"Is that a dinosaur?" - Beaty Biodiversity Museum UBC Overview and Tips

My feet compared to a dinosaur's

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum has got to be one of the coolest places to visit for both UBC students and the general public. From the outside, you can see this big blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling (or to some they think it's a dinosaur). I used to walk by here during the times I was doing my degree and I came in here a few times to check it out (it was free for students). However, it was hard to appreciate the things in here in its full entirety as a student as my priorities were dedicated to exams and graduating.

The big blue whale 

   I decided to come back here today as I saw a 2 for 1 deal on Groupon (UBC Alumni gets a 2 for 1 deal already). There was a "save 20%" deal on Groupon and I used Ebates so the total came to less than $12 for 2 people (which was roughly 75% off the regular price). I came here with my +1 as he loves animals (and I do too, but I'm a nerd and loves everything) and we were in the area for a meeting.
    The museum itself isn't super fancy, but it has all the bells and whistles a museum should have. There is a mini-gift shop, a small cafe (which I believe is closed) and an admissions desk at the top level. Upon showing my groupon, the volunteer at the admissions desk checked it off of my app.
No flash photography, foods or drinks are allowed in the museum. After entering the lower level through a ramp, you enter the main hall area where there are some displays and the entrance to the theatre. Inside the theatre, they feature a documentary on how the big blue whale skeleton was found. The movie wasn't playing when we were here.
    After walking past the main hall, you will see rows upon rows of black shelves (I am not sure what you would call them... maybe cabinet? We'll call them shelves - lack of a better term). There were over 30 rows of shelves. It looked sort of like a library at a glance. However, once we walked into the first row, it was impressive to see the displays. The very first row is a display of animals that went through taxidermy encased in glass cabinets. There were so many of them. For each animal class, there were numerous species in display. From goats to jaguars to different kinds of birds, insects and their eggs. This row was mainly an overview row I think. However, I genuinely enjoyed the captions that the animals had.

  We decided to start from the back and work our way forward. The very back section of the museum contained fossils of plants. If you keep walking into the sections, there are displays in the ground (such as a dinosaur feet). While we were comparing our feet to the dinosaur's, a volunteer was pushing a cart with a bunch of bird feet. It wasn't encased in anything, so we decided to take a closer look. The volunteer also had pictures (like full body ones) of each bird and she was showing us how birds that prey have clawed feet while birds that swim would have webbed feet. Looking at the wide variety of specimens of different bird legs was interesting as it painted a story on how animals adapted to their environments.
    During our conversation with the volunteer, I asked her if many students visited here. To my surprise, she said no. She was mentioning how ignorant some students were and how some students actually asked her if the big blue whale skeleton over the main hall was a dinosaur. I had a chuckle when I heard that (the skeleton didn't even have legs, how can it be a dinosaur?!). She also referred us to the hands on area hidden at the back and how we can feel some of the taxidermy animals.
    The hands on area was like a classroom. Before you are able do anything hands on, the volunteers would ask you to wash your hands (understandably, as you are touching fragile specimens). In the back of this hands on section were cabinets. When we were here, a volunteer had one open and inside were jars of animals placed in formaldehyde. My eyes grew wide open as I started to question what they were. Before we knew it, we were in a deep conversation with the volunteer and he opened every cabinet to show us everything they had. There were very interesting things from road kill (like skunks) to turtles, fossils and more. They even had taxidermy of many types of birds (they didn't do the eye part too well on this part, but it was cool to see none-the-less.

The hands on section of the museum

    Overall, there is more to the experience than I can write with this post. There are so many different animals and things you can learn about the living world here. From the animal kingdom to the fungus, there are specimens from all 5 kingdoms of the living world. Moreover, this place is actually used by researchers, so it is interesting to know that by going to the museum, you are contributing to research efforts as well as recognizing the work that many people put in, in the field of life sciences. Whether it's kids young and old, I definitely recommend coming here. The amount of things you learn is well worth it.

Tips:

One of the sections inside the rows upon rows of displays.

