Mandy’s Motherhood Musings

On the Strip

I started Friday morning on The Strip taking pictures of the numerous fountains at the Wynn, getting sucked into a game of craps, and gambling away $6000! Thank God for onsite ATMs, right? But no worries, I’m sure I can turn it around today. Blackjack is really more my game…

Ok, just kidding. I called James last night to check in — I haven’t talked to him since Sunday — and he was like, “Why are you calling? I know what’s going on with you, I read your blog!” I hope that gave him a scare

Anyway, I really did start my morning at the Wynn, a beautiful new hotel that Celena recommended. She had to work today, so she dropped me off to do some wandering until she could join me in the afternoon. I hit the Venetian, Mirage, Ceasars, Flamingo, Paris, and the Bellagio, where I finally got to see those fountains. Very impressive! I think my favorite was the St. Mark’s mall in the Venetian, which was like a miniature Venice, complete with canals, gondolas, and gelato. I stopped at a sidewalk cafe for some eggplant and wine, and had an amusing hour people-watching — just across from me was a living statue, and tourists just couldn’t get enough of posing with her. You could tell she was not enamored of the creepy old Italian guys, but she was nice to the kids. After lunch, I strolled back to the main square to have some pistachio gelato. There were many fine and contemporary art galleries to peruse, my favorite being the Peter Lik photography exhibit. Absolutely gorgeous landscapes. On my way out, I passed over a replica of the Rialto Bridge, but because here we’re fat, lazy Americans, the entire span was traversed by moving sidewalks, lol.

At the Flamingo I found a wildlife habitat, which had, of course, flamingos, as well as other interesting birds. It was a nice reprieve from the constant din of bling, bling and blooooop, bloooop that greeted me at the entrance to every one of these places. Each casino had it’s own feel — Paris had a replica of the Eiffel tower and the Arc de Triomphe, the Mirage was like an island paradise, and Caesars, probably the most over-the-top, offered a “Colosseum” — but each casino floor was essentially the same.

After resting my achin’ dogs at Celena’s and cooking a yummy pasta dinner, we headed to the Stratosphere, known for it’s thrill rides at the top of the 108-story needle tower. Like everything in Vegas, the price was steep, (they charge you just to ride the elevator up to the top, and then charge you again for each ride, and you only get to ride once!) I opted to just ride the X-scream, which dangles you over the edge. It was pretty thrilling, though not nearly as much as the New York, New York coaster I rode on Monday. Perhaps it was because I took off my glasses — I nearly lost them on the coaster Monday — and all of the skyline lights looked like skyline blurs. The place was not crowded at all, surprising for a Friday night, so I think next time I’ll try riding all three rides. On our way back to the other end of The Strip, we passed by a NASCAR coaster that was pretty close to the Hilton. Perhaps if my boss sends me here again next year, I can talk Craig into going on that one. He’s such a good sport!

We finished the night at the Bellagio to watch the fountain again — at night I thought it was much more spectacular. From 8PM to 12AM it shows every 15 minutes, and each show is different, so we sat through four. Very pretty!

Today’s my last day, and we’re taking her easy. We’re meeting Celena’s dad for dim sum later, and if we can squeeze it in, we might head over to Red Rock Canyon to take some photos.

Off to the Damn Dam!

Celena, my gracious hostess, and I embarked on a trip out of sin city and into the desert wildlife this morning…passing over the mountains, along the shores of Lake Mead, and ending at one of the greatest civil engineering feats of the 20th Century, the Hoover Dam. Or as we lovingly refer to it, the Damn Dam. We sprung for the tour, traveling down the elevator to the spillway tunnels, back up to the massive turbines, then up to the observation deck to take some lovely photos. We also saw a very cool 3-D map of the entire Colorado River system, and she pointed out to me her tiny hometown, Page, AZ, which is next to another damn dam, the Glen Canyon Dam.

Some interesting facts I learned: Hoover Dam is 45 feet wide at the top (just enough for two traffic lanes) and 660 feet wide at the base, the size of two football fields. The waterline is very low right now, and water consumption in this area is exceeding the supply. Quite a concern for residents, who like their backyard swimming pools and casino fountains. The dam was built to supply water first, and the electricity harnessed is only a secondary function. Herbert Hoover, as secretary of commerce, proposed the dam idea in the senate in 1920s, and when it finally got passed, he was the one who signed the bill as president. The dam was originally called Boulder Dam, but FDR later changed it to Hoover Dam. I guess that makes sense — when you’re trying to pass legislation for a dam, it’s probably pretty conceited to suggest it get named after you!

After the tour we headed back down to Lake Mead for a picnic, but first stopped to check out a sign we saw advertising helicopter rides for only $29. It sounded too good to be true…and it was. $29 gets you two minutes in the air, and you don’t even go near the dam. Damn dam ripoff!

On the way back to Celena’s, I mentioned I’d wanted to see the King Tut museum at the Luxor, and since traffic was starting to pile up, we decided it was best to wait it out in the casino. I’m sure we’re not the first ones to think of that — but luckily we don’t really gamble. Instead we saw a very cool IMAX movie about prehistoric sea monsters. So fitting, because I’m such a dino/ancient creatures nut. The King Tut exhibit was also pretty cool — all replicas, of course, but a nice set up.

Tomorrow Celena has some work to catch up on, so I’m going to head down to some of the pretty casinos — the Venetian, the Wynn, and some others — stroll around, take some pics, see where the day takes me. I’m going to try to see the Bellagio fountain while I’m down there. Hopefully it’s not too windy this time.

The Fremont Experience

Wednesday night, Craig, Rick and I had the full downtown experience on Fremont Street, home to the original strip. Rick remembers when he was a kid coming down here and seeing all those Rat Pack guys, so it was like a stroll down memory lane. But with a giant jumbo-tron display covering the street like a massive archway, heh. I got to take some photos of the classic cowboy at The Frontier, and bought some tacky souvenirs. Dinner specials greeted us at every casino, so we decided on the Binion Steakhouse, where they were selling sirloins and lobster for $11.99, and filet mignon for $12.99. I opted for the filet…and it was definitely a steak that cost $12.99. Guess I’m spoiled by my KC beef. The ambiance was priceless — I could almost picture Moe Green from the Godfather IIstrutting around the casino floor. Out in the street, live bands played covers from the 50s and 60s, and the guys from Chippendale’s would pose with willing young ladies for a fee. Ahhh, Vegas.