Vegas 29th March 2012
Cath and Chris seem to be having a really good time which is great, of course Rayls and I are also.
Today we met up after breakfast and we drove to the Bellagio Hotel where we admired the indoor garden area in the main foyer area, magnificent. There is currently a Dutch theme to the garden which was an added bonus for the Dutch born Cath. Whilst the other 3 admired the garden I made a dash to a Half Price Show stall across the road but had no luck, I was aiming for the Beatles Love show but the guy said tickets for that show didn't go on sale till after mid day.
From the Bellagio we walked across to Caesar’s Palace where the other 3 admired the architecture and the shops whilst I flaked out on a bench playing Sudoku on my phone and also watching the people walk past, always an interesting past time in Vegas.
We ended up going to a Dunkin Donuts for lunch - none of us had donuts, more bagels and wraps and they were nice. On the way back to the hotel we checked out a Fry's Electrical store.
Back at the hotel the other 3 had a rest whilst I bravely went out looking for a Half Price Show stall to see about those Love tickets. What a chore this was, to save time I went through the new Aria hotel, massive in size and very easy to get lost in. Finally I asked for directions and stumbled out onto the strip with the store I wanted right across the strip. Problem is no crossing here so I had to walk 600 metres up the strip to an overpass and then 600 metres back to make it to the store. Long wait in line, there was no Love tickets available so I decided on either the Elvis Cirque show or Jabbawockeez and finally went for Elvis. I bought the voucher and then had to go to the box office at the Aria to convert the voucher into tickets. So it was either a 1.2 K round walk to the overpass and back or break the law and walk straight across the strip. I broke the law!
So, with the tickets in hand and directions from people at the box office on how best to get back to the Monte Carlo, a 2 minute walk when you know how, I returned to the hotel for a much needed rest.
At 5:45pm we all met up and we drove Cath and Chris to the Mirage where they saw the Beatles Love show (they had bought full price tickets weeks before) and Rayls and I returned to the Monte Carlo where we did the easy 2 minute walk I had discovered earlier and saw the Elvis Cirque show. It was OK, nothing flash.
After Elvis (around 8:40pm), we headed back to the car picked up C&C at the Mirage, they loved the Beatles show, and headed to that same Applebee’s for dinner. Served by Brandon, a nice young man with a good sense of humour.
Around 11pm we drove to the Bellagio where we watched a couple of the fountain shows before getting back to the hotel at midnight.
A good day.
Vegas 28th March 2012
Today was a full day in Las Vegas, although we did head out into the suburbs to check out Kohl’s and a Wal-Mart.
We are still struggling a bit with jet lag and so are just taking it easy.
Cath and Chris have tickets for Jersey Boys tonight so we called into the Paris Hotel to pick up their tickets and had a quick look around the shopping area. Rayls and I checked out the Half Price Show stall for some specials with no real success.
So it was a pretty quiet day as we slowly acclimatise.
In the evening we drove Cath and Chris to the Paris and Rayls and I went out into the 'burbs for an Arbys dinner and were back in the hotel by 9:30pm.
Cath and Chris loved Jersey Boys, so that is great.
LA to Vegas 27th March 2012
Today was a long drive to Vegas, about 450 kilometres.We started out about 8:30am and drove up Harbor Blvd to a Denny’s where we had breakfast.
This is a special Denny’s where we met Lidia last November. Lidia is a very pleasant young lady who chats to us whilst we get served. Lidia is just so friendly and a delight to talk to.
After brekkie we hit the road for Vegas, with a Wal-Mart and fuel stop in Barstow on the way.
Arrived in Vegas around 2pm where we had a late lunch at an iHop.
We had a drive down the strip to our hotel, the Monte Carlo. Here we had a rest; these are regularly needed due to our old age and jet lag.
In the evening we drove the strip at night, I think Cath and Chris were suitably impressed before we ended up at an Applebee’s for a very nice dinner.
Around 10pm we left the restaurant and headed to Fremont Street.Since the 1940s, Fremont Street had been the heart of Las Vegas, popularly known as “the street of light.” In the 1980s Fremont Street fell out of favour as developers built up the Strip with huge casino resorts, focusing financial growth and continued expansion there rather than the historic downtown. The flight of retail and office tenants into the suburbs contributed to Fremont Street’s decline. Owners of Fremont Street’s casinos and hotels, led by Steve Wynn, joined forces in 1992, creating Fremont Street Experience.The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction. The FSE occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets. The attraction is a barrel vault canopy, 27 metres high at the peak and four blocks, or approximately 460 metres in length.
While Las Vegas is known for never turning the outside casino lights off, each show begins by turning off the lights on all of the buildings, including the casinos, under the canopy.
The light show we saw was the Doors, Break on Through to the Other Side, sound and lighting is just unbelievable. Sensational experience.
After this it was back to the hotel around midnight.