\\ Journal 8: Downtown //

I was initially pretty confused about how a trip to downtown Fort Myers could prove to be relatable to our experience in colloquium, but having been on it now, I have a greater understanding of this. It was a bit surreal for me seeing the downtown area at nine in the morning, where many of the stores, restaurants and bars weren't yet open. I enjoyed the initial tour of some parts of the city, and was a bit delighted to find out about the cultural restoration efforts going into the city. We stumbled upon one of these when we first got to the city, where people were setting up display tents and a stage. The crux of this field trip took place at the Museum of History. I was initially pretty intimidated by the guide, and wasn't really sure what to expect from the rest of the trip. However, I came to find it extremely interesting, and particularly enjoyed entering the train car. Being able to look through all of the little rooms was intriguing. I've always been really interested in slice of life fiction, and so being able to get a similar education in person was exhilarating. At times, the tour felt a bit long in the tooth, but looking at all of the models, newspaper clippings, and other paraphernalia was interesting. This was a place I previously would never have thought to visit, but I'm glad that I did. Overall, this ended up being my favorite of the five field trips we embarked upon.