Eric R.
Yelp
"True love never fades away. Nothing can take away the beautiful memory of love that once was..."
Oh my heart. I've always been a Titanic fan even before the Hollywood version, it's just the history romantic in me, I guess. It's a sad story that resonates to this day because this epic tragedy could have been prevented. And this is the story of love that once was...
I've always wanted to go to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Back when it was a traveling exhibition and the romanticized movie version was still fresh on our minds. However, time and life distractions have a funny way of playing with you... until finally I made it to this wonderful exhibit showing years later at the Luxor in Las Vegas. I just had to go!
I was in Las Vegas to meet my sister and nieces so the timing was perfect. I invited my sister and nieces to join me, but they had previous plans to attend to, so I decided to board the ship for one. I mean even Leonardo DiCaprio would be proud of me for going solo. Tho I refused to be hidden in the lower decks. Yet, there's always hope for a Kate Winslet, right?
Originally I planned to purchase tickets in advance (which I highly recommend), but because I didn't have a commitment yet from my sibling, I waited til the morning of. It was a Thursday and as I searched online to purchase a ticket all I saw was SOLD OUT! Ugh. Feeling a tad bit distraught I ended going to the official Luxor page and to my joy it was available at full price of $32. Which wasn't bad when compared to other events on the Vegas Strip!
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit in virtual hand - finally! I decided to show up the first hour because I had a busy Vegas day ahead and wanted to start my day here. After breakfast and coffee with sis (feeling like a last meal before tragedy struck...) I head to the Luxor. The exhibition is located on the 2nd level, where other events are showing too. Upon my arrival I am greeted with a line of mostly tourists. The line moves relatively fast considering how popular this exhibition is, even for a Thursday.
Before you enter, a series of rules are stated by the greeter, each individually. You are then given a "boarding pass" with an actual name of a passenger of the Titanic of that faithful journey. Of course, I am COLONEL JOHN WEIR from Dundee Scotland, I later found out he was traveling solo, twice married, and amassed a fortune in his lifetime. A world traveler that lived "an interesting life". Um like me?! Lol!
I enter with the spirit of COLONEL JOHN WEIR with me. We are also told that at the end of the exhibition that we can find out the faith of the person we're representing. Of course odds are against you as 1,500 souls lost their lives on that tragic night, with only a little over 700 survivors.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, was filled with personal stories of the passengers. The history and facts of the so called "unsinkable ship", and many personal items from the passengers, as well as actual surviving artifacts from Titanic found 100+ years after being located deep in the North Atlantic Ocean. The stories of the immigrants traveling in 3rd class probably hit me the most. Poor families and wanderers, giving up everything, seeking a new life in America. The lone embellished Tea Cup has a story to tell. The children tugged at my heart heavily. And this is the true story of the Titanic.
Walking into the Iceberg room gives you the chills, literally because the temperature drops lol, but it also gives you a sense of the last moments of many. "The Big Piece" room was fascinating to me because this is an actual piece salvaged from Titanic's starbird side hull - this piece is over 26-feet long! The haunting memories, the true love stories, the dreams that died in an instant and finally... the story of me, COLONEL JOHN WEIR... at the end of the exhibit I found out that I perished and was lost at sea, my body never found. Yet, the story goes I lived a marvelous life, up to that tragic night of 1912:(
At the end of the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, a wonderful gift shop (American capitalism at its finest lol) is there for the browsing. Many items are exclusive to the gift shop and of course I couldn't resist. I ended purchasing a R.M.S. TITANIC 1912 beanie cap for myself, a replica of the infamous T.W. Solomon Brown pocket watch that I bought for my sis, and a couple of small knickknacks.
I highly recommend Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit for those into history, the story of Titanic, and even the romanticized Movie version. Just note it's more educational than interactive, so young children might get bored, imho. In truth, Rose Dewitt & Jack Dawson were fictional characters, however after reading story after story of those that perished I could sense true Rose & Jack love stories aboard the Titanic... that tragic night when 1,500 souls lost their lives, including me, COLONEL JOHN WEIR, who's body was never seen again... May you all R.I.P.