24K Magic in the Air

July 2, 2024 - Reading time: 8 minutes

 

Vegas is always an over the top blast, but this adventure was especially so because it was my brother's first visit. We checked in to the hotel around 7:00 pm on Friday, toasted our arrival with a celebratory shot of Fireball, then spent about two hours burning our adrenaline by walking The Strip.   A street magician truly amazed us with his sleight of hand between the light and sight shows of the Bellagio Fountains.  While exploring The Bellagio, we discovered Bruno Mars owns a club called The Pinky Ring where a sign at the entry notifies guests that cell phones will be stored in a Yondr pouch because “What happens at The Pinky Ring stays at The Pinky Ring.”  We also perused Caesar’s Palace and Cosmopolitan’s gargantuan purple chandelier before crashing for the night.  

 

Morning - we poked around Planet 13 to cross off an item on my brother’s bucket list and wrapped up our time there with a delicious brunch.  The portions were enormous!  

A silly photo op at Planet 13

Afternoon - pool time!  Waitress service with a cold beverage was divine.  I have no idea how they kept the pool temp so cool when the heat index was 115.  More Vegas magic! 

Night - Weeks after we booked at Park MGM an email arrived with a presale offer to see Bruno Mars in concert on the weekend of our stay.  To ride an elevator from your hotel room to a concert venue in the lobby below is the epitome of spoiled and I am grateful beyond measure.  Bruno and crew put on quite a show!  We later characterized it as a pumped influence mash up of Prince, Michael Jackson, James Brown and The Temptations.  Again, cell phones bagged, but without the distractions of posting, filming, or text message interruptions we rediscovered the joy of being fully present and engaged in every moment of a performance.  Singing together.  Dancing together.  Bruno opened with 24K Magic and the hits rolled for the remainder.  It was a weekend I'll never forget!