• If you want to save money, take public transit (remember, it's $1.75 per every half hour of parking at UBC, and no there's no combo pricing for anywhere under 6 hours)
• Students, faculty and staff go in for free, alumni can get in with a 2-for-1 deal.
• If you are not associated with UBC, you can get a Groupon for a 2-for-1 (they are not always available, however when the Groupon is available and you combine it with a Groupon sale) and then a further 6% off with Ebates.
• Website: http://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/

Lights at Lafarge Lake - Free family holiday lights event

If I had to describe this place in one word, that would be WOW! There are so many light displays coupled with the natural setting of Lafarge Lake, it is just gorgeous. In addition, it is all free and walking through all of the lights (the lights span the ENTIRE circumference of the lake) takes a good 30 minutes (if you walk fast). When I was there, it took me about an hour to walk around all the displays. I saw many people with their dogs and families so it's a great family event. The lights are on display until mid-January and it is on everyday until 11PM.

My experience when I was there:

I was here with my friends. We drove and parked at the north parking lot. It was relatively busy, and there were many families around. Small children, dogs, couples... you name it.

   We began our stroll on the west side of the lake and the first thing we saw were light arches that extended all the way around the west side of the lake. The arches is really good photo material (if there were less people). There were also many small displays like Mario-kart like mushroom lights, and lights up trees. Towards the middle of the lake, you can see lights resembling animals as well as a fountain with lights underneath it. On the hill side of the lake, there is a display that writes "Canada". At first, looking at the displays close, it looks like "@ Canada" or "(c) Canada" (depending on who is looking at the lights). 

Towards the end of the arches, you will see a very cute family of reindeer made out of lights. 

We proceeded all the way around the lake. There were displays of elves on the benches and waterfalls done using lights and more. My favourite was a dining table that was covered in lights with chandelier made up of lights. The surrounding environment of the lake and the lone dining table gave the lights a mystical feel.  There are more lights like a caterpillar tunnel, sky lanterns and more.  The circumference of the lake is almost a kilometer, and the lights surround the entire area. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend coming here. Besides it being free, there are just SO MANY displays. Unlike many free displays where there are only small drizzles of lights, this place has ALOT of lights to see and you will find yourself here for an hour or more. 

Tips:

1. Because there aren't any concession stands (at least I didn't see one when I was there), it is a good idea to bring your own warm hot beverage. I'm a person who feels naked when I watch lights without a hot beverage so I made a pit stop at McDonalds' before coming here.

2. If you are bringing your dog, remember to bring a leash. There are many families and dogs here.

3. If you want to bring your +1, remember that this is a family event, so if you want to be super touchy-feely... don't forget there are kids watching

Transportation / Getting here
1. Transit: Lafarge Lake is located conveniently at the Lafarge Lake Skytrain station.
2. Driving: There are a surprising amount of car parking here. The city parking is free but there's also paid parking. I would still say transit is the best.

Here is the official event website:

http://www.coquitlam.ca/parks-recreation-and-culture/arts-and-culture/special-events-calendar/LightsatLafarge.aspx

Vancouver Sun Run Guide 10km (Tips / Review)

This might be a bit of a deviation from what I would normally post, but I guess if you are in Vancouver, the Sun Run is a must do. Not only is the Sun Run the largest 10k race in the world (and this year (2014) because it's the 30th anniversary, the record is definitely going to be broken again).  Personally, I've been running in the Vancouver Sun Run for about 7 years now. This is going to be my 8th year at the run and there are things I discovered over the years that I wished someone would have told me, that I would like to share with you. I've organized it into sub-sections, if you are just looking for tips on race day, please skip "Registration" and "Preparing for the Run" Section

Registration
Everything starts with registration. If you have more than 10 people that you would like to run with, you can choose to sign up as a team. That said, each person will still have to pay the individual fees. What I recommend is signing up early because there is an early bird rate that you can get.
  After you finish registration, about 3 days prior to the Sun Run. An event called the "Sun Run Fair" will be held. Where if you have signed up as individuals, you must go to pick up your race package/t-shirt. The Sun Run fair is usually held at BC Place (if you signed up for the Youth/School or teams, you must pick up your package from the team captain).
  At the Sun Run fair, the sponsors are usually there with freebies that you can grab and also some information about their products.

