I love to read travel books: a well-written travel book can transport the reader to wherever in the world the author happens to be. Over the past couple of months I’ve read several of these books and plan to write a personal review (meaning it will be opinionated – my opinion!) on each of them. Stayed tuned.
Las Vegas, June 2008 June 26, 2008
The trip to Vegas was fun – short, but fun! I flew out of Dulles early Tuesday morning on a direct flight through United Airlines (booked before they decided they were going to follow American Airlines and charge you for your first checked bag!) I paid a little more for the direct flight because I really didn’t want to mess with layovers and risk not making it to Vegas in time for my friend’s wedding. The flight was completely booked and by the time I got on the plane there was no overhead bin space left. I think I can say I’ve never actually experienced this before. The plane was an Airbus 321 so it was smaller than usual. Luckily my bag could fit under my seat. I paid a bit extra for the Economy Plus seat so I had more leg room, thankfully, and I was four rows back from the front of the plane and close to the bathroom.
Anyway, the flight was on-time and smooth (absolutely no turbulence). The sky was clear and beautiful and I sort of wish I had a window seat because we flew over the Grand Canyon. I did see it though and I can mark it off my list. If I’m ever in the area again I will definitely stop by and get another look.
The airport is really close to the Vegas strip, maybe it’s because there’s a whole lot of nothing else around…I don’t know. But I was surprised at how quickly we got to the hotel I was staying at. My friend got married at the Excalibur Hotel so that’s where all of us stayed.
The Hotel.
View from my hotel room at dusk.
After getting something eat and taking a nap – the hubby dropped me off at the airport around 5 a.m. for an 8 a.m. flight because he needed to make it back in time for work that morning – I went out the walk the strip. It was nice and hot outside, a nice dry heat which is my favorite. As long as I have water with me I can handle that kind of heat much better than the heat and humidity of the eastcoast. I only made it about a mile down, if that, because I came across a four-floor M&M store. I went back to my hotel after this to get ready for a girls night out with my friend who would tie the knot the next day so as the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and details of that night won’t appear on this blog.
The Strip.
Day Two was wedding day. The wedding wasn’t until 3 p.m. so I decided to wander around the casino floor and look at the shops etc. I’m not a big gambler so I only lost $6 on a slot machine and I kept that $6 going for a good half hour – you know how it is, you win a little bit and lose a little bit, until you completely lose it all. I picked up the souvenirs I wanted to get for friends and family and then I decided that since my friend was going to be a little bit busy that night, and I was on my own, I would go to a show. I really wanted to see a certain Cirque du Soleil show – “O” at the Bellagio. I managed to get a “limited view” ticket and I was set. You can also get half-price or cheaper tickets for many shows at the Hawaiian Marketplace, which was about half-mile from my hotel. So my time before the wedding was spent walking down to the Bellagio, which is a bit more than a mile, and back again. This is one swanky hotel.
These glass (?) flowers covered the ceiling area in the lobby. When the light hit them it was so beautiful.
The wedding was beautiful – held in the chapel at the Excalibur Hotel – and then we all ate together at the Roundtable Buffet restaurant. It was dinner time so the food was good, but I ate breakfast there that same morning and I wasn’t impressed. The pancakes were cold and the “syrup” if you can call it that was watered down A LOT! I ended up having a bowl of cereal and some fruit. I decided that the next morning I would order room service for breakfast because it would cost me about the same and at least I could get some warmer food and I wasn’t wrong. On the day I flew out I got my breakfast in my room and it was much better!
So anyway, after dinner and a trip to a bar at the Mandalay Bay to have a celebratory drink and the couple could have a wedding dance I took a taxi down to the Bellagio. I was too lazy to walk and I was cutting it close time wise, which is why I decided to take a cab.
What can I say about “O” other than it is the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my life? My “limited view” was not as I expected. I was really expecting a column or something in my way but really the only thing was a handrail that I could see through and I wasn’t sitting center-on so I didn’t expect the three guys diving into the pool from the ceiling – but that made it more fun for me because I really did squeal when they fell out of the sky into the swimming pool. You couldn’t take photographs inside of course, and I don’t think photos will do it justice. Anyway, the website gives you some snapshots. I just couldn’t believe the acrobats and the people towers they were building etc, which is tough enough as it is, but when the pool was covered the floor was still wet! So balancing on one hand that’s wet and holding another person in the air like that – AMAZING!
For more photos go here.
Approximate costs
Taxi ride to/from hotel: $13-$15 + plus tip
Taxi ride from Mandalay Bay to Bellagio: $10 approx.
Hotel: approx $76/night
Show ticket: approx $100
