Las Vegas - How will you like it?
Las Vegas, USA - November, 2003
"So what did you think of Vegas?" was the question everyone asked us on our return. Not an easy question to answer as it took three days to decide!
...you feel like you have arrived at an elongated fun fair stretching as far as the eye can see
Without doubt the best time to arrive in Vegas is after dark when the neon lights of the Strip put Piccadilly Circus and Times Square to shame. As we approached the Bellagio Hotel we could hear the boom of gallons of water being shot into the air coinciding perfectly with an orchestra soundtrack and our arrival could not have been better timed. It was a magical welcome. Over the next four days I lost count how many times we watched the fountains erupt to classics like “Pink Panther”, “Singing in the Rain” and “Hey, Big Spender” and each time was better than the last.
With only a ten minute drive from the airport you feel like you have arrived at an elongated fun fair stretching as far as the eye can see and, if you think the lights outside are dazzling, then the hotel interiors do their utmost to compete. From check-in to the guest lifts if felt like we were being greeted by an army of one armed bandits each one trying to entice you with their flashing lights to stop and chat for a while. Our first night in Vegas was everything I imagined it to be and the electricity that buzzed through the hotel was contagious.
It is walking down the Strip the next morning that you realise how much is hidden by the glitz of millions of twinkling light bulbs and you become aware of a seedier side to Vegas. The relentless hands thrusting sex leaflets at you on every street corner became particularly irritating. Raunchy advertising was prominently displayed on the majority of taxi cabs and party goers cruised the sidewalks drinking litre long frozen margaritas and smoking Cuban cigars. It was the side of Vegas featured every week on CSI and more than once I wondered if we had made a mistake with our choice of holiday destination.
Despite my lack of interest in gambling I can see the attraction of casinos and admit that in Monte Carlo the roulette and blackjack tables can even be glamorous. What I wasn’t prepared for was the day time gambling. Even over breakfast and lunch the gamblers were still gambling. Of course, the hotels make it easy to forget what time it is as there is no natural light or clocks and walking in from the bright sunlight is like stepping into a time warp or the twilight zone where 10.00 am looks exactly like 10.00 pm.
Then somewhere between day one and day three you break through the intimidating barrier of flashing machines and discover what lies beyond. Each hotel is a small theme park designed to get even the non gambler to part with their money and it was extremely reassuring that there were more people standing in the queues for the attractions than were on the casino floor. There is a surprising amount of wildlife in this desert oasis from the shark reef at the Mandalay Bay, the white tigers and dolphins at the Mirage and the lions at the MGM - all adding to the circus, fun fair like atmosphere. If a hotel didn’t have animals to entice you in then they had amazing stage-set interiors that transported you to other countries like France, Italy and Egypt.
...the best time to arrive in Vegas is after dark when the neon lights of The Strip put Piccadilly Circus and Times Square to shame
The Venetian Hotel with its canals and piazzas was the perfect setting for an al fresco lunch serenaded by immaculately dressed operatic buskers. The motionless white fluffy clouds painted onto the sky blue ceiling made you forget you were in the middle of a hotel in Vegas. No trip to Venice would be complete without a romantic gondola ride through the hotel under bridges and past shops such as Jimmy Choo and Kenneth Cole. Vegas is a shopaholics’ paradise catering for those who have won the jackpot and those who are happy to imagine what if.
The following day we opted to have lunch in Paris followed by a stroll down a quaint cobbled street and a slightly claustrophobic trip up the half size replica of the Eiffel Tower. It takes a good couple of days to work your way round all the attractions in each hotel and even then I don’t think we saw everything. There were a few we deliberately decided to miss like the two roller coasters one at the top of the 910 foot Stratosphere Tower and the other around the skyscrapers of the New York New York hotel.
Exploring the hotels during the day provides a good opportunity to check out the numerous restaurants and bars before going back in the evening when they come to life. A particular favourite was the Red Square vodka bar at the Mandalay Bay Hotel with its cool ice bar and vodka tasting freezer. There is no shortage of restaurants to suit all budgets but we found we did not have time to enjoy a leisurely dinner as after dark there are just too many other things to see and do.
Celine Dion was playing at the Caesars Palace and a neon sign outside advertised that Elton John would be the next big act appearing Spring 2004. The infamous Cirque du Soleil had four shows on at different hotels but we were glad we had chosen to see “O” (pronounced like the French for water – eau). Appearing at the Bellagio hotel, the stage is a 1.5 million gallon pool and I spent the whole show mesmerised wondering if I could convince my mother, who has a fear of flying, to travel ten hours to see it. Then there are the magic shows, the comedians and Broadway and West End hits like Mama Mia.
It would almost be unforgivable to come this far without taking a trip to the Grand Canyon. There are many different ways to visit the Canyon but we chose to arrive by helicopter and have breakfast right on the edge. After toasting the view with champagne and leaving behind muffin crumbs for a beady eyed black raven it was time to head back. The helicopter flight can be a bit squashed particularly if your fellow passengers are larger than life Americans who were last in a helicopter in “Nam”. That probably explained why one of them frequently repeated the words “lock and load” every time the pilot swooped sharply to the left or right.
If you have spent too much time indoors and enjoyed too many long lunches then a cycle round the 13 mile scenic loop at Red Rock Canyon, about ½ hrs drive from the Strip, is the perfect remedy. A mini bus, complete with mountain bikes, will pick you up from outside either the MGM or Mirage hotels and transports you into the desert that surrounds Vegas.
A National Conservation area, Red Rock Canyon is perfect for cycling as the loop is one way with numerous stopping places to pull over and admire the rock formations and coloured stratas. The first five miles is all up hill and is really tough but with the support van behind you can easily hitch a lift to the highest point. From there it is a 2,500 ft descent round sweeping bends although there are a few unexpected “ups” along the way that require you to use your pedals.
For me, no trip to Vegas would be complete without hearing Elvis sing Viva Las Vegas so we went to the Elvis-a-Rama museum at 3401 Industrial Road, one street back off the Strip. There we spent the afternoon tapping our feet and singing along to some of the King’s greatest hits. We even met one of Elvis’ leading ladies from the film Kissin’ Cousins who told us how she deliberately fluffed her lines during the kissing scenes and yes he was a good kisser! The museum, location and little theatre hall was slightly bizarre but the music, enthusiasm and dedication of our Elvis look-a-like made it well worth the money and left me singing Viva Las Vegas for the rest of our stay.
Day and night there is just so much to do and we never got near the hotel pool or had time to see what the spa had to offer. On our last day we even put twenty five cents in a one armed bandit and he appeared to laugh as we shook his hand goodbye. So back to the question – “What did I think of Vegas?” What do you think?