Preparing for the Run
   If this is the first time you are running in a 10km race, I would like to say welcome. If this isn't your first time, still, welcome :D. First and foremost, before starting a new exercise routine, check with your doctor if you are suitable for running. Specific conditions to be aware of is if you have a history of heart problems, fainting spells, I would recommend checking up with you doctor before hand. Running is a very heart healthy, but heart stressing activity, so it's a good idea to always do a health check before hand (better safe than sorry right?). That said, when it comes to training, there are usually really good training manuals online, and I would say one of the best is found here on the Sun Run site: http://www.vancouversun.com/2012sunrun/pdf/InTrainingGuide2012.pdf
   For locations to run, please visit my sub blog "Journey to a Marathon" (Please note this section is still undergoing construction)

Day of the Run
   Even though 10km is not very long (compared to things like a marathon which is 42.2km), it is still considerably difficult, depending on your fitness level. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you have a good night's sleep before the run.
   Because the Sun Run is such a big event, the streets are usually jam packed with people. If you are with a group of people, be prepared to lose sight of your group. What is a good idea is to define a point, like maybe a location at the finish line where you can all meet. It is a better idea to meet at the finish line as everyone's pace is different, and also the finish line is a location that everyone must cross, so it's likely not to be missed.
   Everyone will meet at the start line, which spans West Georgia Street. The racers are divided into waves depending on your estimated finish time during registration. They have to do this to avoid having too many people running across the start line at the same time (with 66,000 people wanting to cross the start like all at once can be a scary sight).
  Personally, I don't think there is a difference about getting to the starting line/start section earlier because there are so many people and it's so packed that often, it's difficult to find a spot. The real thing that matters that the timer starts once you cross the start line and stops once you cross the finish line. So really, there is no point in trying to push your way across walls of people in the start section to just get a head start. The start will be the same for everyone and it's relative to when you cross the start line.
  Make sure you pack light or not bring too much stuff with you. Running with alot of things can be uncomfortable. One year, I brought my entire backpack with stuff from school and while I was running with it, I literally felt like a camel in the desert. They do have a $5 bag check service for people that would like their things transported to the finish line. But... I would still recommend saving that $5 and just brings less things (also with less things you are less likely to lose stuff).
  Before the run begins, there will usually be music and people leading stretches on stages. Stretching maybe a good idea before starting the race, but it depends on personal preference. Personally, I find that when I stretch before a work out, my muscles aren't warm enough so the stretching doesn't really have much impact versus stretching after the work out.

During the Run

From the Vancouver Sun Run's website

   One of the biggest mistakes that I find people doing is usually at the beginning, once they cross the start line, they will run as fast as they can and then burn out at the 2-3km mark. They hit the point where lactic acid builds up in their legs, and then the rest of the 10km feels like a drag. What I recommend is to pace yourself at the beginning.
    Somethings that you can also do is run in intervals (if you aren't accustomed to running the full 10km distance), where you run for something like 2 minutes, and walk for one. The course will start off with a down hill from the start until you reach the turn on Denman street. It's very easy to run too fast here because you are going down hill and you feel invincible with the wind in your hair.
   The route will turn and continue on the boundary of Stanley Park. Once you turn onto Beach Avenue, the scenery is very nice as to one side you have trees and the other side you have English Bay. The route down Beach Avenue may feel abit long because you will see over a kilometer ahead of you with no turns.
    The most difficult part about the Sun Run is the 20 meter climb from the Beach Ave to beginning of the Burrard Street Bridge. When running this part, you might feel like you are not moving anywhere (but you are). The sweet thing is that this part is very short, and once you are up the bridge, you've made it past the steepest climb of the route.
    One the bridge, you will be able to get a stunning bird's eye view of everyone running on Beach Avenue. I would say this is a picture worthy moment! The rest of the route will navigate through the West Broadway area, and passing by Granville Island on the way. There will be lots of people cheering you on. You will continue all the way until you reach the Cambie street bridge. The end is near, and you can see the finish line at BC Place. Here, if you still have the energy, many people will speed up for the finish line. Last year when I ran, I kept a steady pace (because the Cambie Street Bridge will still have a climb (to get on the bridge)), until the ramp down from the bridge. Then I sprinted across the finish line. It is your own preference as how you would like to run, but besides being safe, it's also a matter of not feeling bad after the run because you pulled a muscle or cracked something.


