A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering

December 21, 2003 1:42 PM

A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering. Engineering sights around the USA.
posted by plep (8 comments total)

I'm quite taken by the first picture on the page for the Texas Energy Museum. Is it the Spindletop Hill mentioned in the fun fact below, or somewhere else, I wonder?

On a similar note, the seven wonders of the modern world.
posted by nthdegx at 2:08 PM on December 21, 2003

Super link, thanks plep!
posted by riffola at 2:19 PM on December 21, 2003

Oh, good stuff. Yes, thanks, plep.
posted by sageleaf at 2:23 PM on December 21, 2003

Excellent! My view of the states is pretty much limited to the Colorado area, but I've been to Royal Gorge, which is now a full-on tourist attraction with miniature trains, ice cream, funicular railway, cable car ride, gift shops, cafes, etc.

Almost as spectacular, and still in use, and not on their list, is the Rio Grande bridge just outside Taos, New Mexico.
posted by carter at 2:55 PM on December 21, 2003

This is good.

For anyone who likes this, the Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum a/k/a Museum of Communications in Seattle is also well worth a visit.
posted by hattifattener at 2:59 PM on December 21, 2003

some good stuff there, If they had the equivalent in europe i'd demand that the deutsches museum be top of the list. It was one of the highlights of my european vacation and a must go for anyone in munich (imagine a museum the size of the smithsonian but entirely dedicated to engineering...oh yeah).
posted by NGnerd at 3:27 PM on December 21, 2003

Bah, I've been to Royal Gouge -- um, I mean Gorge. Nice view, but not worth the drive from Colorado Springs *and* admission fees. Hoover Dam was a much better deal, even after drive from Vegas, parking, and tour admission fee. Unfortunately, the "Hard Hat Tour" is no longer possible due to terraism fears.
posted by ilsa at 4:09 PM on December 21, 2003

For good tours of engineering structures, it's good to make friends with someone who's a member of ASCE, the civil engineers' professional organization. Both the college and professional chapters go out for these things all the time.
posted by calwatch at 12:07 AM on December 22, 2003