Yuccabloom: A Memoir of Meaningful Meanderings: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

The Field Museum of Natural History has been my favorite museum since I was a little kid. It was always the favorite of my parents, and is still my father's personal favorite. Last March, when he came to visit me in Chicago, a visit to the Field Museum was his most pressing request. The Field Museum originated with the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, also known as the Columbian Exposition. From what I have read, the Museum's original location was in the building that now houses the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side. The Field Museum moved to its current neo-classical building in 1921. I have to say that I have always found the Field Museum's Greco-Roman style to be very impressive. Growing up, I thought that was how "real" museums were supposed to look like, and that anything else, anything modern, wasn't nearly as established or authoritative. Needless to say, I grew out of that phase, but even now I feel an affinity for museums housed in neoclassical buildings.

South entrance, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

The Field Museum is very much your classic natural history museum. There is an extensive exhibit on ancient Egypt to be found on the lower level, full of mummies, sarcophagi, jewelry, and other artifacts from antiquity. They have a very nice exhibit focusing on the ancient Americas and featuring indigenous American artifacts. The exhibit covers prehistorical America, but also the empires of the ancient Americas and Native American artifacts. Anyone interested in Southwestern Native American culture would love to see their extensive collection of pottery. My particular favorites are their exhibits on the Inuit and Pacific Northwest Native American cultures. They have a lot of totem poles on exhibit at the Field Museum, as well as a significant collection of Pacific Northwest Native American ceremonial masks. My other favorite exhibits focus on dinosaurs (this is the home of Sue, after all!), Tibetan and East Asian artifacts, and gems of the world.

South entrance detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

As a kid, I used to think of the Field Museum as bringing the world to Chicago. Back then, I didn't realize what a large and significant city Chicago is. I didn't know that Chicago is a city that attracts visitors from around the world to visit its museums and marvel at its architecture. Back then, similar to the perceptions of most kids everywhere about where they live, I just thought of Chicago as my home. The world was my immediate neighborhood, and anything outside of that was an exotic adventure, including a trip to the Field Museum "all the way downtown!" And so, I would walk into the Field Museum and stand in awe of its grand white hall, the large figures of dueling elephants, and the gigantic dinosaur skeletons.

South detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

One time when I was a kid, my parents took me to the Field Museum when they were holding a program featuring the traditional clothing, music, and dances of various world cultures. As a kid with a fascination with Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures, I loved watching the program. The colorful clothing exhibited by the dancers and the exotic sounds of music from around the world left me enthralled. I imagined scenes from Hindu mythology or images of Buddhist temples, all things I was exposed to from looking at my parents' Time-Life collection of books on different cultures and historical periods (which was also how I fell in love with ancient Egypt). I still remember that particular afternoon as being magical, as being swept away to some far away place, even as I knew I was still in Chicago.

South entrance detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

The Field Museum is one of the things from my childhood that fueled my curiosity about history, cultures, and the world. Anyone visiting Chicago simply must make a trip to the south end of the Loop and visit the Field Museum of Natural History. I have come to love many museums since the time I was a kid, but no other museum can rival the Field Museum's place in my heart. Here are some photos from my visit to the Field Museum today. These photos focus on the Museum's grand hall. Enjoy!

Looking north, grand hall, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

South end architectural detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

South end statue, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

South end doorway, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Looking north at Sue, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Look up at the mural above the balcony. It looks like a portrait of Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but when she had flesh and blood. Below is the real Sue, in skeletal form. As you might guess, she is quite the popular girl. She tries to scare away the crowds from taking her photograph, as she thinks she looks too old, but she has no growl or roar, and she is stationary and so cannot chase the visitors away.

North end, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Elephants are one of my favorite animals, and I remember these dueling elephants at Field Museum from when I was a kid. They are fixed, frozen in the same moment of combat seemingly for eternity. Always that same moment of tension without resolution.

Sue close-up, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Is this guy hiding from Sue, hoping that she might not recognize him?

The elephants at the Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Everybody loves the elephants!

Ceiling detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

The ceiling allows for a lot of natural light, allowing the weather to help set the tone for the place, depending on the day.

North end statue, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Is this pterodactyl circling around this lady of knowledge and inquisitive child? Ah, the pursuit of knowledge is fraught with danger! Honestly, I have no idea who or what this statue is supposed to represent.

Totem poles, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

I believe one of these totem poles has raven the trickster at its crown. The Field Museum's exhibit on the Inuit and the Pacific Northwest Indians has an extensive collection of totem poles and ceremonial masks, some of them quite colorful.

South doorway detail, Field Museum, Chicago, IL

After a few hours, back to the south entrance to get to the car and drive home. This might be the last time for a long time that I get to visit the Field Museum. It was such a fulfilling experience to visit this museum that I have loved since childhood, a great way to help conclude my time living in my hometown, and I have my friends to thank for it.

Check it out: The Field Museum