Hydration
    Throughout the route, there will be many water stations too. The thing about water stations is that you won't need to bring your own water bottle (you can if you want because everyone's need for water is the different, and you may need more). One thing I have to caution about is over drinking water and causing an imbalance of electrolytes in your body. This is a very serious problem that is often over looked. Many people think "I'm running alot, so I should be drinking tons of water to compensate". It's very hard to tell if your body has too much water or not enough, but usually when you are thirsty, it's a sign that you need water. Hence if you are not thirsty, don't go chugging gallons of water. Also, know the signs of hyponatremia (symptoms include (but not limited to): feeling dizzy, confusion, fatigue and etc... for more info, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia
    That said, many sport drinks are offered at the run too. These sport drinks have alot of sugar content and not to mention artificial colouring and calorie count. I would recommend being conservative when drinking these sport drinks. They do contain electrolytes that you need when you run, but you obtain electrolytes from food or even just adding pinches of salt to water.
 
After the Run
   When the run is finished, give yourself a pat on the back. You've accomplished something that is not easy to do. That said, be aware too. Make sure you don't just stop at the finish line and you have let yourself time to cool off (it's better for your heart). This is also a good time to stretch as stretching will help reduce muscle fatigue on the next day.
   Here, there will be food and things to eat inside BC Place. I would caution about eating too much because many people, after running, will think "Because I have burned all these calories, I can eat as much as I like". In fact, depending on your speed and finish time, you may burn as little as 400 to 700 calories during the run. They will give you food like protein bars, bagels, and fruits at the finish line. But things like bagels usually contain a large amount of carbohydrates (which you need but not in excess). It's important to eat, but becareful about overeating. I think I read in a book that this is called "compensation eating", and you will gain weight as a result.

Most Important thing of all of these tips is to have fun, and enjoy yourself!
   Anyway, it's back to studying for my exams for me. I am not a professional runner, but I've done the Sun Run a few times and is training for a Marathon so I hope my insights can help you have a better Sun Run experience.

Fields and Fields of Tulips at RoozenGaarde (Skagit / Mt. Vernon Tulip Festival)

   Even though there are many places where you can go see Tulips, they are usually in isolation and in little patches. It is only when the Tulips are in huge patches that they can have a stun factor. Knowing about the Skagit Tulip Festival for some time, I never got the chance to actually visit it. Driving by the I-5, you can see the huge cement cylinder (I think that's a chimney but I'm not sure), and there are Tulips painted on it.
   The way the Tulip Festival work is that there are multiple patches in the Skagit County/ Mt. Vernon area, and you would drive around the roads that are designated by the map: http://www.tulipfestival.org/map/print, and there will be patches along the side. The two of the biggest Tulip places are Roozen Gaarde and Tulip Town. That said, there are many places that you can see the Tulips too and they are all located along the roads that are marked on the map.
   For us, we arrived via the I-5 and we exited at exit 230 and drove around for a bit. There were a few patches along the sides of the road that was free to view but the parking was limited. Also, it was very muddy and slippery (so remember to dress for the weather and wear boots). We didn't get off our car until we were very close to Roozen Gaarde and there was a free patch for us to look at. The patch of tulips here were big, but the tulips themselves were relatively small. After, walking around this patch for a bit, we decided to go visit Roozen Gaarde just around the corner.
   I was very impressed with Roozen Gaarde as we drove into the parking area. Because we came from the south, we can see the the huge patch of tulips on the left and then a Dutch style gift shop like thing on the right. Driving into the parking lot was a bit of a pain because the parking lot was improvised and we were driving on grass that wasn't very well drawn out. There were parking marshals to help guide out the road, to the correct parking location thankfully.

