Indeed, Happy New Year to all!

Rivett, you were in my stompin' grounds. I'd have enjoyed immensely to have put a face to your name, as I always find your posts fascinating.

Regarding the Spy Museum, it's one of the more popular places to visit (in a town *full* of museums) for our out-of-town guests. I gladly shepherd visitors through this one. Call me squeamish, but if they want to see The Holocaust Museum, they're on their own.

I find the place to be "slick" in the sense that it's clearly a commercial establishment, and has a different "tone" or "look & feel" than the free public museums. It's an entertainment center, not an academic exercise. I'm not saying that in a bad way, merely an observation.

I think the Spy Museum is generally pretty cleverly designed in the sense that the viewing experience is very compactly designed, and you get a nice, long visit out of not much real estate. The downside is it's a little claustrophobic.

The exhibits are cool & generally informative, but unfortunately, they're designed for "average people", whatever that is. I would enjoy more depth in the subjects.

It's a real playground for Tom Clancy fans. [img]smile.gif[/img]