Las Vegas
Trip Start
Sep 03, 2007
1
40
220
Trip End
Jun 17, 2009
Las Vegas,
Nevada,
United States
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Arriving in the city and going round in circles in the one way systems, we eventually found our hotel. We had decided on a small hotel at the top of the "Las Vegas Boulevard' or 'The Strip' as its known. We settled in and then went for a walk to explore. One or two down and outs but no problems. Here I discovered the Las Vegas Principle number 1 - the Marketing Man is King
Guess where we are now
! Adverts everywhere and when you walk on the sidewalk they all lead near, if not into, hotel foyers to tempt you in. We walked some way down the Strip, marvelling at all the lights, adverts, sound, sizes of the hotels and finally stopped at 'Ttreasure Island' where they have a 'show' several times at night outside, in which 2 pirate ships battle it out and one sinks. The whole show then repeats 90 minutes later!
Tired, we caught a taxi back to the hotel.
Distance Driven 170 miles Distance walked A few miles
Tuesday 6th
We had found an offer in a tourist magazine. Present this voucher and get 24 hours travel on the monorail for 9 dollars. We found another magazine and got 2 tickets. I found out later that the normal fare for 1 day is - Yep - 9 dollars. Marketing Principle No 1 in action! To get to the monorail terminal you had to walk through the casino of 'The Sahara' and past all the machines and tables - Marketing No 1 again
New York New York
. We took the monorail down to the end of the Strip, visited the 'Mandalay', 'The Luxor' and 'Excalibur'. All people noise, music, machines and money. At night we went to see the show 'Mystere' by 'Cirque du Soleil'. This company originated, I think, in Quebec and we had seen them once before in Manchester, 8 years ago. They now have different shows touring all over the world and are a mixture of music, dance, ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics and slapstick comedy. It was a brilliant show that left you breathless and marvelling at their athleticism, skills and daring.Distance walked Even more miles
Wednesday 7th
Monorail back to the end of The Strip. Walked 'MGM', 'New York, New York', 'Caesar's Palace' where there was an animatronic statue show, 'Bellagio' for a musical fountain and lights show. A crowded bus back to 'The Mandalay' for a buffet and in the evening we saw 'Mama Mia', the Abba musical that it is based around their songs. I've always been so so on Abba but this was cleverly done and well presented.
Distance walked Too painful to remember
Thursday 8th
We had booked a helicopter flight to the Grand canyon on Friday and had to be at the airport at 0630
"Indi" meets a snake inside the MGM Hotel
. We drove the car down The Strip, found the helicopter centre and then drove back to the 'Hilton". It is here , dear friends, that I have to 'come out'. I am a consumate 'Trekkie'. This was 'Star Trek - The Experience' and it was brilliant. There was a whole display of the history of all Star Trek things, costumes, equipment, accessories, pictures, full size models of characters, 'Quarks Bar' from DS9 and 2 rides. We had pictures taken in the Captain's chair on the bridge and in a Borg assimilation chamber. One ride was a 'Klingon Attack', which actors and you took part, interacted with the actual Star Trek cast on screens and speakers and climaxed in a space shuttle ride with special effects - fantastically exhilarating!We had tickets to see "Phantom of the Opera' and so left early. The advantage of having a show run for months is that they can really go to town with scenery, props and special effects and this was excellently done. The show was at the 'Venetian' and as we came out I couldn't resist taking my beloved on a gondola ride in the 'lagoon' outside the hotel and next to 'The Strip'. I guess it's just the hopeless romantic in me. It was made complete by being serenaded, first by the gondolier (and yes - we did get 'O Sole Mio !!) and then by Elvis, who just happened to be passing by on the top of an open deck bus! This town really has a wonderful sense of humour.
Friday 9th
We were up at 0500 and down at the helicopter centre for 0630. We took off at 0700. This company was called 'Maverick' and they were anything but. The helicopters were parked on tarmac at the side of the building, which had a narrow drive leading to the main flight area at the side of Vegas main runway
Inside the Venetian Hotel
. We were 6 + pilot in an 8 seater and Norah and I sat in front on the first leg of the trip. He lifted off some 3 feet and followed the narrow drive to a takeoff area. This move was really classy. Once cleared he soared away over the city and off towards the canyon. We were over desert scrub and then into the hills, whirled round the Hoover Dam and onto the Gand Canyon. This was a spectacular sight. The Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 1 mile deep and 18 miles wide in places. He flew inside part of the canyon and then landed for a champagne breakfast! We walked and gazed in awe at the place, ever mindful of the scorpion and rattlesnake warnings - its true. Changing places we went to a Hualapai visitor centre. This 'First Nations' tribe own part of the Canyon and have set up the centre to provide an income. A coach took us to their 'Skywalk' - a glass floored walkway that circles out over the Canyon 2000 feet high. This is a real mind over matter exercise and an experience not to be missed! On to 'Guano Point', another spectacular observation point and return to the copter for another run through the Canyon, over the 'Bowl of Fire' before he landed again to refuel at their own fuel dump in the desert. Back to Vegas for a run down The Strip past all the sights and hotels. An amazing experience. Total trip time was 5 hours.It was then back to 'Quarks Bar' for a lunch of Romulan Ale ( which was a deep green colour) and Captains burger, before finishing off the Star Trek Experience. We couldn't resist another 'Klingon Attack' which was just as thrilling and then the 'Borg Encounter' ride, which involved several actors in costume, us running round the corridors of "The Enterprise' and then another scary shuttle ride. Brilliantly done.
In the evening we were running out of steam and visited 'The Stratosphere', a 110 storey tower that had inside and outside observation decks where we could look over Vegas at night
Bellagio fountain display
. They have built white knuckle rides on top of the tower but we just cringed and declined. We sat for quite a while looking over the Vegas lights. My reflections are that it was just an enormous, big kids playgound. I was amazed at how many people were feeding the thousands of machines and playing the tables. Yes - we did play some tables but it was for fun and very small scale compared to the money that was changing hands. I was also struck by the impersonality of the place. At restaurants, show booking offices, casino information ,you were merely processed without any emotion being shown - I've seen more feeling in a meat packing factory! The friendliest people were in the small restaurants and the time share people - oh yes, alive and flourishing in Las Vegas. Tricia and Graham had said we must visit Vegas and would either love it or hate it. I think I fell in the middle and although I was glad we'd been, I was just amazed at this totally out of place phenomenom in the desert. Final comment - it was originally discovered by a group of Mormon settlers and because it was a special place they named it "The Meadows" today - Las Vegas !!!
