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[Bob Cleek]

The really successful maritime museums seem to be those that are privately owned: Mystic Seaport, The Mariners Museum, etc.

Perhaps this is because the privately owned museums did not have the luxury of government financial support and started increasing admission fees and focusing on endowments for income generation earlier than the publicly funded institutions which are now "playing catchup." When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco in the 1950's and 60's, all the museums in town were completely free, save for a very occasional touring exhibition. Now they all have very hefty admission fees, although they do have children's and seniors' discounts and occasional reduced rate days. For example, the Academy of Sciences, which has the aquarium, all the stuffed animals, the planetarium, and so on, now charges adults $49.00 USD to get in and you have to buy reserved admission tickets well in advance. The Maritime Museum and the J.Porter Shaw Library at the National Maritime Historic Park in San Francisco are still free, but their hours have be drastically curtailed. To get onto the Hyde Street Pier where the museum vessels are berthed (It's presently closed for rebuilding.) will set you back $15.00 USD per adult.

 

[Roger Pellett]

I suspect that there’s nothing that they can do to get the tourists to come. Next, dancing girls in sailor garb?

 

[pugwash]

Perhaps this is because the privately owned museums did not have the luxury of government financial support and started increasing admission fees and focusing on endowments for income generation earlier than the publicly funded institutions which are now "playing catchup." When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco in the 1950's and 60's, all the museums in town were completely free, save for a very occasional touring exhibition. Now they all have very hefty admission fees, although they do have children's and seniors' discounts and occasional reduced rate days. For example, the Academy of Sciences, which has the aquarium, all the stuffed animals, the planetarium, and so on, now charges adults $49.00 USD to get in and you have to buy reserved admission tickets well in advance. The Maritime Museum and the J.Porter Shaw Library at the National Maritime Historic Park in San Francisco are still free, but their hours have be drastically curtailed. To get onto the Hyde Street Pier where the museum vessels are berthed (It's presently closed for rebuilding.) will set you back $15.00 USD per adult.

Most British museums were historically free to enter until Thatcher removed all subsidies and made everyone pay. Thankfully that's been reversed since her demise.

I was shocked to see the British Museum is charging £33 for an adult to see the upcoming exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry. It's actually embroidery.

Again, the bigger 'National' museums charge a fortune to visit their occasional travelling exhibits.

Another example of 'Rip-off Britain'.

 

[Bob Cleek]

I was shocked to see the British Museum is charging £33 for an adult to see the upcoming exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry. It's actually embroidery.

Well, it's to be expected of the French that they'd be looking to make a few francs off the deal. Isn't it?

 

[pugwash]

Well, it's to be expected of the French that they'd be looking to make a few francs off the deal. Isn't it?

Whatever is right or wrong about the French, I don't understand why Americans seem to hate them.
If it hadn't been for the help of the French, your war of Independence wouldn't have been won so quickly. Read your history properly.
BTW as a Brit, I'm glad you succeeded.

 

[Bob Cleek]

Whatever is right or wrong about the French, I don't understand why Americans seem to hate them.
If it hadn't been for the help of the French, your war of Independence wouldn't have been won so quickly. Read your history properly.
BTW as a Brit, I'm glad you succeeded.

Not "won so quickly," but rather, "won at all!"

"U.S. Americans" are characteristically ignorant of history, quite possibly because we have so little of it compared to the rest of the world. And over a geographic third of the U.S.A.'s history until 1848 is Mexican history. We aren't even the only "United States" in America. We share that distinction with Mexico also.

We don't hate the French particularly. We're just ungrateful bastards and we make fun of everybody but ourselves. Sadly, at the moment, U.S. American democracy is looking at spending a generation or two with our heads bowed making amends to most of the rest of the world for our bad behavior, France included. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

 

[pugwash]

Not "won so quickly," but rather, "won at all!"

"U.S. Americans" are characteristically ignorant of history, quite possibly because we have so little of it compared to the rest of the world. And over a geographic third of the U.S.A.'s history until 1848 is Mexican history. We aren't even the only "United States" in America. We share that distinction with Mexico also.

We don't hate the French particularly. We're just ungrateful bastards and we make fun of everybody but ourselves. Sadly, at the moment, U.S. American democracy is looking at spending a generation or two with our heads bowed making amends to most of the rest of the world for our bad behavior, France included. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

Well said, Bob.
The rest of the world has become very jaded with the US hubris attitude.
Fortunately, like the rest of the world, you're not all the same.

 

[Bob Cleek]

Well said, Bob.
The rest of the world has become very jaded with the US hubris attitude.
Fortunately, like the rest of the world, you're not all the same.

That's entirely understandable and not a bit unjustified, but we're not even close to being all the same. In fact, it's really only about a third of the electorate who live in a "Right Wing media bubble." It's an inherent defect in our electoral system that grants disproportionate weight to sparsely populated geographic electoral elements. Our news outlets have become entertainment-oriented rather than information-oriented in order to increase ratings and thus advertising revenue. Some target the "lumpenproletariat" with a steady diet of propaganda that magnifies dissatisfaction, anger, and ethnic bias. When this sorry soup begins to boil, it can manipulate enough of the votes to swing an election. After that, the rest of us have to pay hell to get rid of an incompetent regime. I can only hope the world realizes that according to the latest polls about 60% of the U.S. population, and rapidly climbing, would be cheering in the streets if the present administration dropped dead en mass. As it is, we just have to hunker down and let the clock run out until the next election.

 

[pugwash]

That's entirely understandable and not a bit unjustified, but we're not even close to being all the same. In fact, it's really only about a third of the electorate who live in a "Right Wing media bubble." It's an inherent defect in our electoral system that grants disproportionate weight to sparsely populated geographic electoral elements. Our news outlets have become entertainment-oriented rather than information-oriented in order to increase ratings and thus advertising revenue. Some target the "lumpenproletariat" with a steady diet of propaganda that magnifies dissatisfaction, anger, and ethnic bias. When this sorry soup begins to boil, it can manipulate enough of the votes to swing an election. After that, the rest of us have to pay hell to get rid of an incompetent regime. I can only hope the world realizes that according to the latest polls about 60% of the U.S. population, and rapidly climbing, would be cheering in the streets if the present administration dropped dead en mass. As it is, we just have to hunker down and let the clock run out until the next election.

Hi Bob.

With due respect, what I wrote was...

Fortunately, like the rest of the world, you're not all the same.

 

[AllanKP69]

I was shocked to see the British Museum is charging £33 for an adult to see the upcoming exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Wow, We saw it a couple years ago in Bayeux and it is LONGGGGGGG. (70 meters!!!!) I looked this up and it is going to be loan while the museum in Normandy is under renovation. Definitely worth seeing!
Allan

 

[Pompey]

Someone recently posted about this book. It appears on Amazon but it seems to be actually unavailable anywhere. Does anyone her know where to get it
Rigging First-Rate Ships of the Royal Navy, circa 1805: Modeler's Rigging Handbook Hardcover – September 1, 2025

by Thomas Gropp

 

[pugwash]

Someone recently posted about this book. It appears on Amazon but it seems to be actually unavailable anywhere. Does anyone her know where to get it
Rigging First-Rate Ships of the Royal Navy, circa 1805: Modeler's Rigging Handbook Hardcover – September 1, 2025

by Thomas Gropp

Thomas hi. Do you know the name of the author?