Me running through the tulip fields

  Once we were parked, we made our way towards the entrance. Before the entrance, everyone had to make a pit stop at the porta potty. Just a warning about using these, make sure the doors are LOCKED when you use them. I saw a few cases of people opening up the porta potties with people in them... even though it was funny to watch the reactions, I'd imagine it would be uncomfortable for the parties involved.
  Surprisingly, the admission line was slightly long. It took about a good 10 minutes before we were able to get into the gardens. It costs about $5 per person for admission and each admission entitles a free parking spot. Walking into the gardens, it was memorizing to see the long rows upon rows of tulips.
   There were many colours and many shapes and sizes of tulips. Most of all, there were just so many and everything in sight was tulips. We began our walk on the tulip patches. Besides the fact that it was a bit too crowded and muddy, the tulips were just gorgeous. It's the middle of exam season for me right now, but being here, I forgot about my exams (temporarily).
   After walking around the tulip fields for about half an hour, we decided to cross the street to visit the displays (which is included in the admission to RoozenGaarde). There was a traffic crossing patroller who was in control of traffic so pedestrians could cross the street safely. He had a huge layer of sunscreen on his face and it was kind of funny to see him all covered up as if he was a bee keeper.
  Once we crossed the street, we entered the display area of the gardens. I never knew that there were that many varieties of tulips! There were hundreds, if not thousands of types of tulips. All of these tulips that are on display could be ordered too (if you would like them for your own gardens).
   Some of the names of the tulips were really funny. Like there were ones called "orange juice" when the tulip was really more red than orange. I found a variety that is called "Chinatown". I am not sure why, but Chinatown wasn't blossoming as much as the other varieties yet.
   Not only was the display area filled with many different types of tulips, but there were concessions selling food as well. It sort of felt like a carnival.
   In short, I would definitely recommend coming here for a walk. Despite being a bit too busy, the tulips themselves were worth it. Also the drive in the country side was a good break from reality.
 For more info, please visit: http://www.tulipfestival.org/

"Mother Nature's Stair Master" (Grouse Grind Review and Tips)

******************UPDATES FOR 2014*******************
- There are many parts of the trail that have been reconstructed, and stairs have been added. Especially after the 1/2 and right before the 3/4 mark and the last few steps before the finish of the grind. Also if you are using a grind timer, please note that the location of the timer have been changed at the top. You will need to climb up a flight of stairs after you finish the trail to the grind timer.
******************************************************
It's been a while since my last post and this is what I've been up to. I made a goal to complete 50 Grouse Grinds this summer to help fund raise for the BC Children's Hospital. I am proud to say as of August 10th, 2013, I've completed that goal and I going to share some of the insights to the Grouse Grind on this post.

Here's abit of background, the Grouse Grind is a 2.9 KM trail that goes up the face of Grouse Mountain, with an elevation gain of 853 meters and a total of approx 2,830 steps. It was built a few decades ago by two doctors of North Vancouver who wants to use the trail as a workout for themselves, and since then has become a destination for hikers all over the world. 

It is a misconception that the Grouse Grind is an easy trail with lots of scenery. It is quite the opposite. There is barely any scenery and most of the trail is really steep (on average of 30 degrees up). The trail goes only one way up and you must pay to take the gondola down ($10 which can be purchased at Alpine Guest Services). There have been many incidences (actually during the 50 grinds that I did, I on average see a rescue mission about twice a week), because many hikers who are not equip and fit for the hike undertake it and fall because of health issues. I would not recommend the Grouse Grind to ones who have health issues like heart conditions and also little kids (because of the steep steps).

Here are some tips:

• Make sure to keep to one side of the trail to leave room for people who want to pass you to pass.
• Bring Water and a snack (and don't forget to take away the garbage) so that you can stay hydrated
• Wear comfortable clothing (athletic preferred), avoid jeans or anything that won't let the heat pass or dry quickly
• Take breaks if necessary, but make sure you take it at the side of the trail and not on the trails themselves
• Avoid putting your arms around your hips, it can hit hikers coming up from behind.
• If you are using walking/hiking sticks, be aware of the people behind you. Some places are small and is potentially dangerous.
• DO NOT bring too much stuff with you. It can be very uncomfortable for you once you start sweating.

The Grouse Grind starts at the base of Grouse Mountain, and once you exit the bus (232 or 236) or from the parking lot, you will see the entrance to the grind.  At the start of the Grind, there will be signs, one that points to Baden Powell (which branches off into another trail, the BCMC trail that can also take you to the top, but be mindful because you can get lost here as signs are not clear at some places on the BCMC/Baden Powell) The Grind at the beginning starts off with a steep hill, this hill has very loose rock so be careful when you are walking over it. After the steep hill, the trail will begin to take you deeper in to the mountain. About 5-10 mins in to the trail, the stairs will start. I recommend going up these stairs at a slow but steady pace as this is the less steep part of the trail.

Once you are about 10 minutes into the stairs, you will reach rocks that will start ascending at a steeper angle. You will cross a bridge which will take you to rocks that leads up to the quatre mark. Here, you have a chance to turn back if the trail is too steep or you do not feel well enough to continue. Once you decide to continue, the rest of the trail awaits. 

