In August 2000, I made a major road trip from San Francisco to Roswell, New Mexico. Why you ask? Mostly because I'd never been, and was in the thrall of the series Roswell at the time. (Even then I was much older than their target audience, but I found the series compelling, and I had to admit that Jason Behr in the role of Max Evans was dreamy….
But I digress.
Since visiting Roswell was not on our original itinerary but within the scope of our trip via a small detour, Ben and I decided to change our original plans and visit the place. He had never been there, and I wanted to do some "then and now" photos and figured this was a good chance to do so.
Of course, the only real tourist destination in Roswell is the International UFO Museum and Research Center on Main Street. It was a cheese-fest when I was there in 2000 and had no reason to believe it would be any different 22 years later.
And in case anyone was wondering, yes…the place remains just as cheesy as it was 22 years ago, although they've definitely upped their game as far as the displays are concerned.
Was the International UFO Museum and Research Center worth a visit if you're passing through town, ultimately heading somewhere else? Yes. The gift shop alone is worth the "outrageous" $5.00 admission. Is it a destination worth making a trip all the way from another state? Oh hell naw. I remember thinking in 2000, "I drove all that way for this?!"