Michelle picked up some tickets to Dialog in the Dark at Atlantic Station online and we went to the exhibit yesterday. The basic premise is that you experience some everyday settings in complete darkness with blind tour guides. The tour takes about an hour.
Before the tour Michelle and I were waiting on some benches. She pointed me to a guy behind us who, from the back, looked like me. At that moment this guy's girlfriend/wife called out his name, which was Steve, and approached him. She happened to be wearing the shirt that Michelle was wearing. They were with an older guy that looked a lot like my grandpa. We waited for more family member lookalikes to emerge from doors but none came.
The tour started and we were led to a dim room where we took a seat. The lights slowly dimmed until it was pitch black, and then we were told to "come this way". We all became very slow and cautious. I felt the need to duck continually, as if I was going to hit my head on something. I would reach up periodically to assure myself that there was nothing but air up there.
They have infrared cameras throughout the exhibit so that they can keep an eye on whatever might be happening. I think these must be fun to watch. 90% of the time the tour group is lamely groping around and huddled in corners, stuck. They play ambient music that seems to echo strangely, such that it's impossible to triangulate positions. The tour is an hour but I feel like we may have walked a total of 30 feet.
At the end of the tour you have a chance to have the dialog with the guide. We asked about the difficulties in finding Braille markings, using computers, and getting around the city. It's a worthwhile way to spend an hour.