You Took a Trip Where?

If you’re in the mood for an adventure that’s totally out of your comfort zone may we suggest a visit to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in The Big Apple.

Entering Madame Tussauds wax museum

The museum itself is located on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues (a stone’s throw from Seventh Avenue). This means you’ll pass Times Square where you’ll see a Walgreen’s pharmacy that’s open 24 hours a day. Proceeding west towards Eighth on the south side of 42nd you’ll quickly come across a McDonald’s that looks as if it should be on the Strip in Las Vegas. It’s also open 24 hours and has a large takeout window that opens right on 42nd. You can place an order here until 7:00 pm at night.

The density of people and the noise level is absolutely mind-boggling, no matter what time of day you’re in this area. People who live in Manhattan’s five boroughs swear they never go near this part of town. Believe me when I say: you are not missed! Visitors absolutely love it and they come in droves!

The front of the brochure one receives when entering Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Manhattan

We spotted a party of 30-plus adventurous souls who were all wearing over-sized bright orange T-shirts that said, in big black type, “The so-and-so family reunion.” I was so intrigued by this group that I questioned one of them who said, “Yes, it’s a family reunion and we’ve come from all over the world to see New York.” The planning for an outing with this many people must be pretty extensive. I was very impressed.

EVERYONE LOVES MADAME TUSSAUDS

There is usually a line outside the museum but it moves quickly and all the employees managing the crowd are extremely polite and friendly. The line to pay the entry fee moves fast also. For the two of us it was $52.00. This is definitely a rather costly outing – especially for those with three or four children – and we saw a number of groups like this.

After paying, one is directed to take the elevator to the ninth floor and walk down to see each floor. One can also walk up but we had no intention of doing that! The elevators are speedy and again, the staff is very friendly.

Step off the elevator on the Ninth Floor and see: Adriana Lima, Brazilian model, actress and Victoria’s Secret Angel

A BRIEF LOOK BACK

Madame Tussauds is historically associated with London and is the most famous name in the world of wax museums. She established her first permanent exhibition on London’s Baker Street in 1835.

Today, there are Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong and Shanghai. In the U.S. there are five:

• The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, NV
• Times Square in New York City
• 1001 F Street NW in Washington DC
• Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA
• Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA

WHO APPEARS IN THE MUSEUM?

Celebrities are chosen from many different worlds: movies, sports, politics and music are included in this collection of over 200 jaw-dropping lifelike figures that one is allowed to touch and photograph. There are no ropes or barriers. One of my favorites was Johnny Depp and another was Lady Gaga. The likenesses were absolutely amazing – if you didn’t have any idea of where you were and you turned quickly and saw the wax figure standing there – you’d swear this was a real person.

Actor Johnny Depp

Lady Gaga

Marilyn Monroe

Actress Anne Hathaway

HOW DO THEY CREATE THESE WONDERS?

Apparently there is an enormous amount of talent, labor, time and money that goes into each one. We saw a sign that briefly explained the process:

• For starters, 375 measurements and photographs are taken
• It takes three to four months to create one wax figure
• Twenty artists are needed to complete one perfect figure
• Finally, the cost for each one is a whopping $220,000

We had lots of fun viewing Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, SpongeBob SquarePants, a smashing J.Lo and Judy Garland.

Shaun Nelson-Henrick

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