...and CDF (Wes G on the G503, I assume) has
yet again showed his odd, troll-like obsession with me, even checking out my posts on other forums...
Of course he neglected to mention I
wasn't the only one with that opinion and only he disagreed with me. Case in point from the same link:
Quote:
No enthusiast I've spoken with who has toured the "national WWII museum" in New Orleans has had anything good to say about it. The museum really isn't designed for us, but is designed for those with a casual interest. All who I know who were there were disappointed by the lack or authentic material on display.
I have not met ONE individual in person who's ever gone to the museum who said it was great. None.
Ever.
But like I said, the cultists won't hear that. Anyone who doesn't glow from the name of the place must have a problem, to them. I guess this review I found by googling the name of the museum and disappointment won't sit well with the cultists, either:
Quote:
“I'm usually positive, but its impossible here. This is NOT a museum, its an "exhibit", barely.”
Reviewed 26 November 2012 This may irk some of you because WW II is such a venerable, sacrosanct subject, that to say anything negative would seem like nothing short of a blasphemy. Yet, please remember, I am not writing a review of that horrific event, (probably the worst in human history), but of this so called "National WWII Museum", which, like many things in that largely misunderstood city, is, quite simply, a failure, or worse, a straight rip off. This goes hand in hand with voodoo shops (there was never any of that mumbo jumbo around until it was imported for the tourist trade - just ask any respectable and educated swamp tour guide, who's local heritage goes back generations) or Cajun cuisine -(the Cajuns never lived in the city - again, go and ask them; in Thibodaux, Houma, the Bayous; wherever, if you disagree).
Let me preface this review by saying I am a history buff, and human conflict - as in war - is what interests me the most. I will add that I went there with my 9 year old, who likes military hardware, and has seen some good WWII museums in Europe. I will only say that he was LIVID with disappointment when we left. So was I.
Lets begin with the building itself: its small, and it looks like there isn't much there, but there is a big one across the street, that looks like a part of the Museum complex. Surprise: there is nothing exhibited in it! It's a restaurant, designed to separate you from your $, and a theater, I think. The exhibits are all in the small building. There is a C-46 - a military version of a DC3 (something you can see in many regional airports); they said they have a Sherman tank, but it wasn't there at the time; (i know people who own them privately, but they don't call their shed a National Museum), there are some trucks and a couple of Higgins boats, (which the locals are proud of because those were built there during the War), and the rest, dear reader, is just a bunch of grainy pictures on the walls (you can find those yourself with 3 clicks of your mouse), plus some small artifacts, letters and some embarrassing stuff that looked like it was pilfered form the pockets of the vanquished. There is material on Normandy, and the Pacific War. Excuse me, but that particular War was in large percentage won - and lost - on battlefields east of Berlin. NOT A PEEP ABOUT THAT, or 40 or more million who perished there . So, perhaps it should be called the "National Exhibit of the Pacific/Normandy Theater?" Even as that, its rather poor, and certainly very incomplete. Now, you can drive yourself a couple of hours east and see a very well preserved WWII battleship in Mobile Bay, and there, on the shore - surprise! is a lot more WWII (plus other conflicts) hardware than you will find on 945 Magazine Street - but without undue fanfare, or a pompous, misleading name on it.
If you choose to visit this "Museum", and leave dispirited like i did, a visit to the "Alabama" Battleship Park might help ease the disappointment. You can stop by at Stennis Space center, see an Atlas V 1st stage at Michoud, or take a really cool swamp tour on the Pearl River along the way and make a day of it.
Now, those of you that are considering a written response to this review and want to give me some stick about it, plz, don't bother, as nothing will change my mind about the place. Also, I am not exactly a tourist: i lived in NOLA for about a year.. Finally, like the title says, I am usually very positive even if I am not exactly thrilled about the subject of my reviews, but WWII and it's history is visceral with me, and I simply hate to see this subject so shortchanged.
I have no problem with people who like the place. It does address a specific type of person. I go to museums to see stuff from their collection. In that sense, it was a huge fail in my eyes. It didn't stop me from buying a lot of stuff in the gift shop, or telling people with a general interest that they'd probably like it and that it's "probably not for collectors," and collectors will generally back that up.
I'm sorry this offends the cultists. I work with some museums locally and in other places and I don't get the least bit offended if people say any of them miss the mark. Beats me why
this museum (more than any other I've ever noticed) has such a cult going for it that won't allow anyone saying otherwise...
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
