I was able to visit the New York Hall of Science on Friday (Free from 2-5). The line was long but it was worth the wait once I got inside. They had a variety of activities, mostly catered to small children, but it was still interesting to see. They had a virtual reality room where people can interact with the screen with just a hand movement. The large screen, sound effects, and the lighting made it as if I was in the ocean. It showed me how advanced technology has gotten. The angry birds section was the most popular. The game came to life with pillow sized birds and large blocks. The goal was to build our own fortress that we later had to knock down with the slingshot. The line was also very long but it was a fun activity for my friend and I. In addition to real life angry birds, they also had iPads where children could play the game on the app. The upper levels were more educational. I learned more about gravity, the insects that were there, and other science related topics. There was also an arm wrestling machine that was the highlight of my day. There were two machines that had a metal arm that we had to beat. Each player sat at one machine. The strength of the pull depended on your opponent on the opposite side. Many of the players cheated by either having others helping them or puttingtheir entire body weight on the metal hand. It was a humorous sight to see for the large crowd that gathered around.
At the end of the day, I stopped by the gift shop to check out what they had. The prices were absurd! However, they were good souvenirs (such as water bottles, toys, snow globe, hats, pens, etc) for children to remember their trip to the Hall of Science.
Overall, my trip was exciting and it was a nice way to spend a Friday afternoon. I realized that exploring museums and other places that I can go for free with my student ID is a productive thing to do in my spare time!
-Sharon Cheung