{"id":11387,"date":"2013-08-03T22:00:43","date_gmt":"2013-08-04T02:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=11387"},"modified":"2024-12-03T17:08:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T22:08:40","slug":"if-you-only-have-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=11387","title":{"rendered":"If You Only Have Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"03<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Lansing, Michigan <\/i>\u2013 \u201cIf you only have time for one thing,\u201d begins the \u201cStellar Tip\u201d from Christine Bennett in the Greater Lansing 2013 Visitor Guide<\/i>, \u201cmake sure to visit the State Capitol.\u201d Now, there\u2019s a Visitor Guide<\/i> after my own heart, as I\u2019ve been digging deep into capitols for 38 states to this point; I love it when they are recognized as a Top Attraction in their own city. \u201cStep back to the Victorian era,\u201d are the tantalizing words they offer, followed by; \u201caward-winning Capitol Building;\u201d and \u201cnine acres of hand-painted surfaces.\u201d An image is forming in my mind and I\u2019m eager to go; I see that tours are available every half hour on Mondays through Fridays from 9 \"03<\/a>to 4. Oops, no weekends? Hmmm, weekends are important times to draw visitors. What else do people do on the weekends in Greater Lansing? For Historic Sites I note some memorials and markers that may be visited at any time: the Remembrance Memorial honoring those who died on 9\/11; the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial, honoring the 2,651 Michigan casualties of that war; the Malcolm X Homesite Marker, a registered historical landmark where he once lived. The Michigan Walk of Fame invites a leisure stroll \"03<\/a>any day of the week; it is downtown on the sidewalks of Washington Square and honors the \u201cingenuity and resourcefulness of Michigan residents\u201d \u2013 that would give a lot of insight into what Lansing, and Michigan, are all about. The Potter Park Zoo is open daily, as is the Michigan Historical Museum. The Impression 5 Science Center is open Tuesdays through Sundays, as is the R E Olds Transportation Museum; okay, it\u2019s going to take grid paper for a chart. Fit \u201ctime\u201d into what promises to be\u00a0an interesting city \u2013 now there\u2019s the challenge! <\/p>\n

\"03<\/a>But I\u2019m up for the challenge, and as a visitor who wants to live like a local while I’m here, I look for things unique to the particular place I happen to be. In Lansing, I get the chance to visit the R E Olds Transportation Museum, and it\u2019s on my list right after the capitol. Ransom Eli Olds (1864-1950) built the very first Oldsmobile here in 1897, and it is on display along with other REO\u2019s and memorabilia. Over 70 engines to see, from stationary to experimental; and vehicle models from the Baby REO (steam powered) to the GM EV1 electric car. \u201cHow many cars will trigger a memory?\u201d they ask, \u201cor put a smile on your face?\u201d I have memories \"03<\/a>of a first date in an Olds; and of my teen son\u00a0driving our beautiful white Olds with the red vinyl top through a flash-flood overflow in a Ferris Buehler move; he managed to clean it up before we knew (a story we heard after he grew up). I\u2019m not interested in cars as much as the history of cars; and memories; it should be a fun place to explore. I won\u2019t go on a Monday however; that\u2019s the day they are closed. http:\/\/reoldsmuseum.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Other Lansing museums unique to Michigan:<\/p>\n