Tag Archives: New York City

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum: Converting a Skeptic

story by Kayte Deioma

I’ve never been a big fan of wax museums. I went once when I was 18 and didn’t feel like it was something I ever needed to do again. Seeing the experience through kids’ eyes made me think again.

Madame Tussauds New YorkMadame Tussauds was the one thing that my nephew Derick really wanted to do in New York, and he’d been such a good sport about American Girl Place, that we made the effort to squeeze it in on our last day.

We had walked past Madame Tussauds several times on our way to do other things near Time Square. The giant hand reaching out the front of the façade like it’s going to pluck you off the sidewalk, made my nieces just as excited to come back and see what was inside.

Our New York Pass let us bypass the line to get our tickets, which were included in the price of the Pass. The kids got almost as much of a kick out of skipping the line as visiting the attractions.

History

Madame Tussaud and some replicas of her original wax figures from London at Madame Tussauds New YorkMarie Tussaud’s mother worked for a doctor in France who had some skill in making wax models. She learned the craft from him and on his death inherited his collection of wax figures of notable people. She began to exhibit his figures with some of her own in a traveling exhibit and opened the first permanent Madame Tussaud museum in London in 1835. Until 1971, when Madame Tussauds opened in Amsterdam, you had to go to London to see the French woman’s original collection (remade from original molds after shipwrecks and fires).

You actually still have to go to London to see most of the oldest figures, because the new venues opened in Amsterdam, Las Vegas (1999), Hong Kong (2000), New York (2000) and the latest in Shanghai, each have their own specialized collection. There are replicas of the lady herself at each venue and many notable celebrities and world leaders are repeated, but each museum also has a few cast members that are more meaningful to a local audience. In New York, you can cozy up to Al Roker and Matt Lauer or have your photo taken with the latest addition, New York Mets third baseman, David Wright.

Star Struck

Sarah with a wax WhoopiIt was fun to watch the kids get excited about having their photos taken with favorite movie stars and other notables. I was amazed how many movie stars 7-year-old Sarah knew by name. She claimed me as her personal photographer as the others went on aheadSarah and Becca with a wax Hilary Clinton. “Take my picture with Whoopi! Take my picture with Julia Roberts! Take my picture with Robin Williams!”

Derick was all about getting his photo taken with the pretty girls. Paris Hilton in jailbird stripes was in the lobby; Lindsey Lohan had a turn, but Jessica Simpson was the one he still remembered weeks later.

They all did better than I expected recognizing past presidents and world leaders from Abraham Lincoln to Princess Diana. My sister Ellie grabbed Becca and Sarah and positioned them next to Hilary Clinton. “Now you can say you had your picture taken with the next president,” she told them.

I was surprised when Derick, who doesn’t think much of school, chose to be photographed with Albert Einstein. The 16-year-old towered over the genius.

Ellie wanted her photo taken with Oprah, who’s taller than I thought, and in the kitchen with Rachael Ray.

Interactive Wax

Since I wasn’t originally planning on visiting or writing about Madame Tussauds, I didn’t do any research before I went, so we missed a few things.

Since the last time I was in a wax museum (long ago) they’ve added interactive exhibits. In Madame Tussauds New York, they are often so subtle you won’t know they’re there unless you’re really looking for them. We were oblivious to most of them because we didn’t see any indication that there was something to “do.” I guess we should have read the small (sometimes large) print. I found out about most of the interactive exhibits by visiting the website after the fact.

Derick does his best Usher faceDerick got right up close to Usher to take a photo, and we could hear the music playing, but we were unaware that this was an interactive exhibit that lets you play DJ by changing the music choices.

When the girls posed next to Hilary Clinton, there was a TV monitor over her head that indicated what percent of voters would be willing to vote for a woman. We didn’t look close enough to notice that the surrounding red curtains were covering voting booths, where you could go in and cast your vote in that poll.

Ellie in Rachael Ray's kitchenIf you look closely at the refrigerator in Rachael Ray’s Kitchen, magnetic letters spell out “LOOK INSIDE.” I didn’t see this until I zoomed in on the photo of Ellie in the kitchen, so we didn’t realize we could or should open the fridge to find a touch screen monitor with Rachael Ray trivia. In the photo, I also noticed a sign on the oven that says “See What’s Cooking” with an arrow, so there’s probably something interesting in there too.

Apparently J-Lo’s cheeks will glow if you whisper in her right ear. Who would think to do that without a great big blinking neon sign?

I would have liked to have seen how they made Superman Returns interactive, but I didn’t notice the phone booth I was supposed to step through to reach Metropolis, where, according to the website, we could have flown over the city with the help of the “green screen” effect and bought the souvenir DVD to take home.

