What cities are good for

It’s no secret that I’m a country boy. I’d rather be out in an isolated forest or even a swamp than a crowded city.

However, there are some things you only really get in decent sized cities. One of them is really good museums. My lovely wife and I accompanied my daughter and her family to the Peabody Essex Museum. We plan on going into Boston later in the week for the Museum of Science. My daughter home schools so museums are a good resource for her.

The PEM was founded by those who sailed the world back in the day. The maritime collections are especially interesting to us. Salem MA was once a major marine hub who’s sailors traveled the world.

One of the cool things about museums is that you never know what treasures you’ll find there. My lovely wife was excited to discover the original artwork for one of her favorite prints. There’s something about seeing something in the real world that digital copies just do not capture.

A good museum reminds me that humans really have made progress over the years. That cheers me when I despair at the current state of things. We’ve survived some pretty awful stuff. It might have been two steps forward and one back, but progress has been made.

-Sixbears