Las Vegas

Surprise!

We went to Las Vegas last week for a couple of days to see my longtime friend, Nathan, get hitched.  It was a slightly last-minute trip, mostly in that we weren't sure if Hans was going to be able to go.  Luckily, we both made it!

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Welcome to Vegas!

We awoke, mostly refreshed from a night's sleep after arriving at midnight.  Since we had a full day to check out the city before the wedding on Friday, we bought some bus passes and rode from where we were staying on Fremont Street to the middle of the "new" strip.

We strolled along the fake canals of the Venetian, and I even went across the replica of the Rialto Bridge, three months shy of a decade after visiting the real one in Venice!

The Forum shops at Caesars Palace were nothing short of oppulent, but it was nice to see a few mid-range stores thrown in among Burberry, Coach, D&G, Lacoste, etc.

After stopping along the tree-shaded sidewalk in front of the Bellagio we ate at the Spice Market buffet inside the Planet Hollywood resort.  There were other entertainments throughout the day, including sampling sodas from around the world at the Coke store (most were horrible: the mint, watermellon, and strawberry sodas made me feel like I was drinking a box of Mr. Sketch markers).  We were going to ride the rollercoaster at New York, New York, but at $14 a ride we decided to skip it especially since we already have season passes for Six Flags this year.

 In this recession even Jason has to make a little money somehow

Looking north along Las Vegas Blvd,  New York, New York on left

New York, New York casino floor

Once the temperature had really risen in the afternoon, we returned to Fremont Street and I cooled off at the pool at a neighboring hotel.  At sunset we had martinis at the Level 107 Lounge at the Stratosphere.

Needless to say the view of the valley and surrounding mountains was exceptional, as well as the people watching.  Our table was next to a group of young men from either northern England or Wales as far as we could tell.  They had just come from a golf course, and were wearing ludicrously bright pastel argyle socks that clashed with their bright polo shirts and sometimes golf hats.  One floor below we could see diners on the rotating floor of the hotel's Top of the World restaurant.  The waitstaff were impressive as they stood on the outer edge of the floor, which was stationary, pouring wine into glasses on tables that slowly crept along their orbit.  Did I mention the martinis were fabulous?  We each had a mango, Key lime, and ultimate chocolate one along with some yummy appetizers.

 Scary heights!

 The strip

 Top of the World

Since we were already paying customers, we took a second elevator to the outdoor observation deck (which normally costs $16 if you just want the view) and saw some brave souls on a spinning ride that propels you out over the edge of the building.

We continued back down the strip, now fully lit in its neon glory.  The streets were already littered with escort service cards, some more risque than others.  We watched the volcano at the Mirage and the fountain show at the Bellagio before grabbing some last-minute tickets to a drag show at the Imperial Palace (queens at the Palace, get it?).  The performances were outstanding, though the host's standup as Joan Rivers was our favorite.  Most of the content is unrepeatable on here.  Impersonations included Madonna, Beyonce (very goofy), Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Cher, Celine Dion (extremely hilarious), Janet Jackson, Rhianna, and Whitney Houston.

At the end of the night I was still jet-lagged, so we went to bed early (by Vegas standards).

Friday, May 13th, 2011 

After a late breakfast we decided to rent a car.  All they had left was a mini-van and a camaro.  One silver muscle car later we were on our way to the movie theater at the Palms to see an appropriate flick for the day: Bridesmaids.  Many laughs later it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the wedding.

When we pulled up to the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, the entire party was outside, so I got a chance to meet the lovely bride and catch up the groom's family before the ceremony, which was very sweet and tear-jerking.  Beforehand I had called my mom to give her a heads-up that it was going to be streamed live on the net.  That's the benefit of a Vegas destination wedding!

The reception was held at a fantastic Mexican restaurant, coincidentally one block from the Palms.  The servers were hilarious and helpful, even coming to the rescue when the gracious bride and groom were having trouble cutting the cake (I swear, someone needs to publish a cake-cutting brochure for newlyweds because Hans and I had the same problem at our wedding!).  I had just finished a very large and refreshing margarita when it was time to go, so I was feeling pretty good in my shiny cocktail dress, riding in the camaro with the sunroof open.

Since it was our last night in Vegas and we still had a little energy left, we changed into some more comfortable clothes and went back down to Fremont Street for the light show and ran into the wedding party once more.

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

We grabbed a quick breakfast before checking out early and Hans finally got to exercise the accelerator on our rental on I-15 as we made our way to the Valley of Fire, about an hour away.  The desert was positively teeming with critters like the Antelope Ground Squirrel and several types of lizards.  We were fortunate enough to see some of the native plants with lingering flowers.  The red sandstone rocks contrasted eerily with the limestone mountains in the long-dried seabed.  We picked our way along some of the short trails, having not planned to go hiking in advance, and were thoroughly baked by the sun by the time we began the slow drive past Lake Mead, stopping in Callville Bay for a leisurely lunch, and continuing back to Vegas.  One brief stop at an outlet mall later we had arrived at our gates at the airport before departing on separate flights back to Maryland.

 A new little friend

 Lizard tracks

Sitting inside a tiny arch, petroglyphs in background

 It's not Arches National Park, but we'll take it!

White Domes

Two of the Seven Sisters

Taking a little bit of the desert home with us!

In all honesty I thought that the city was dingy, cheap, (though really not cheap), and superficial.  And I suppose that's the whole point.  Most of the casinos have a derelict air about them, but at least the customers look like they're having a good time.  It's an oasis of a city eeking out a living based on having the newest, brightest, and shiniest, where nothing is built with the intention of it lasting more than a couple of decades.

I will admit that I was a little relieved to get out of the smoke-filled casinos and into the outdoors on Saturday, but when my plane took off in the evening, and I looked down into the busy lights below, I could not help but be charmed by the sheer brightness and excitement of the Boulevard that represents escape from reality for most visitors.  Perhaps what is most stunning about it's allure is the seeming impossibility of its location, for as my plane turned east, the view was plunged into darkness, save for a single thin glittering gold chain as the interstate weaves its way south toward the Mojave desert and disappears quietly into the moonlit horizon.