A week ago or so, I was down in Tennessee visiting Glenn and Jenny and my granddogs, Rocket and Hank. Although I brought the darn snow with me, the weather did warm up somewhat by the time I was ready to come back. The day before I left, Glenn and I headed to Chattanooga, me anxious to visit the Hunter Art Museum. Full disclosure: going to art museums is a necessary thing in any new city I visit. On the two hour drive through some blinding rain, I was checking the directions when I saw the words..."closes at 2pm today." WHAT??!! What art museum, or any museum for that matter, closes at 2pm on a Friday? Unfathomable. But, wait, a recollection seeped back to me. It was August in St. Petersburg, Florida, and John and I race walked through the streets to get to the Salvador Dali Museum, once we had ditched the rest of the family. We had limited time, but figured an hour wasn't too bad. As we approached the museum, we saw people outside with champagne glasses, dressed to the nines. Getting closer, a gentleman turned to say, "I'm sorry, we're Closed for a Private Event."
Glenn had a laugh at my consternation and the weird circumstance that was actually repeating itself. It had been almost ten years before I'd gotten back to see the Dali Museum. But why was the Hunter Museum closing at 2pm? I decide I wanted my picture taken in front of the museum. We parked a block away and walked up the long driveway. Glenn said, "Wait'll you see what that sign says." As we neared, I couldn't believe my eyes... "Closed for a Private Event." We had a good laugh, and the museum man seemed genuinely sorry when we told him my recurring problem with getting into museums.
A few years ago my friend Deanna and I drove to DIA Beacon on a blustery winter day, arriving early, but finding the parking lot curiously empty, with a young man standing at the entrance to the parking lot. Looking like he'd already been given some flack from previous car occupants, he leaned down to say, "I'm sorry, we're closed today, due to a heating problem." We did get a voucher to go back for a freebie another time.
Driving from Florida to Tennessee another time, we were coming up to Macon Georgia. "Wow, we can go see the Allman Brother's Museum," I said excitedly. We got off at the exit, and stopped at a fast food place for a bite first. That was where I found out the Museum was closed on Wednesdays. In Winchester, Virginia, John patiently walked and walked as we searched for Patsy Cline's House, only to learn that it was open seasonally, beginning in April. We were there a week too early...
And the moral of this sad, sad tale of bad museum karma? There's always another museum I CAN get into. And I won't stop trying.
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