The Way I Am...: Viva, Las Vegas! Days 1 and 2 in Sin City...

Kyle and I had a perfect vacation and it really could not have gone any better. Aside from a less than great hotel room, our flights were smooth and on time, we made it to events on time and just got much needed rest and relaxation.

Kyle in front of our hotel.

Beautiful flamingos at...guess where...the Flamingo!

The best part of the Flamingo is the gorgeous gardens, fountains and pools.

A million dollars worth of Koi. I had to convince Kyle that fishing was NOT part of our daily rate.

View from our Flamingo room.

A quick snapshot as we walk by the MGM Grand.

One of my favorite sculptures in Vegas. Love the mists that blow off the fountains, too.

Wait, are we in Vegas, or Paris?

Or wait! Maybe we are in New York!

Las Vegas Blvd. in front of The Excalibur.

The Luxor (profile view).

The Titanic and Bodies Exhibits

A view of the Luxor Pyramid from the base.

Another view of Luxor with a peep of Mandalay Bay behind it.

Flowers outside the Luxor. Loved the pink.

Our first full day in Vegas we walked the strip and ended up at the Luxor to visit the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and Bodies: The Exhibition. Both exhibits were fascinating, but neither allowed us to take pictures. The Titanic exhibit featured many artifacts retrieved from the wreckage along with information on the ship and the horrific events of its sinking. Upon entering the exhibit, we were each given a "boarding pass" with the name of an actual passenger. At the end we looked at a list of the passengers upon a large wall that reported the fate of each. Kyle's passenger survived along with the rest of his family. Mine survived, but her husband did not. It was quite sobering to see so many names of those deceased.

Another touching part of the exhibit was the a small ice glacier that we could touch. I learned that more people died of hypothermia than drowning. That icy sculpture and the fact that I could see my breath made me realize just how horrific that time in the water must have been. The room is frigid - air conditioned to the temperature in the air that April night.

I am surprised at how many hand-written notes and postcards survived years in the underwater wreckage thanks to preservation in leather luggage. Among the exhibited items were floor tiles, portholes, many serving dishes, luggage, and recreated third and first class cabins. I felt slightly nauseous standing in that tiny third class cabin, imagining the stale air, the constant pitching and rolling, and the confined space.

The Bodies exhibit was far less haunting but every bit as captivating. As stated on the website, the exhibit brings "you face to face with yourself...showcas[ing] real full-bodies and organs, and providing a detailed, three-dimensional vision of the human form." Approximately 12 full bodies and over 250 organs and other specimens are on display.

Although it sounds graphic, the exhibits are tastefully presented and I got so lost in the scientific aspect of it all that I didn't really dwell much on the fact that I was looking at cadavers. The complexity of the human body is incredible. To think that it manages to function relatively well for the average person is stunning when you consider all the bits and pieces that must work together successfully. Some exhibits showed the damage we do to our bodies, such as the side-by-side presentation of two lungs, one a healthy "normal" lung, and the other a smoker's black lung. A bin was provided for those so inclined to discard their cigarettes.

I am not certain how all the body parts and organs were preserved, but the most stunning display was the circulatory system. The arteries and vessels were flooded with a polymer acrylic that eventually hardened. Then the rest of the tissue, skin etc. was dissolved so all that remained were these red and blue displays of every centimeter of the circulatory system. I admired both the function of our circulatory system as well as the magical process of preserving it.

Some exhibits had the skin removed, others were complete. The final display area is of fetuses at various stages of development. A sign gives visitors the option to pass by this display through a separate door. With few exceptions, we are not told how the bodies came to be in the exhibit (or what they died of), unless it directly related to the purpose of the exhibit (i.e., the smoker's lung connected to a patient who died of lung cancer). The fetus exhibits are no different. We learn nothing of how they died. They were every bit as fascinating as the rest of the exhibit - such tiny beings, the amazing prominence of tiny toes and fingers so early on. The emergence of the first heart beat. Miraculous what it takes for all of it to come together. A set of conjoined twins is displayed, but again, tastefully so.

Both these exhibits were definitely worth the time and money - but if you're headed there anytime soon, get the deal they have where you can pick three exhibits for $54 each. It's a substantial savings. (Our third exhibit pick was Mandalay Bay - more to come on that later in the week).

After a jaunt (aka, 1.5 miles) back down the strip, we were a little beat, so we decided to pop into Margaritaville for dinner since it was downstairs in our hotel.

Speaks for itself.

Neither of us drink...like...ever...but Kyle decided to indulge in a Landshark (or three). Afterwards, he was sufficiently revived from our post-hike fatigue.

Kyle...a little (too) happy...

Whether you drink or not, Margaritaville is a fun place to go, and we lucked out by having a great band to listen to while we ate. Their cheesecake is heavenly, and the atmosphere very laid back.