Tourist for a Day

Wax figure of my right hand

I admit it. I did a touristy thing in my own backyard recently. I had help though. I bought a groupon aka discount ticket, to Madame Tussauds Hollywood so I could check out just how good or bad the wax figures were of all those famous people we have come to recognize so easily.

Upon approaching the entrance, one is greeted by none other than Nicholas Cage. Who knew that he would be in the news as of late, not for starring in a new movie but for charges of domestic violence. Well they say any publicity for actors is better than none, so OK.

I tried asking Nick for his side of the story but all I got was a cool stare from him. At least I got my photo op with him.

There are three levels to explore on one’s own inside the wax museum. There are worse ways to spend an hour and a half I suppose. I was amazed at how good a handful of figures are. Some looked very real. Others, not so real.

With a hundred photos in my camera, I was ready to have my right hand preserved in wax. Did I mention that the groupon included a complimentary wax figure of one’s hand? I stood in line waiting my turn for that. The little boy ahead of me started crying uncontrollably when they lowered his hand into the tank of water filled with ice cubes to set the wax. It’s the longest 30 seconds. For a moment I had to ask myself if I really needed this waxy souvenir to bring home.

But then I saw how wonderful the finished product looks. One can be very creative. You choose the color of the wax and the way the fingers are held. As an artist I could not resist the opportunity to create. So when it was my turn, I gave up my hand to the young man, trusting that he’d do right by me.  And yes. The little boy was right. That water was very cold. Fortunately numbness sets in pretty quickly.