In about 10-20 minutes later you will reach the half way mark. This section is probably the less steep section out of all 4 sections of the trail. Be sure to go slow and steady and keep in mind that after the half way mark, the trail will become extremely steep.

After the half way mark, you will begin a very steep ascend up a few rocks (you might need to use your hands here). Be mindful that when you need to take a break, you move to the side so that others can pass behind you. About 20 minutes later you will reach the 3/4 mark (here the mark is placed on a tree that isn't so obvious so you might miss it if you don't look up). After 3/4 the rest of the trail is steep but it is fast. Before you know it, you will reach the top! You can give your self a pat on the back once you get to the top and scream "I'm king of the world" because it is a great accomplishment to complete a Grind.

For those who are more hardcore and like to do it often, you can purchase an annual pass ($119) and/or a timer ($20) that can track your time and put your name in categories that show up on the score board. 

MUSEUM OF FLIGHT (SEATTLE TRIP PART 3)

Once we got off the bus, the entrance of the Museum of Flight was conveniently located right beside the exit of the bus. The museum is actually divided in to two parts, with one part on the west and the other on the east part of Marginal way. The bus (124 if you are coming from downtown), you will be dropped off on the west part of the museum.

We started our tour at the west part of the museum where there is a space exhibit and the airpark. Before we entered, we paid $18 for admission, which I find is an awesome deal to see so many things. Starting with the space exhibit, there was a mock space shuttle, space probe, and walls full of information on the space program. What I found was the coolest thing in this exhibit was the space toilet. There was a video along with the space toilet that explained how it worked. Too bad they didn't put a functional one there for guests to try.

After the space exhibit, we went to the airpark. Personally I am a huge fan of aviation and when I saw all of the aircraft parked outside I went wild. There was the Concorde (the only on the West coast of North America), the first Boeing 747 "City of Everett", world's first 737, Boeing 707 "airforce one", and "Connie" a Trans Canada airlines (i forgot what model, but I think it was a DHC).

The coolest thing about this air park was that guests can actually climb aboard the aircraft and take a view of the insides. Not all of them are open for viewing. When we were there, only the Boeing 707 "airforce one" and the Concorde was open. We started our tour of the insides of the aircraft with the Concorde.

When you enter the Concorde, you will immediately notice how small the insides are. The doors are just about my height, maybe even abit shorter and I'm only 5'8. Once inside, I find that my shoulders are just the width of the aisle. Although all of the seats were put behind a wall of plastic to prevent damage to them, you get to see what they looked like.

One thing that stumped me was that I remember in physics class, the professor mentioned something about how there were wheels attached to the seat of the Concorde because at Mach 2, the body of the airplane is supposed to stretch... My friend and I looked for a bit, but we didn't see any wheels... That said, the other thing that stumped me as well was that in pictures of the cabin of the Concorde, you see how comfortable and spacious the Concorde is... I realized that they must have gotten people who were shorter in size in these picture shoots. Anyway, sorry for getting side tracked, these are just observations :p.

After we disembarked the Concorde, we headed over to the Boeing 707, "air force one". Once we entered this aircraft, it had quite a vintage feel to it. The first thing you will notice is the two washroom, that had curtains as doors. Then, you will notice the passenger portion (I guess this is where the media or other people the president brought along sat). The seats were pretty spacious. The typical 707 for economy class fits 6 people abreast, however in the passenger component of the air force one, it was 4 abreast. From this you can see how spacious it is.

If you keep walking past the passenger section, you will enter the president's state room. On the way, you will also notice that the area that you would normally put luggage in, in other words  the over head luggage compartment, it is actually a crew rest that drops down from the ceiling. The crew rest it self wasn't very big.

The president's state room felt abit like one of those diners. There were tables and a series of round couches that were organized in an oval formation. Besides the fact that these couches felt abit vintage, the president's quarters felt very comfy. After passing the president's quarters  you will walk by the communications room. It is really cool to see the equipment like the radio transmitters and etc... What was really interesting was to see a "fake thermostat , which the museum even pointed out on a display. I hope back then, when the aircraft was being used by the presidents they used a real thermostat.

