I’m a travel writer. Words are what I do. My stories may not always sing, but I usually can put one word in front of another succinctly enough to craft a quasi-well-written article. But when I heard about the newly opened Planet Word several blocks northeast of the White House in Washington DC, I was so excited, I had no words. But I knew I couldn’t get there fast enough to see all the magical ways in which words – the entire focus of the museum “where language comes to life” – can be employed in their myriad maneuverings to explain, entertain and elucidate. Interactive exhibits that talk, teach, train and titillate.
As you might expect, here words are everywhere. The floor you walk upon reveals the development of language from cave dwellings to hieroglyphics to alphabets from around the world. Elevators resemble libraries. No admonishments to use your inside voices here; but definitely use your words. The museum is divided into the foundations of language; all the cool things you can do with words, and ultimately "why words matter."
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