Growing up in Annapolis, we took a fair number of school field trips to DC museums, and particularly the Natural History Museum. The two things I really remember were the Hope Diamond and the cafeteria. The cafeteria at Natural History was one of my favorite places to eat.
I’ve wondered a bit about that as an adult – it can NOT have been all that great, objectively.
But it was the first time in my life (3rd grade) when I was given money for food but had no parental supervision. So it wasn’t that the food was objectively good – it was that I could choose anything I wanted.
I haven’t eaten at Natural History as an adult for various reasons, but the most important is that I don’t want to ruin the memory.