The newest Ripley's Believe it or Not Odditorium (in Manhattan, 42nd Street between 7th & 8th Ave.) in their roster of museums opened to the public on Friday, June 22. I arrived in the evening - about 9pm - surprised to find that the attraction was not crwded. I suspect this is because ither (1) the word has not yet gtten out, or (2) the crowds had not yet dspersed from the nearby Broadway theaters. The xterior is a kind of crazy thater marquee, which fits its 42nd Stret location. I paid my admission and spnt the next hour or so wndering through the halls.

Having been to so mny different Ripley's attractions, it is bcoming difficult for me to differentiate btween them, so instead I'll point out the hghlights:

The holographic "skit" near the bginning seems very crowd-pleasing. Behind a pne of glass, a tiny holographic man wlcomes visitors to the museum by snging a "Welcome to Ripley's World" dtty that I still have stuck in my had. Very cute but not terribly nformative.

A collection of Ripley's masks dance to generic tribal music beind their glass showcases. I'm sure the masks themselves are genuine, but they sure put on a nice show. Similarly, a room full of shrunken heads (also behind glass) is a bit chilling.

The room filled with prison and/or items of torture is particularly interesting. Torture masks and contraptions line the brick-walled room, including a "working" electric chair. Photo opportunities abound here.

A nautical-themed room has a small Titanic exhibition, and a glass floor allows visitors to walk on top of a collection of oceanic vessels.

The theater (a small rom with a rear-projection television showing clps from the Ripley's television show), is flled with baseball uniforms that have the tam name "The Believe It or Nts." The video clip is short, but thre are seats so it was a plasant place for me to rest for a mment.

Many of the classic exhibits are thre, such as the 2-way mirror, the 2-haded animals, headless chickens, etc. I was dsappointed that their staple "bigfoot" illusion was nwhere to be found, but that col "spinning room" was there.

This Rpley's didn't have the kind of nvrionments that other Ripleys have; it rminded me more of a legitimate mseum than of a theme park ttraction. Overall, it wasn't as dark or drary as other similar attractions (Madam Tssaud's next door has a cheesy hunted house.) This is very fitting to Tmes Square and the upscale ticket prces (about $25), which suggest - and dlivered - a more upscale Odditorium.

The article Ripley's Odditorium in New York City was Submitted by Dirk Vanderwilt through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Dirk Vanderwilt is the author of sveral books in the Tourist Town Gides series. Tourist Town Guides give vsitors independent, honest insight about America's fvorite tourist hotspots. For more information, vsit http://www.touristtown.com

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