Titanic Desire Fulfilled, Part 1

When we traveled to Kansas last week for my nephew Matthew's graduation (turned out he made salutatorian, he was 2nd in a class of 300+ students~Congrats again!) I was treated to something I have long desired.  I got to visit the Titanic Artifact Exhibition.  It was my Mother's Day treat, and I am just giddy with having gotten to go.  Here are some pictures we took.

Outside Union Station, Kansas City, MO

Exhibit Poster on outside of the building

Up close (love the clock in the photo too)

Ceiling and chandelier in Union Station

Beautiful detail on the ceiling

Long hallway in Union Station

Restaurant in Union Station

 The building of the Union Station was just amazing.  Huge and beautiful, the history of the building could be felt just in walking through.  Wish we would have had more time to explore the other exhibits, but we were there for the Titanic and we spent at least two hours in that exhibit alone.

Mina's ticket to the Exhibit

Price sign at the ticket counter

Projected image on the floor of the museum.

The fact is, I miss things.  I get caught up in the "got to get this done" and don't pay attention to the details.  When I ordered our tickets online I didn't really pay attention to the price other than the "this will cost how much?!".  Mina pointed out to me when we got to the will call window, that the price of the tickets was $19.12, as in the ship sailed in 1912.  I honestly just figured it was due to some goofy entertainment tax that made the price an odd amount.  Anyway, the incorporation of the exhibit was displayed throughout the building.  Images were projected on the walls and floors and other items were used to draw attention.

Photo display of Captain Smith of the Titanic

Photo display of  Molly Brown

Port hole (you can see Mina taking the picture)

The porthole display was very cool as when you looked through the "window" there was water projected behind looking like it was the ocean outside.  Very cool!

Photo of the ship's crew as we entered the exhibit

Chris and I "on" the Grand Staircase of the Titanic

Caitlyn, Mina, and I "on" the Staircase

Mina and I "on" the Staircase

When we came into the exhibit we were given boarding passes with the names and info of actual passengers on the Titanic.  At the end of the exhibit, we would learn if we survived or perished the sinking.  We took advantage of the "photo op" to take pics in front of a black and white photo of the Grand Staircase from the Titanic.  Around the corner, there was a green screen where they took our picture and put us "in" the Titanic in a colored photo.  Mina pictured here, was trying her best to be regal.  Sadly, Mina, Caitlyn, and I were 2rd class passengers.  Chris, ironically enough, was a 1st class passenger and a sculptor.  They didn't allow photos in the exhibit, but apparently that didn't stop Mina from taking some with her iPod touch.

iceberg at the end of the exhibit that we could touch.

The rooms of the exhibit:

•  started with the ice warnings
•  next the conception and building of the Titanic
• the luxury and opulence and 1st class passenger info and artifacts
• a third class room display
• the engine room and coal
• the cargo hold
• the devastation
• the gift shop

Now since this could go on for several more hours, I will end this post here and pick up tomorrow with further details describing the rooms of the exhibit and things that I learned.