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Friday Puzzler Answered!

02/21/2011

There were a lot of great answers for Friday’s locations puzzler. “How did you get a photo of my refrigerator?” asked Clazy8. “Taken at the Bowery…picture of a fungus on a homeless person’s toe,” wrote Robert C. “The Statue of Liberty’s underarm hair? She IS French…” suggested Ann Onimous. And of course, “some zombie graveyard at midnight” from Jeff.

The answer?

You know, when I put this up, I was afraid I’d chosen something way too obscure…and then reader John E. answered both the correct location (the American Museum of Natural History) – AND the substance (malachite) literally 15 minutes after I posed it.

The picture was indeed taken at the American Museum of Natural History in the very interesting but often overlooked Hall of Minerals/Gems. The room has a bunch of fascinating and beautiful specimens like the zombie fingers above, but man, if there’s one room at the AMNH that feels trapped in a really uncreative 1970’s design scheme, it’s this one (I’m no chemist, but I’m pretty sure one or two of the periodic tables in the dusty display cases are missing some elements).

And the best part of the gem hall – the display case of elements that glow when the lights turn off – is gone! What gives??

Winner is John E. Congrats to Lazenby, Patrick, Noel, and Dennis for also guessing correctly.

-SCOUT

Many more posts in the archives!

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John Evans

02/21/2011

Hooray! 😀 Growing up on Long Island, I’ve visited the Museum of Natural History quite a few times, and the Hall of Minerals is probably my favorite part of the museum.

And as I mentioned, I’ve always thought malachite was quite pretty, especially when it forms amazing green whorls.

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Dirk

02/21/2011

Funny thing: I visited NY just one time for four days, during which i visited the Museum of Natural History, and i also looked in the minerals section (don’t ask me why, i don’t know). So when i saw the picture and the answer from John E. i was sure he was right, because the lighting looked very much like it was taken in there. Nice to know he was right.

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Nathan

02/21/2011

I had NO idea, and all the best fake answers were there by the time I visited.

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SLW

02/21/2011

“taken at the American Museum of Natural History in the very interesting but often overlooked Hall of Minerals/Gems.”

Overlooked? That’s the first place I go!
Minerals and Geology. Yup, Rocks!

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Jordan

02/21/2011

My favorite time warp is the New York State Environment exhibit. It’s astonishingly hand crafted—right down to the X-acto cuts on the individual cardboard lettering. Welcome back to the 50s.

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Queen TEE

02/23/2011

I would say the most overlooked exhibit is the Hall of Mollusks, near the conference room. Things fall off their displays and no one even bothers to put them back.

The mineral and gem hall is great, I was homeless for a short period of time during the winter and it was a great shelter, with the museums ‘suggested’ donation, the carpeting, dim lighting and recesses made it a perfect safe place to nap in the cold. Especially that room where they show the movie about gold on a loop.

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Heather NZ

02/23/2011

When I was visiting NYC last July with my family, the Florescent Minerals display at the American Museum of Natural History was barely working – maybe they took it out to repair it?

However, we came across a brilliant example at the Staten Island Museum. Much more impressive, especially for a small museum. (and yes, we spent 3 weeks visiting museums and art galleries, the more obscure the better, and my boys loved it!)

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Sean P. Fodera

02/25/2011

My daughter fell in love with Minerals and Gem displays there. I’ve probably got the entire collection catalogued on my computer, thanks for all of the pictures she took there (not to mention the nearly complete set from the Smithsonian). I’ll have to look, but I’m sure I have a similar close-up of the malachite.

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John

02/27/2011

Fantastic photo ..

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