Your Questions Answered, Part 2

The 2nd in a series of posts which have nothing to do with, you know, that topic I'm trying not to mention. Part 1 is here.

This is the 2nd of 2 questions from Leslie at Photographic Memory:

2) If time travel were a reality, what period in history would you choose to visit and why?

Ooh. That's a tough one. (why do I feel like a beauty pageant contestant when I write that?*).

Shocking as it is, especially considering that I live in one of the most historically important areas of the United States, I am not a big fan of history. I think that may be because much of history is made up of wars, and as such I get seriously bored when battles and ancient arguments are rehashed over and over. Of course, this lack of interest causes a dilemma when asked questions such as the one above.

What Leslie didn't specify was if the time travel was the sort in which you could interact and change history, or the sort where you end up as a viewer only, unable to affect the time you are visiting. That distinction could possibly change my answer, but I'll assume it's the prior.

I considered several options before settling on the number one choice. It would be fun to visit the European medieval castles and see what life was really like back then (dirt and disease!). I've also wondered what would have happened to Russia if Rasputin could have been prevented from doing his dastardly deeds (no WWI?). Or see first hand how the Egyptians built the pyramids (more dirt and disease!). Even explore South American cultures before the arrival of the Spanish (again, dirt and disease with a bonus side of human sacrifice!).

But what I'd really like to do is go back to the 1930's in New York City, and get to know my father's mother as a young(er) woman, before kids and before she lost her husband. She was very much of the "children are to be seen and not heard" generation, so I never got to know her as more than a distant figure even as I got older. From what she got up to with her friends as an older woman, I'm guessing she was a lot of fun back then, and I'd like to be able to find out first hand. (pie in the sky: maybe even convince her that smoking is a bad idea).



* Been there, done that. If you're good I'll tell you the story one day.