Museum of Miniature Houses, Carmel, IN

Miniature houses, the more upscale name for doll houses, are a concise insight into an America perfected by imagination. Everything is always clean and orderly, even the dirt and the messes. Every possible space is filled with stuff that represents the dreams of an idealized, but non-existent middle class. There is always a rubber ducky next to every bathtub or swimming pool. Every room seems to be decorated in an homage to the taste of Elvis Presley or Liberace. The fact that almost every object is plastic seems to be a point of pride. After going through a doll house museum, of which there are several, I always hunger for a miniature house with a murder scene in action, the Manson Murders are always at the top of my list. As second best, I’d settle for a brothel.