The Epicenter of Nerdville

Two posts in two days. What am I doing? I have a reputation to live up to.

So Missy's brother Greg and his wife Katy and their kids Luke(y) and Abby flew in from Chicago this past weekend to visit. We always have a great time with them. It was very cool to watch Riley interact - more than just lay there and stare - with his cousins. He sort of played with them. He wrestled with them. He stole their toys. Good times.

Anyway, we went down to the Franklin Institute on Sunday because A. it was a gorgeous day, B. there were lots of fun and interactive things for the kids to do and C. all the kids were free.

Like most museum type places, there is usually a featured attraction or theme that runs for a few weeks and then is replaced by another attraction or theme. We happened to come on the last day of their most recent attraction - Star Wars - Where Science Meets Imagination. We walked around the corner and this is what we saw.

Boba Fett lining up overweight Storm Troopers, overweight Jawas, underage Princess Leia's. All the while a photographer on a crate was trying to get museum staff out of the picture.

Then a group of pirates rolled up and reviewed the rows of overweight Star Wars characters. Then Darth Vader and the head pirate (I assume) exchanged swords/light sabers and a new banner came down. The next attraction would be Pirates-Where History Meets Imagination.

Inside, they had some awesome exhibits (excluding the Star Wars one which was like $10 more a person). We had a great time watching the kids go from exhibit to exhibit. Riley basically wandered aimlessly and found the most satisfaction with pushing his stroller. However, what stood out to me, other than the price of lunch, was the number of Star Wars fans that were in attendance.

Now I am a Star Wars fan. When I was a young lad, I would spend nights watching all three of the originals back to back to back. I know most of the characters and can recite most of the lines. I stood in line to watch the midnight showing of every episode when they were released (or re-released for the old ones). However, after seeing some of the people who were in the Franklin Institute, I don't even come close to being able to label myself a fan.

I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that was supposed to look like Darth Vader's suit. I wasn't wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that was supposed to look like Darth Vader's suit with matching pants. Basically, if you were 40 years old, living in your parents basement and worked at Game Stop in the mall, you were at the Franklin Institute on Sunday. While privacy laws prevent me from showing you any pictures of the specific people who attended Sunday's festivities, I can tell you they all looked very similar to this person.

But really who can blame them? When else would you be able to walk around with your light saber, interact with Storm Troopers and get your picture taken with Princess Leia? It was a Star Wars nerd's real life fantasy.

I admit, it was kind of cool to see Riley interact with Storm Troopers. They all seemed to love him (I hope he isn't turning to the Dark Side!). And I even got my picture taken with a few characters (the line was too long for Darth Vader). Note Riley's expression. That was pretty much the face he had for much of the day.

The guy who got his picture taken before me (he was wearing a "Revenge of the Sith" t-shirt and was desperately in need of a shower and some sunlight) bent down and flashed a peace sign while the Storm Troopers pointed their blasters at the camera. It was classic.

Overall, we had a really great time. Below are a few pictures to help give you a sense of our trip to the Franklin Institute - Where Nerds Meet Reality.