Vegas, Baby!!

June 20, 2022 - Reading time: 13 minutes

We drove three hours from the Grand Canyon to the Hoover Dam Visitor’s Center, conveniently located on the way to Las Vegas.  The guided tour was phenomenal and lasted just under an hour.  As we paid for tickets, we were asked if we were claustrophobic.  That question gave me pause, but I denied my fear and shook my head "no." They took us down an elevator to an interior tunnel carved into one side of the mountain.  The tour guide assured us the water on the exposed rock walls was from natural springs below and that the dam was not, in fact, leaking.  Then she said quite seriously, “We actually don’t use the “L” word here."  Indeed.  The tunnel ended with a viewing area overlooking the enormous turbines which produce electricity for a sizeable area of the Southwest.  A crew had a cap removed from one of the turbines, performing maintenance on one of the gigantic rotors.  The components were massive.  James loved it!  Hoover Dam has always been on his bucket list.  We lingered a bit in the museum, learning the history and statics of the dam's construction.  But, the best was saved for last, of course:  the walk outside across the enormous structure that holds back the Colorado River on one side to form the green-blue Lake Mead on the other.  What a treat to peer over the 726 foot walls on both sides while standing on atop 4.4 million cubic yards of concrete! The recently constructed bridge on the Interstate overlooking the dam is a beauty, too.  Oh, the things we humans can accomplish if we work together! 

30 miles later we were in Vegas!  We booked the MGM Grand, top floor, king suite with a view of the strip.  Go big or go home, right?  It was very roomy and very cool.  The temperature outside was over 100 again so we took a quick dip in one of the compound's many pools and then hit the strip as the sun was setting.  My first impression of Vegas is this:  It's like Times Square on steroids, only more glitzy (if that's possible) and with waaaaaaay more gambling and booze.  

Over the course of three nights we took in the Bellagio Fountain show several times.  Never saw a repeat.  Each was spectacular, but my favorite was the one featuring "Fly Me to the Moon" by Sinatra.  So Vegas.  The interior of Bellagio is also a feast for the senses.  It opens with colorful ceiling collage which leads to an adjacent rainforest atrium.  We took photos of so many things! 

To beat the heat, wandering through nearby properties became our habit each night.  Caesar's Palace is enormous.  Our first official meal was dinner at the Trevi Fountain, a replica of the one in Rome, of course.  James had the Steak Tagliata and I had Veal Piccata with a white wine sauce over wilted spinach, roasted artichokes, and tomatoes.  Paired with a glass of Chianti from Tuscany, it was divine.   

Day Two of Vegas found us camping by the pool, taking advantage of poolside waitress service.  We treated ourselves to lunch in our lounge chairs.  I had a pina coloda for the first time in years.  It was a well deserved day of relaxation after two days of nearly constant walking and a great recharge for our sore muscles and aching feet.  We may have also imbibed in a bucket of beer ( maybe two?). Who knows? What happens in Vegas stays here, right?  We had grand plans to scope out a party club that second night, but sleep and recovery with room service was on the menu.  By the next morning I was a total believer in the efficacy of hotel blackout shades. And that’s all I have to say about that.  

On Vegas Day Three we rode the monorail several blocks to the Venetian.  We didn't take a gondola, but enjoyed watching three of the gondoliers perform their vocal Italian song warm up near the ticket booth in preparation to serenade their passengers.  They sounded great!  Inside, the ceiling of The Venetian is the visual star of the show.  The Italian fresco replicas are so beautiful and photos won't do it justice.  My neck was sore afterwards from craning to look up. 

  

Next, we crossed the strip to The Cosmopolitan and stopped by Secret Pizza for lunch.  It's an unmarked, unadvertised little hole in the wall that was put on my radar by a dear friend back home.  I won’t say much more about the location because it’s, well, a secret!  A delicious secret.  We had more pie than we could eat and James noticed a diagram on the side of the box.  Y’all…it was an origami pizza box.  He followed the directions and folded a huge pizza box into a “just the right size for three left over pieces” box.  Pizza and a puzzle.  What a lunch! 

Late that afternoon, Preston flew in.  We made dinner reservations months in advance for this special evening where the three of us would get to dine together before James left for home.  And let me tell ya, SkyBar on the 23rd floor of the Waldorf Astoria is as chic and sophisticated an establishment as they come.  The view is phenomenal and the service, wine and food were outstanding.  We shared a bottle Napa Valley Cabernet, two chef-prepared sushi rolls, a three-tiered tray of charcuterie and a basket of duck fat fries.  The timing was perfect, too because we were seated at the large picture windows at sunset which allowed us to watch the lights of the Vegas Strip come alive.  It was Preston's first view of that captivating display. We walked off dinner, strolling again through the Cosmopolitan to marvel at it's impossibly grand chandelier and to the Bellagio's fountains, enjoying two back to back shows with Preston.  James had to catch his plane to SC early the next morning, so we headed back to MGM.  Preston and I did a walk about of casino tables and truly had the best time losing $63 at the roulette wheel.  Easy come, easy go.  And, after all, like my PE coach used to say, “If you had fun, you won!”