After thousands* of requests for me to post my third and final installment of our Vegas trip I have made time to do so. (*I am rounding up slightly from zero) While it may have taken me about a month to post my day three synopsis, chronologically it occurred immediately after day two on our trip which has been synopsized previously.

After a second restful night of sleep, Karina and I awoke, packed, and headed out to find some breakfast. We decided to eat at the little crepe stand directly across from the Paris breakfast buffet we had eaten at the previous day. I enjoyed a delicious orange crepe with cinnamon and a dollop of sweet whipped cream. Karina had something else. We then sat down, luggage and all, to eat our breakfast and watch the breakfast buffet line across the walkway.  There is something incredibly satisfying about eating food while watching others stand in line 30-45 minutes to get theirs. That is probably not a good thought to have. I believe that feeling arose as a result of my, by nature of staying at the Paris hotel, way of acclimating to the general French feeling of self-importance and disdain. (I hope I didn’t offend any of my numerous French friend with that cheap shot…sorry Pierre)

Karina and I decided that we would head over to the Luxor to check out some interesting exhibits. The first one was called Bodies – The Exhibition. Beings we were in Vegas and with a name like that I assumed the exhibit as a little different then it turned out to be. (turns out I was thinking of “Peepshow”) The Bodies exhibit is actually a collection of human cadavers in various states of dissection to show the inner workings of the human body. Internet reviewers have used terms like “extraordinary”, “beautiful”, and “great” to describe the exhibit. I would use words more like “creepy”, “bizarre”, and “throw-up-a-little-in-my-mouth-inducing”. I will admit, I learned a lot about the human body and it was an incredibly effective way of seeing how some parts of the body work. However, I had a hard time getting over the fact that I was looking at dead people. In fact, the only thing that would have made it any creepier would be to find out that cadavers were actually taken without consent from Chinese prisoners. Actually, now that I think of it…one second…googling…well, it turns out some people (people like the New York Times) report some of the bodies are actually executed Chinese prisoners. Needless to say I do not plan to check out that exhibit again, even though it is currently showing in Tucson.

After spending an hour and a half viewing cadavers Karina and I needed an emotional pick-me-up. So we headed next door to the Titanic exhibit. This one was more up my alley. I am fascinated with the Titanic for various reasons. This exhibit had many items collected from the wreckage of the ship. There were personal items from passengers (including perfume that you could still smell), dishes from the galley, and even a large piece of the hull. It also had a block of ice that, according to literature in the exhibit, was very similar in temperature and composition to the very iceberg that sunk the Titanic. The block of ice was meant to be a sobering reminder that the frigid water Titanic foundered in was actually colder than ice. However, I was slightly distracted and found myself focusing more on how tragic it was that Vanilla Ice was able to sell eleven million records. Oh the horror!

After leaving the Luxor and it’s exhibitions of death we stopped by New York New York to eat some authentic New York Las Vegas pizza. The pizza was delicious (it tasted strangely similar to Sbarro) and we enjoyed listening to a singer in a nearby restaurant cover some popular hits.

We then headed back to the airport to return home to my mom and the kiddos. Even though it is nice to get away sometimes and get some Karina time, there is nothing better than coming home to the kids. Seeing their eyes light up and hearing their voices, full of love, ask “what did you get us” nearly made me forget I had spent the day looking at dead dudes.