Swaby's
My friends wanted to show me last night a little eatery/bar where they had gone the last semester. Swaby's. We were in town and they insisted that it was just a place worth walking in and around and out of. Let me say... there truly are few words to describe it. It is a place both intriguing and creepy all at the same time. Like one of those weird little shops in a scary movie where you are waiting for the dolls to come alive or something freaky to pop out at you.
There are so many things to look at and ponder. In essence it is a bar-museum because the owner went around the world collecting these curiosities of the past. Most of the items are replicas of famous artifacts that are either in a museum around the world or in the new and better Swaby's of New York City.
While entertaining on the surface, it was actually deeply disturbing. The only original item that was not a replica was the first ever electric chair from the Auburn Prison of New York. Displayed for all to see with a fake human doll looking like he's in the process of being fried. What? Now of course I don't want to be the killjoy of our party and it was really interesting, but inside I was wondering at our culture and our country. Men (and possibly women) were literally electrocuted to death in that chair for the crimes they had committed. Did they repent before then? Or did they go to the grave reveling in their sins? Were any of them falsely convicted? People have come and gone but here this chair sits, the creation of destructive human hands, on display for anyone who wants to come and sit by the bar. My spirit has just been bothered by it each time I think of it. Maybe I'm dramatic, I don't know, but things like that really get to me. There were also old wanted posters with extremely detailed facts about escaped criminals and their mug shots, some from as early as 1802. I wonder what their really stories were, some certainly looked menacing others just looked like scared kids.
It was an experience to say the least. I'm still not quite sure what I learned from it; I'm still waiting on the revelation to come. All I can say is that it stirred the compassion in me and only added to the heartache I have for this broken world. If it hurts me even a little, I cannot imagine the ache in God's heart.
I just remember how He tells His people, "I long to be gracious to you." Lord you have given this dark world a way into the light, teach us to desire and walk in that way! Amen.
There are so many things to look at and ponder. In essence it is a bar-museum because the owner went around the world collecting these curiosities of the past. Most of the items are replicas of famous artifacts that are either in a museum around the world or in the new and better Swaby's of New York City.
While entertaining on the surface, it was actually deeply disturbing. The only original item that was not a replica was the first ever electric chair from the Auburn Prison of New York. Displayed for all to see with a fake human doll looking like he's in the process of being fried. What? Now of course I don't want to be the killjoy of our party and it was really interesting, but inside I was wondering at our culture and our country. Men (and possibly women) were literally electrocuted to death in that chair for the crimes they had committed. Did they repent before then? Or did they go to the grave reveling in their sins? Were any of them falsely convicted? People have come and gone but here this chair sits, the creation of destructive human hands, on display for anyone who wants to come and sit by the bar. My spirit has just been bothered by it each time I think of it. Maybe I'm dramatic, I don't know, but things like that really get to me. There were also old wanted posters with extremely detailed facts about escaped criminals and their mug shots, some from as early as 1802. I wonder what their really stories were, some certainly looked menacing others just looked like scared kids.
It was an experience to say the least. I'm still not quite sure what I learned from it; I'm still waiting on the revelation to come. All I can say is that it stirred the compassion in me and only added to the heartache I have for this broken world. If it hurts me even a little, I cannot imagine the ache in God's heart.
I just remember how He tells His people, "I long to be gracious to you." Lord you have given this dark world a way into the light, teach us to desire and walk in that way! Amen.
how peculiar! Leave it to Ithaca to produce such an odd little establishment. I'm glad to see you're back in the blogosphere! :)
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