Can't We All Just Get Along

Day 4: Museum of Tolerance

Sarah and I were watching a movie one day (I think it might have been Freedom Writers, about the kids in Long Beach that wrote a bunch of essays that got published into a book) and the characters in the film went to a place called the Museum of Tolerance where they learned all about the holocaust and what the Jewish people went through.  We both turned to each other and said that would be an interesting place to go.  So, that night the Museum of Tolerance got put on the ol' To-Do list.  You know the one.  It's the list of things you say, "we should do that someday!" Only someday never seems to come, and the list just keeps growing with nothing ever getting crossed off.  Enter my 30 new things in 30 days challenge.  I can now successfully cross one thing off my ever growing list of extra curricular activities.

Unfortunately Sarah had to work so she wasn't able to go with me, so I enlisted the company of a friend (thank you Anna) to join me on my little adventure.  The museum is in Los Angeles, so by the time we got there and found the place we didn't have a lot of time to explore. ( For those of you who mistakenly lump together anything south of the Grape Vine as Los Angeles, I actually live in Orange County so there was a bit of drive time involved to get to the museum.)  We were able to check out two of the main exhibits, most important of which, and the whole reason for wanting to go there was the Holocaust exhibit. 

The exhibit takes you on a journey from the time before the war began and how Hitler rose to power, through to the end with stories of  many different fates.  It was interesting to learn a little more about the events and history leading up to the Holocaust. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the way it was constructed.  As you walk through the exhibit you are led down halls and rooms and through gates that are replicas of what the victims of the Holocaust would have experienced.  The authenticity of it all brings you to a striking sense of the reality of what these people went through.

Overall I would say that the Museum of Tolerance is definitely worth the effort.  Even if it weren't for the fact that there is an entire exhibit that I didn't have time to see, it wouldn't take much to convince me to go again.  And, as a bonus, it's not that far from Pink's Hot Dogs.  If you don't know what that is you're missing out.  It's a famous hot dog stand in LA, and it got that way for a reason.  It was DELICIOUS.  Huge, greasy, fattening and delicious! Now if the decision to fill your body with that type of cuisine is revolting  to you well then I say you should just learn to be a little more tolerant.