 |
There & Back |
|
|
| Sept. 4: Dayton, Ohio |
|
| By Sara Smith, Times Staff Writer |
Friday, October 09, 2009 |
|
|
DAYTON, Ohio — Yup, I’m in Dayton, Ohio. Video
Actually, for all my boyfriend’s whining about how boring his hometown of Dayton is, I thought it was interesting. More interesting than I expected, and certainly better than Columbus. God, I hate Columbus.
Air Force museum
One of the first places we went was the National Museum of the United States Air Force, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. The museum is free. Dayton is home to one of the largest air force bases in the country, hence the museum being located here.
The museum was kind of interesting. There was a lot of stuff about war and military planes, which I guess makes sense, but I’m not that interested in war planes.
The first section is about the early history of aviation and includes model airplanes complete with weird mannequins dressed in awesome aviator caps (Price of caps in gift store: $48).
There was some stuff about space travel, including one of the lunar landers and some space food. Didn’t look too appetizing, but better than Amtrak’s.
There were also missiles on display. You don’t really understand how big they are until you see them up close.
The highlight of the place for me was the round, UFO-looking hovercraft, initially designed by Canadian scientists and acquired by the Air Force in the early 1950s. UFOs are cool, hovercraft are cool, so a UFOlike hovercraft has got to be the best of both worlds, and is certainly the best way to travel. Better than Amtrak.
|
The second-place highlight was the autogyro, a sort of prototype helicopter with spinning blades on its wings. I thought the Simpsons made it up, but I guess one really could go to Prussia in an autogyro.
In case anyone is wondering, 1910 was the first time a gun was fired from an airplane.
For those interested in aviation, Dayton is also home to some Wright Brothers-related landmarks that I didn’t visit but that I’m sure are fun for those interested in aviation.
King Lear
Downtown Dayton boasts a bar section, the Oregon district, as it’s called, as well as the usual small-city art, theater, music, festivals and attractions.
One thing that caught my eye in particular was a giant statue of Shakespeare’s King Lear by a local artist in Courthouse Square. I’m not sure why he’s there. As a model of good government, perhaps?
Jungle Jim’s
The best part of Dayton is actually just outside of Dayton, in Fairfield, Ohio. It’s called Jungle Jim’s, www.junglejims.com. It’s something you must experience for yourself.
It’s the best-stocked grocery store I’ve ever seen, much more so than my beloved Wegmans. (Sorry, Wegmans.) Jungle Jim’s health-food section alone is the size of one ordinary grocery store. And the wine selection is unparalleled. It boasts food from all over the world with adorable little store fronts in the architectural style of nation in question.
I even found vegan ranch salad dressing and meatless pepperoni-flavored protein stick (think vegan Slim Jim). It was weird, but amazing.
Jungle Jim’s is supposed to resemble an amusement park. It features giant plastic animals and the like and various singing animatronic displays. It’s got a monorail. And award-winning restrooms.
I can’t recommend this place more highly. It’s a day trip in and of itself, no kidding.
|
Add Your Own Comment:
Please review the legal policies posted here before posting a comment. To report abuse click here.
|
|
|
| Online Poll |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
