It was my first time to Sin City, but three of the others had already been there. Unbelievably, we
were able to agree on several options of our trip. Before we left the airport, we encountered a Travelocity kiosk, and were able to score four tickets for the production Phantom (the fifth person had seen it recently in New York); and a trip for two to see the Hoover Dam. Our taxi driver was only too happy to drive us down the Strip so that we could get a good look at EVERYTHING! We stayed at the Stratosphere, so we got the full view of all offerings of the Strip. At the hotel, we dropped our bags, found a place to have lunch, played some slot machines, then were able to check into our rooms and take naps!!!! Turned out we'd all hardly gotten any sleep the night before, and had to meet up by 4 am to drive to the airport. So, naps were agreed upon on all sides.Meeting up at 4, we headed for the Strip by bus. Those in the Know, led us to the Venetian, where we witnessed the little show where the statues came to life on the hour. We wandered, saw lots of things, then finally had to find a quick place to get something to eat before the show, Phantom. THAT mistakenly led us to a place in the Mirage called Stack. They let us in, but once we were seated, apparently someone who had clout decided that five "old ladies from the Midwest" were not what they wanted sitting in one of their front booths, so they hurried over to tell us that we had 35 minutes to eat, because the table we were at was reserved. They proceeded to treat us poorly, so we ordered iced tea and appetizers. We soon realized that the Golden Bodies around us were what they had in mind for clientele.... median age: 27 years old; median height requirement: women: 5'10", men: 6'4". The five of us looked like we'd just gotten off a bus from Des Moines......
The Phantom was incredible! Our fifth friend busied herself in the casino while we were inside. It worked out quite well. Until it was time to catch the bus back to the hotel. Our cabdriver had told us to skip the buses at night, but for some stubborn reason, three of our party wanted to take the bus "home". I was overtired, overwarm (it was midnight and still 103 degrees) and just couldn't stand on the crowded corner much longer. I kept gazing down the road at the Stratosphere gazing back as if to mock me. Finally one of the women said she didn't want to wait any longer, she was going to walk. I woke up immediately, and told her I was right behind her. All the encouragement either of us needed as we struck out for the hotel. Yes, it was a good mile or so back to the hotel, but I had sensible shoes on, and it didn't hurt a bit. We weren't out to break any records, and the fact that no buses were passing us was certainly some incentive. We saw some sights, and plenty of construction, encountered no trouble, and made it back to the hotel only about 5 minutes after the others (yes, two buses finally went by when we were within about a block of the hotel). We met up with the others right in the lobby, and despite the fact that we were all exhausted, we decided to stop at one of the diners for something to eat. It was 2:00 am when we parted ways, two of us going to bed, the other three headed into the casino again.
At 6:00 am, the phone rang.... time to get up to catch the bus for the Hoover Dam! We took turns in the shower, and were down at Starbucks with plenty of time to catch the bus. The bus driver was a crotchety thing who seemed mad at the world. I figured it was going to be a LONG ride to the Dam. Fortunately, we had to stop at the terminal to get on the REAL bus to the dam. THAT bus driver was handsome, personable, informative, and really seemed to like his job. The hour or so trip to the dam passed quite quickly, and since I had a front seat, I got a lot of photos on the way. The Dam itself was spectacular. Having attended the little film and talk at the beginning, and then going on the guided tour down into the depths of the dam, made one realize the immensity of the structure. It was all good. To be continued......
No comments:
Post a Comment