Last night I stopped by the Science Museum of Minnesota's hospitality event to check out Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, plus some of the museum's newly renovated event spaces and of course, sample some victuals from Lancer, the museum's exclusive caterer.
Aside from the array of dishes, jewelry, clothing and other everyday artifacts rescued from nearly 3 miles under the ocean's surface, the exhibit also featured the personal stories of the Titanic's passengers. I especially liked the boarding pass I received upon entering the exhibit, which had the name of an actual passenger with her age, her story and the names of her relatives on board. At the end of the exhibit, you find out if your passenger lived or died by checking the wall containing the names of all the ship's 2,200 passengers and crew. It was at that point in the exhibit when I felt an emotional connection to this story that everybody knows, and that often seems too buried in time to have ever actually happened. (I lived, in case you were curious. As did my little brother.)
The event also included tours of the museum's five main event spaces, which have more spectacular views of the Mississippi than I realized. The food was quite tasty and included great cheeses, olives, hummus and pita chips, all of which I get pretty excited about because I love Mediterranean food. Chefs were on hand to prepare small plates of shrimp in a slightly spicy sauce and the mini éclairs were among my favorites in the dessert department.
For more on the Science Museum's event space, and spaces in other museums around the Twin Cities, you'll have to wait for my story in the Fall issue of Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal. As for the Titanic exhibit, it's here until January and, at least for a history buff like me, well worth the visit.
--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor
Images from Science Museum Web site
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