Space Center

The last day in Houston was a pleasant surprise for me.  We jumped in the car and headed for Space Center.  Shortly after they opened, we arrived.  The parking lot was filling up fast.  We walked through the door amazed by all the activity.  I was overwhelmed with the whole video arcade atmosphere.  Of course, it wasn't a video arcade.  It was a science arcade of smartness.  So, not my thing, but right up Jerry's alley.

We found a long line for a tour of the campus.  What a mess!  For a bunch of smart people, they really need to take some pointers from Disney.  There was supposed to be two lines for two different things.  We never knew what line we were in and when we reached the door, we still could have went to either ride.  Crazy.  Even worse, the wait ended up being well over an hour wait.  I have never stood in line so long either in Disney or in the military.  Really, it was quite ridiculous.  My hip was killing me.

Finally, we loaded up into an open air cart train like thing with super uncomfortable seats.  Normally, I wouldn't care but the whole hip thing.  The day was beautiful.  The biggest thing I learned while riding around the area is that in space, a person will have bone loss.  This one astronaut was up in the solar system for over 300 days but a little shy of a year.  He came back very messed up.  I would give you stats, but I have forgotten them.

In the first building we went into, I took a few pictures.  I loved the huge flag, very patriotic.  I liked the piece of equipment with patches on it.  I was reminded of the military.  The best part was seeing the two robots named Valkyrie.  They look like they could be in a movie.  I would have loved to see them walking around.  Very cool.

The second building and last stop was the icing on the dry cake for me.  I was enjoying spending time with Jerry, and I loved his enjoyment of everything.  But the space shuttle was spectacular.  I was in awe.  I was also in pain.  I sat a lot as we made our way around it.  Jerry read every plaque I think.  He was in heaven.

When we returned to the Center, I swear the crowd multiplied by 100.  The line that was long for us actually snaked all around the inside of the building.  Crazy.  I don't get anxiety from crowds, but this was huge.  We went to the gift shop and left the area.  Now, I recommend going to see Space Center if in the area, but go on a day when kids are in school, not during the holidays.

Our last stop was a mall.  I loved the skating rink and Christmas tree.  I almost felt like I was in New York or something.  A fun little side trip.