Unquestionably the best time to visit any museum is when they are serving booze. Art and history, like wit and physical appearance, are much more intriguing when experienced through the sparkling prism of intoxication. An added benefit of serving alcohol is that it generally excludes rug rats, who nearly always find obnoxious yet ingenious ways to ravage the ambience of any occasion. Think about it. You will never find a group of sane adults hanging around for a casual chat after a Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza party for the same reason most people choose not to play the bagpipes or run their fingernails across a chalkboard. The rough corollary is that it is a rare occasion when your friend calls you up on a Friday night and says, “Hey, let’s go to the museum,” unless the statement is followed by “there is an open bar” or “they’ve added a height requirement” or something to that effect. Happily, this Friday night the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is throwing its second biweekly I-MIXERS, an adults-only singles-oriented get-together designed to expose trendy urban types like yourself to the wonders of the BBTSHM and the magic of IMAX – thus the name, I-MIXERS. No doubt, IMAX is pretty cool stuff, especially when it’s in 3-D and everybody has to wear those Dale Earnhardt-style wrap-around shades. The museum also has a lot to offer, too, even if you’re not particularly interested in the story of Texas. There are lots of animatronic vignettes, interactive displays, and, yes, even the occasional historic artifact as well as an intelligent, knowledgeable staff to keep the stoners from freaking out when the statues wheel around and start rapping about Texas history. Actually, if you’re going to go to a singles event, the BBTSHM is a pretty cool place to do it. First of all, it’s a nonsmoking venue, which means that you can move freely about the cabin without fear of getting a glowing ember in the eyeball. There are also two elegant, curved staircases on either side of the main hall where you can sip your martini and check out the action down below. Sometimes you can tell a lot about a person by looking down at the top of their head – sometimes not. If voyeurism isn’t your bag, you can head back downstairs and do a little flamenco dancing to the Cadaques, a rhythmic Latin jazz band from right here in River City. Don’t worry, if you’re part of the 99% of the population who have no clue how to properly flamenco, there will be dance instructors on hand to help you learn how to work your stuff old school. Who knows? It could turn out to be a magical evening, and if it doesn’t, you’re still only out by $10 – plenty of time for a full night of clubbing or at least a photo op under the huge, 35-foot-tall bronze star of Texas out front.
This article appears in February 20 • 2004.
