Denali!

I am one of the few students at FSU (that I have met) who would not like to leave Tallahassee as soon as possible. I actually like it. It's a little slow sometimes, and it does not quite get to be called "cosmopolitan." Perhaps "bustling," but let's not get carried away.

In honor of the new Seven Wonders of the Modern World list that has just come out, I would like to present my own list, the Seven Wonders of Tallahassee. These are the spots that I would recommend maybe for tourists (if a tourist happens to find himself in Tallahassee), but even moreso for new or longtime residents of Tallahassee.

These places all seem to me to be interesting enough to sustain multiple visits, and as an added bonus, many of them are cheap or free.

Some of these sites also bring a good amount of childhood nostalgia for me, although I am considering putting together a separate list for Tallahassee in the eighties -- a very different town than the one we live in now.

And so, without further ado:

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF TALLAHASSEE
(in the order that I thought of them)

1. The 22nd floor of the Florida Capitol Building.
If you enjoy stepping away to get a new perspective on things every once in a while, I recommend the top floor of the capitol. It is usually not crowded, and has large vinyl seats placed at intervals to face out the window. The windows are quite large, and run around the entire floor. If you squint you can see them from the ground as you walk up to the building. Another bonus is that it is kept pretty cool, especially in the really hot summer months. There is an art gallery there, too, where you can see paintings by Florida artists. The collections rotate every once in a while, so there is usually something new to see. If you work downtown, this is a great place to eat your lunch every once in a while.

It is free to get in, but a little more tricky since 9/11. The top floor is more prone to random closings, and you do have to go through a security check with metal detectors. Your best bet for parking is a meter on the street or the Kleman Plaza garage (which is only about a block away). It is definitely worth it to try to go.

nostalgia tip: This is one of the places where my brother, sister, and I used to go with my Mom during the summer. We would pack a picnic lunch (usually including grapes and Little Debbies) and ride up. We would try to spy our house, and other familiar landmarks in the funny, tiny miniature version of our town in front of us. On clear days Mom would point out to the horizon and say, "Look! We can see Georgia!" I never knew how she could distinguish the broccoli-looking trees of Florida from the broccoli-looking trees of Georgia, but the ability to see clear into another state is one of the top reasons to visit this Wonder.

2. The Florida Museum of Natural History
This is the closest thing that Tallahassee has to a zoo (aside from the poo-smelling pet store in the mall, I suppose), and it is definitely worth a trip. If you are asking for directions from a long-time Tallahassean, it would be best to call it the "Junior Museum" for the sake of efficiency. That used to be its name and frankly I think they should change it back. It costs something between $8 and $12.

There are many highlights to this Wonder, including (but not limited to!) a guest animal that changes every few months, bald eagles so close you could touch them if you weren't afraid they'd eat your fingers, Florida panthers, mean snakes you can see in a cage AND in the wild, the otters (my personal favorite), and some black bears that are pretty playful. There is also a fox that sleeps in a little doughnut shape (like a cat) in the crook of a tree, and some alligators that lay around looking bored. The whole complex is often decorated by a handful of albino squirrels, too, who aside from being all-white are also completely fearless (I saw them scampering through the panther enclosure once). Unfortunately, there are no monkeys native to Florida, hence, no monkeys in this zoo. I like monkeys.

They also have a little pioneer village, including a farmhouse, farm animals, and a blacksmith's shop that is sometimes up and running so you can see the whole grimy process. I think there's a grain mill of some kind too.

Be sure to check out the "bird room" -- a nice (cool, air conditioned) building with a big plate glass window where you can look at a bunch of birds flying through the trees. Once when I was there we spied the tall, flightless Evil Spoonbill, a rare treat. Until a few years ago, they tended to roost much farther north.

nostalgia tip: I once disturbed a yellow-jacket nest in the monkey grass while visiting the museum on a pioneer day of some sort. We had just tasted sassafras and cane syrup, and I was wearing little white sandals. The mean little bugs came out (okay, so I would be mad too if someone stepped on my house) and one of them stung me. I still remember how much it hurt, and to this day I steer clear of the monkey grass lining the paths. I am sure I made a royal fuss. My grandma and cousin and aunt were there, too, I remember, along with my sister and me. I don't remember if brother was born yet or not.

We also used to go to this museum about once a year for school field trips, and everybody's favorite was always the otters. Mine too. They are always slipping and diving around.

Incidentally, these otters are indirectly related to the marriage of Husband and me. Not long after we started dating, we went to the museum one Saturday. A few days later, at a bowling alley with his uncle, we discussed how much we liked the otters. The conversation went something like this:

ME: Wouldn't it be cool to have a pond of otters in your backyard?

HUSBAND: That *would* be cool.

M: What would their names be?

H: I don't know. What *should* we name our otters?

Our otters? I thought to myself. *Our* otters? We will communally own otters? Both of us together?

I looked over at Husband, and considered. He would not be a bad person to co-own otters with, I decided. My fate was happily sealed a few short weeks later, as I realized that I wanted to share much more with him, even more than a pond full of otters.

Tomorrow: Wonders #3 and #4.