The Further Adventures of mmm

Trip journal, musings, updates on my life

Friday, September 15, 2006

It's only a painted sky...

Vegas, Baby!


Why did I go to Las Vegas twice within 3 months?

The last time I had been to Las Vegas, it was the 70s, and I really disliked it. The aging Rat Pack lifestyle seemed sleazy, and Vegas was all about the Fat Elvis and Buddy Hackett. Ewwww! Periodically, I'd hear that Vegas had changed: There were new hotels. The place had become "family friendly." The shows were amazing. And some of them were even kind of hip. The Rolling Stones? In Vegas? Hmmm.

But it wasn't until my friend Bonnie Brook said, "I feel like going to Las Vegas or something" when we were talking about plans for this Memorial Day weekend that I decided to give it another chance. We booked our flights and hotel, and off we went.

Well, Vegas has changed, Baby. Definitely for the better. It's like a Disneyland for adults, although lots of kids there too. (As family friendly as Vegas is supposed to be now, I do wonder what the kids think of the show girls' behinds plastered on billboards and on signs on the backs of buses and taxi cabs.) Everything is huge, glitzy, and over the top. We stayed at New York New York the first trip, which seemed like a nice enough hotel, even if there was a rollercoaster out my window, until we saw the Venetian. The Venetian is amazing, with its marble and paintings on the celings and gondolas and canals. Oh, my!

We were supposed to see Celine Dion (Hey, it's Vegas, and when in Vegas, do as the Vegassians do. It was Celine or Wayne Newton. Whom would you have chosen?), but we arrived at the theater only to find that the tickets I got through Ticketmaster, curse their hides, were for August, and here it was May. Bummer. Perhaps I would have noticed the discrepancy in dates if I had read the confirmation e-mail a little more closely, but I didn't. So what did we do? We went back in August, and this time we stayed at the Venetian (such a deal we got for Las Vegas in August!). Even the standard rooms there are fabulous: huge, ornate, and extravagant. Nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. I felt like a Medici (one of the nice ones, of course)! Or at least Carmela Soprano.
That's a painted sky, folks.

Celine was OK. Yeah, just OK. She has an amazing voice, but the show was just a tad silly, with men in tights running around her and then staring at the backdrop with their backs to the audience. No real connection to the music she was singing, but it's Vega, Baby, and no one's doing reality checks, so what the hell.

The real performance to see was Ka, one of the Cirque de Soleil shows. Wow. What an incredible spectacular! Like nothing I've ever seen before, and I've been a circus goer all my life. Just amazing what acrobabtic feats the performers are capable of, and the way the staging and music all makes it come together is really something. Now I have to see all their other shows. But no problem. I'm going back to Vegas again, I'm sure. New Years Eve anyone?

Las Vegas recommendations:

The Venetian
http://www.venetian.com/
There are some great packages to be had, through their Web site, USAirways/America West, or expedia.com.

Bouchon
http://www.venetian.com/dining/menu_bouchondinner.cfm
French bistro restaurant created by Thomas Keller (he of the French Laundry in Napa). Really, really good food, and some of the freshest mussels I've ever had. Yummy. Like being in France, only with really solicitous waiters.

Okada
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/index.jsp (annoying Web site that takes a while to load)
Some really great Japanese food here. Fresh, fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, and knock-your-socks-off flavors.

Liberace Museum
http://www.liberace.com/
This is a hoot, just like the man himself. Costumes! Pianos! Custom cars! You have to go at least once.

So the Ticketmaster fiasco turned out to be a good thing, since it meant I went to Vegas again a lot sooner than I would have otherwise. And we did see Rita Rudner (wicked funny!) the first time and discovered Bouchon, which we went back to three times on the next trip (French toast to die for for breakfast).

And now I have a new destination that is all about fun and food and entertainment, not to mention all those lovely sparkles! I might just drive my RV there the next time I go, although I will leave Mr. Mason behind.

mmm

p.s. For those inquiring minds who want to know: I lost $20 the first trip and won $120 the second trip, all at the quarter slots. (Do you know what the minimum is at the blackjack tables these days??!!!) The win would have been more spectacular if I hadn't turn around and spent that money on a ridiculously expensive massage at the Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian. As they say, what you win in Vegas stays in Vegas.

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