Final Newseum Day

Friday was my final shift at the Newseum. I was entrusted for the first, and consequently last, time with a radio as I was the only visitor services personel on the fourth floor. Although the fourth floor houses the First Amendment Gallery and Tim Russert’s  office in addition to the 9/11 gallery, 9/11 draws the bulk of the visitors, so that’s where I spent the bulk of my shift. There’s an odd inclination amongst visitors to pose in front of the broadcast tower for pictures when in the gallery. It is not taking pictures that is odd, the wreckage is striking, but it is that they stand and smile for the pictures. While the antenna has varying depths of meaning for everyone, it is hard to imagine how a picture of your loved ones beaming at you in front of such a sad monument could be construed as a positive souvenir.

In the afternoon I was posted on the sixth floor. Because there were two employees also on the sixth floor I had to return my radio. I was not sad to see it go, I could hardly understand the garbled transmissions and I was nervous that I would miss anything directed as me. In the usual way of things at the Newseum, visitors came in waves, unloading from the massive elevators to work there way down the building. It was a fairly busy afternoon interspersed with enough gaps that I found myself with plenty of time to check out the view from the terrace and chat with my coworkers. And thus my time at the Newseum came to a close. While it was largely boring and exhausting I did learn some interesting things from both the exhibits and the experience.