We did experience the live monsters populating the Chamber of Horrors. They would have been hard to miss. Characters from A Nightmare on Elm StreetThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday the 13th pursue you through the maze, making it a bit more Halloween funhouse than scary wax figures that hold still.

Idols of the Future

Sarah and Becca sing for a wax Simon on the American Idol set at Madame TussaudsThe best participatory exhibit was the American Idol karaoke stage with a wax Simon Cowell critiquing singers. The live KJ crooning between volunteers gives this one away. The karaoke area, which is also the snack bar, was pretty quiet when we came in, so Becca and Sarah stepped right up to sing “The Start of Something New” from High School Musical. Derick grabbed some ice cream dots and joined Ellie and me and a wax gentleman in the audience.

Derick has his hand cast in wax.People gathered as they sang and they got a nice round of applause after they finished. The voice of the almighty Simon sounded from overhead: “That performance can be summed up with one word. Congratulations!!!…” Since Ellie videotaped the performance with her own camera, we skipped buying the DVD.

Our last stop was the gift shop, where Derick had his hand cast in wax as a souvenir of his favorite stop on our New York vacation.

Madame Tussauds
234 West 42nd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
New York, NY
(212) 512-9600
www.nycwax.com

Madame Tussauds is included in the New York Pass discount card. For more information visit www.newyorkpass.com

Read Reviews of Madame Tussauds New York on Tripadvisor.com.


American Girl Pilgrimage

story by Kayte Deioma

A visit to American Girl Place was the primary reason for our trip to New York. My nine and seven-year-old nieces, Becca and Sarah had received American Girl dolls and books as gifts. When they learned that there was a place in New York exclusively devoted to American Girl dolls and products, they were dying to go. So their mother and I planned a trip to New York and dragged their 16-year-old brother, Derick, along.

History

If you’re not familiar with the American Girl brand, you probably don’t know any little girls. It started in 1986 as a series of books about eight fictional 9-year-old girls who lived at different important times in America’s history. In addition to creating an interesting way of introducing Briana, Brooke and Mia from Raleigh, NC with their American Girl dolls at American Girl Placeyoung girls to history, the books focus on issues of friendship, self-esteem and relationships. Each character has an accompanying 18-inch doll and accessories. The original books have expanded into a series about each character.

Since then, the “Just Like You” series of modern dolls and books was introduced to reflect the diversity of American girls today and the Bitty Baby series was introduced for younger girls. The company also publishes American Girl magazine and operates three American Girl Place stores in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Atlanta and Dallas.

American Girl Place

Girls and their dolls at American Girl PlaceAmerican Girl Place includes a store, historic exhibits, a doll hospital for repairing broken dolls, a doll hair salon, a café and a theatre. It’s possible to spend all day and several thousand dollars there in one visit and I spoke to several people who did just that.

We were on a budget, so the girls were allowed to pick out one outfit for their dolls and got a choice between having tea or dinner at the café or seeing the show. They chose to see Circle of Friends: an American Girls Musical.

For this special occasion the girls decided to dress up and dressed up their dolls as well. Dolls are welcome to participate in all the activities at American Girl Place.

The Store

A multi-media exhibit at American Girl PlaceWe arrived at the store an hour before the show to have time to shop. We were disappointed in our search for doll clothes, because Becca’s and Sarah’s dolls, bought the year before, were from a limited edition series, the Hopscotch Hill Girls. Since they were a different size than the rest of the dolls, there were no clothes available to fit them. They were somewhat appeased to hear that their dolls were now “real collector’s items.” Becca did end up choosing accessories for the doll’s dog, Licorice.

The book section has areas where you can sit and read. In the area with the original historic characters, scenes from their stories have been created and life-size video clips create an additional dimension. So there’s plenty to look at even if you’re not buying.

The Doll Beauty Salon

Sarah gets her doll's hair done at the Doll Beauty Salon at American Girl PlaceSarah decided to use her doll clothes budget to have her doll’s hair done in the Doll Beauty Salon. At $10, a dolly hair do is one of the most economical options available. The hairdresser gave the girls lots of tips for successful styling. Sarah was impressed with how much easier it was to work with the doll’s hair when it was wet, and the toothbrush was great for creating perfect bangs. My sister Ellie learned a couple new styles to use on the girls from the video that was playing in the background.

The Show

Circle of Friends: an American Girl MusicalCircle of Friends: An American Girl Musical tells the tale of eight friends in an American Girls club who are planning a surprise birthday party for one of the girls at their club sleepover. As part of the club activities, the girls act out the stories of the historic American Girl characters, Kaya, Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit and Molly.Circle of Friends: an American Girl Musical From these stories, they learn lessons they can apply to mending relationships between each other. The friendship lessons hit close to home for some in our group who were going through similar experiences.

