, once it was clear my step-mother was not in any immediate, or serious amount of trouble, we left the hospital to let her get some rest. I wound up with my Aunt Marci, and we were going to go and take some photos in the downtown area. There are some gorgeous old buildings, parks, the river, the fish ladder, sculptures, and so much more.

As we drove around for a parking space, though, we came across my favorite building in the entire downtown area- the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The museum isn't the same as the one I grew to love as a child. They built a new one when I was in High School, and it seems they left out a lot of the exhibits they had in the old building.

Regardless, I just love museums, and that one is one I adore. I want to go to larger museums someday, but for now, that's my favorite.

The GRPM changes the lobby exhibit quite often, and this time, it was an homage to the long automotive history that Michigan sports. There were so many little things to look at, that I'm sure I missed some things.

In the large map above, and pictured below, the state of Michigan is cut up into counties, with items on it to describe cities in those counties.

In the image below, you can see dice- which represent the casino found in Mount Pleasant, where we used to live. There is a pair of red flannel underwear, which represent the town of Cedar Springs, which was the town over from where I grew up. Below that is a rocking chair, and a pennant for Grand Rapids, which used to be known as the Furniture Capital of the world. You can just barely see a pair of Dutch Clogs, which represent Holland, a town with a large history of Dutch ancestry.

In the next photo, you can see the pennant for the Soo Locks, which is found in Sault Saint Marie, up in the UP of Michigan. Below it, the Mystery Spot and pennant for St. Ignace, which is the town on the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which is also represented by the bridge itself.

Next, the large fort, which represents Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, found in Mackinaw City, the south end of the Mackinac Bridge. The Petosky stones below that are a nod to the town of Petosky.

This one is a bit more clear of the same area. You can see the boat, which is the ferry that runs between Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Island. On the left side, there is an island with a crown. That is Beaver Island, home to the only Kingdom in the United States. Or, at one time it was. Someone declared themselves King, and the island their territory. It no longer is.

Wouldn't it be nice if gas were only $.11?

This last sign was hard to photograph. With the flash on, it reflected, so it looked lit up, while everything else went dark. Without the flash, the image was blurring a bit.

The two lighter colored photos were done without a flash. The dark ones were done with a flash. I  just liked the sign!

Right as you walk into the entrance, there are two golden ladies holding light globes.

And there you have it- the first 20 steps into the museum! It's a large museum, but I did note take nearly as many photos of some areas, so I should be able to get all 270+ photos into a few articles over the next few days. ;)