Today was Free Museum Day, meaning that Katie and I were able to print out a pass this morning, head into San Francisco, and see the Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum for free.

A good time was had by all, from the entrance guard who made fun of our reading abilities and congratulated Katie on her pregnancy, to the many charming and frightening drawings and sketches in the exhibit, to the delicious mango madness and cream puffs we had at the nearby Beard Papa afterwards.

We don’t go to many museums, so when we do, it seems like a bit of an event. Museums are event places. They take time to go through and there are usually specific exhibits that pull you in. Also, you tend to want to spend enough time there to make it worth the money of the admission or the trouble of heading to the museum in the first place.

Museums are somewhat strange places. They’re full of people, looking at the same things, but not terribly connected. They’re conveyor belts of fun things to look at, fun things to touch (in some places), fun things to listen to. But everyone goes at their own pace, making it more like a giant people traffic jam when things get crowded.

But they’re great, taken in moderation. I get a bit tired when I have to visit multiple museums day after day (which has happened on initial vacations to Washington D.C.), but going to a museum when you haven’t gone to one in a while is a bit like going to a concert. It’s new, it’s different, and it’s sharing an exciting experience with other people with similar interests, even if you never talk to any of them the entire time.