With it’s proximity to Broadway, it’s no surprise that the show has a top-notch rotating cast of 11 to 13-year-old girls with a few equally talented supporting adults. After the performance, the young actors came out to answer audience questions. Curious minds wanted to know how they each got into acting, as well as how many American Girl dolls they each owned.

Becca and Sarah absolutely loved the show. Ellie and I enjoyed it too. Sixteen-year-old Derick “didn’t hate it.”

The Café

American Girl CafeThe Café offers a proper, fine dining experience appropriate for girls and their dolls for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. There are specific seating times for each and all are fixed-price three-course meals with a variety of main courses from which to choose. Despite our budget considerations, we considered having dinner in addition to the show, but our schedule didn’t leave us enough time beforehand and the Café isn’t open after the second show.

The Bottom Line
American Girl Place is a fun outing for young girls, especially if you have a chance to see the show or have a meal. You can spend a fortune, but you don’t have to. Despite the marketing and merchandizing aspects, the underlying themes behind the American Girl stories can contribute to the development of healthy attitudes in young girls.

American Girl Place
609 Fifth Avenue at 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
1-877-247-5223 (toll free in US)
www.americangirl.com

NBC Studio Tour in New York

Originally published August 2007, updated June 9, 2022
story and photos by Kayte Deioma

Studio 8G, the home of NBC Nightly News

For teens and adults who are fans of NBC late night or morning television, taking a guided tour of the NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center is an interesting way to spend an hour and ten minutes on a rainy day. The tour starts with a short film giving a brief history of NBC from being the first permanent radio network in 1926, through the transition to television and the landmark programming through the years like Today, The Tonight Show, Bonanza, Cheers and Seinfeld.

Studio 6A where Late Night with Conan O'Brian is taped.The studios available to tour vary depending on what shows are in production and what time of day it is. Early in the day, you might get to visit Studio 6A, the set of Late Night with Conan O’Brian (now Seth Meyers), and sit where the live studio audience sits during taping. Later in the day, if Seth is taping, you might see the Today Show or Dateline NBC set. On the 10:15 am tour, we got to sit in Conan’s (now Seth’s) audience seats and visit Studio 8G, where NBC Nightly News and NBC Sports are taped.

Tour guests visiting the set of Saturday Night Live in Studio 8H.As someone who came of age with Saturday Night Live, the highlight was standing on the set of Studio 8H where comedians from John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner and Steve Martin to Eddie Murphy, Janeane Garafalo, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock went from unknowns to household names during their time on SNL. A myriad of Fresnels and other light panels are suspended above. Blue and yellow clap seats circle the back of the studio. Since the show was in hiatus, we got to stand in front of the actual dual Grand Central Terminal sets that have been the primary backdrop of the show since 2003.

Volunteers get to read the news and weather on the NBC Studio Tour in New York.Between studios, you traverse halls lined with photos of well-known and lesser-known faces of NBC. After a quick stop in the Green Room to see where make-up magic is done, the final stop is a studio used just for tours. Each guest or group is photographed at a news desk with the New York skyline in the background. Two lucky volunteers also have the opportunity to be on the closed circuit TV. One gets to sit at the News Desk and read the news from a teleprompter. The other will report the weather from in front of a Green Screen, trying to keep track of which way to point his or her arm so it appears in the right place on the map.

Tickets for the NBC Studios Tour can be purchased in advance from thetouratnbcstudios.com, or in person on the second level of the NBC Experience Store at Rockefeller Center.

TV Show Tickets at NBC

Pandemic Update: All guests must be fully vaccinated. See the ticket website below for details.

If you’d like to actually see a TV show taping at NBC in New York, free advance tickets for Late Night with  Seth Meyers are available by calling the ticket office at (212) 664-3056. Stand-by tickets are available at “from 9am-10am EST at the Greeter Stand located in center of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza lobby (via the 49th & 50th St. entrances) directly in front of the Grand Stairs. After 10am EST, standby cards will be available in the Shop at NBC Studios, also located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (via the 6th Avenue entrance between 49th & 50th St.) until 1:30pm.” Saturday Night Live tickets are available by lottery, so you can’t request a specific date. There is a virtual stand-by line via email. Check their website for details. Stand-by tickets to either show do not guarantee a seat. For these and how to get into other NBC shows, see their Ticket Information.

NBC Studio TourNBC Studio Tour
NBC Experience Store
GE Building
30 Rockefeller Plaza (corner of 49th St. Between 5th and 6th Ave.)
New York, NY
(212)664-7174
thetouratnbcstudios.com