Before you disembark the aircraft, you will get a view of the cock pit, this was before the age of "fly by wire". So you will see all of the analog equipment that was used before all the screens indicating the altitude and seperate measurements came out.

After we left the airpark, we crossed the pedestrian bridge above Marginal Way to the other side of the museum. The first thing we noticed was the architecture of the bridge. The way the glass combined with the steel frame structure really made the bridge look cool.

The first thing you run into after you cross the bridge is the lobby of the museum of flight. We decided to visit the gift shop first. Inside the gift shop, you will find a selection of items that are all aviation related. There are models, numerous books, toys, gadgets, tons of souvenirs  One thing I must say is the price of the models aren't cheap. Personally, i'm a model collector and the price that they charge for each model like the 787 hogan 1/200 is at least 10 bucks more than what the Boeing store charge for. Mind you, the museum is non-profit, so by buying these models, you are indirectly supporting the museum. Besides the fact that the models are more expensive, the rest of the items I find are pretty fairly priced.

We didn't end up buying too many things (mainly because we are students and kinda broke...), we continued on to visit the rest of the museum. The next stop is the Great Hall. Once you walk in you will immediately notice the amount of aircraft that is hanging from the ceiling, parked on the ground and everywhere.

What I found really cool was the fighter jets that were parked on the ground. I imagined these fighter jets to be small, but they are actually pretty big. In addition to American fighters, there were many jets from China, the Soviet Union, which is always interesting to see.

Besides these jets, they also have a display about space here too (not really sure why they don't put all the space displays together), but this display is slightly different than the display on the other side of the bridge. This display features the international space station, and a section of it. When we were there, we ran into a volunteer who was super passionate about space, and we learned that the section/module of the space station is one of the few in the world on display. On the floor of the module, you can see the scenery of Earth as the space station flies above us. What was cool was this volunteer was able to point out where some things were such as the beach in North Carolina where the Wright brother's took their first flight.

A specialty of the Great Hall is that above it, there is a tower exhibition where it is setup like a control tower of the King County Airport. You get a nice bird's eye view of the aircraft taking off from King County Airport. Moreover, at this tower display, you get to see on the screen the incoming traffic coming into the SeaTac area.

In addition to all that's mentioned about the Great Hall, there are some flight simulators here. When I was here before, I tried the small simulator where you get to drive a plane with a buddy (or by yourself) and try piloting a plane. It was really cool because you get to do a 360 degree roll. However, the ride itself is pricey  For 4 mins of flight, it costs $8. We weren't even able to land our aircraft in that 4 minutes.. Haha, but never-the-less it's pretty cool.

After we were finished in the Great Hall, we (well.. I was) were hungry and we made a pit stop at the cafe to grab a bite to eat. I wanted something light so I got an Odwella juice. The price was abit more than you would pay at somewhere - say Target... But I thought, well because the museum is non-profit... Might as well.

Once we left the cafe, we noticed we were short on time so we made a quick stop at the World War I and II gallery. This gallery was really cool because it contained many artifacts about WWI and II, many were models of the aircraft that were used then. The coolest thing is you can see the transition from wooden frames for aircraft in WWI to metal frames in WWII. Besides the aircraft, they have things like uniforms from both the World Wars. It is definitely a great exhibit to explore more, if there was more time. Another notable thing about this WW1 and WW2 gallery is it's atmosphere. With dim lightening and also the ventilation in that place, it gives a feeling of sadness to the exhibit that can send chills up your spine I think if you were in there too long.

Before we left the museum, we visited the Red Barn. This was the Boeing Company's first factory. It is amazing to see where one of the world's largest companies started. Inside the barn you will see various displays of machinery that helped build planes back then. Inside there are some interesting facts about Boeing's history. One of the most surprising facts was that the first engineer for Boeing was of Asian descent! That's not all, there are brief biographies of some of Boeing's top engineers. As a word of caution, this building because of it's age and wooden structure, you can hear the floor creek as people walk upstairs... and when you are upstairs, it's a bit freaky to hear the floor creek below you...

When we were finished visiting the Red Barn, we had to run outside as the next 124 bus taking us back to Downtown Seattle was arrive. In general, this was one of the most worthwhile $18 I've spent because it opened up my eyes and also inspired me to the dream of flight. I would recommend this museum as a must visit for all aviation enthusiasts and just someone looking for a good time!