It's August already?
Where did my birthday go? Oh, yeah -- Vegas.
See, the Bodacious Brit wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday, and it had to be fabulous because I got him an iPad with all the bells and whistles for HIS birthday. So, since I needed to do research for MURDER AT THE SANDS (and I really wanted to see what it was like when we weren't trying to pack my dying father up and transfer him to Chicago), I suggested a weekend trip to Las Vegas.
And lo, we went last weekend, and much to my amazement it seems that Lyndon has a new favorite vacation spot. I say "much to my amazement" because Lyndon is the man who hiked the Pyrenees and used to spend Boxing Day doing a day-long walk with his buddies on the Yorkshire moors -- he's more of what you would call an outdoors type, not really a city boy at all. And to be honest neither of us are gamblers, either, so having casinos everywhere you turned was no attraction whatsoever (I waited by a slot machine while Lyndon broke a big bill in one of the ATMs/bill breakers on the casino floor. Remembered the dollar bills in my pocket, looked at the slot machine, and thought, "...eh").
What we DID do, however, was stay at the Bellagio -- and oh, my cupcakes, if you have to dosh to stay in that hotel, do so because you will not regret it. Not only is it utterly beautiful, not only are the rooms comfortable and the service excellent, but whoever built the place understands the concept of whimsy, judging from the giant garden of Murano glass flowers in the arboreteum and the giant copper ants that live among them. Plus the food is great and the bartenders have a sense of humor (always a plus in my book).
We checked in Friday afternoon after Lyndon talked me into indulging my inner Homicide captain and renting a Charger from Alamo (hee!), grabbed some food at the buffet, then saw the spectacular Cirque du Soleil show "O." I loved it so much that I bought the soundtrack -- I suppose I'm too old to run off and join the circus, huh? After the show, we walked around the Strip (it was for research, honest!), picked out locations from CSI, had some excellent drinks in various bars (it turns out that I have become a lightweight in my old age -- two drinks and I'm thisclose to dragging my husband off to a strip club), and played "Spot the Hooker." But Lyndon is an engineer (because we weren't in the greatest seats, he spent the bulk of the CdS show studying the theater's rigging), and for an engineer in Vegas there's one place to which you MUST make a pilgrimage.
So we spent a large chunk of Saturday afternoon out at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, taking pictures and video, and soaking in some serious heat. The dam, of course, is one amazing piece of engineering, and the new bridge they're building that overlooks the dam from the south and will carry Highway 93 as of late 2010 is equally spectacular (once the bridge is open, Hoover Dam will no longer be open to vehicular traffic by order of Homeland Security). And Lake Mead looks much like how I imagine the Sea of Gallilee must look -- a deep pool of blue cupped between desert mountains. We wandered around the lake for a bit taking pictures and trying to dodge the truly hellacious wind, before the full impact of spending a couple of hours out in desert heat hit us and we decided that long, cool showers back at the room sounded just right.
Later that evening, Lyndon headed over to the Star Trek Expo (I may have picked that weekend to go to Vegas so that he could have Leonard Nimoy sign his photography book and attend Nimoy's photography seminar *grin*). While the Bodacious Brit was immersed in all things Leonard, I mused over catching the 8:00 PM show of The Thunder from Down Under over at Excalibur, then decided, "Screw it" and relaxed in my roman tub with a nice drink and the picture window (tinted, of course) overlooking the Strip. After spending an afternoon in desert heat, that was a little slice of luxury.
Sunday morning we checked out and went over to the Luxor to see the Titanic exhibit there -- they have some great mockups of various parts of the ship, as well as the Big Piece, a huge chunk of the Titanic's hull that was brought up a couple of years ago and preserved. There's something quietly awe-inspiring about the fact that we've seen both the Vasa in Stockholm and an actual piece of Titanic's hull.
Lyndon wants to go back in March. And I can't blame him. :-) And now, pictures:
Yours truly at Hoover Dam, with the Colorado River in the background.
Eddy, using this opportunity to dry out a bit before Saturday night's festivities.
The Bodacious Brit, with the new bridge that will carry Highway 93 and bypass the Hoover Dam as of late 2010.
Paris Hotel and Casino and the Las Vegas Strip, from the Bellagio frontage.
A couple of happy tourists in front of Paris.
See, the Bodacious Brit wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday, and it had to be fabulous because I got him an iPad with all the bells and whistles for HIS birthday. So, since I needed to do research for MURDER AT THE SANDS (and I really wanted to see what it was like when we weren't trying to pack my dying father up and transfer him to Chicago), I suggested a weekend trip to Las Vegas.
And lo, we went last weekend, and much to my amazement it seems that Lyndon has a new favorite vacation spot. I say "much to my amazement" because Lyndon is the man who hiked the Pyrenees and used to spend Boxing Day doing a day-long walk with his buddies on the Yorkshire moors -- he's more of what you would call an outdoors type, not really a city boy at all. And to be honest neither of us are gamblers, either, so having casinos everywhere you turned was no attraction whatsoever (I waited by a slot machine while Lyndon broke a big bill in one of the ATMs/bill breakers on the casino floor. Remembered the dollar bills in my pocket, looked at the slot machine, and thought, "...eh").
What we DID do, however, was stay at the Bellagio -- and oh, my cupcakes, if you have to dosh to stay in that hotel, do so because you will not regret it. Not only is it utterly beautiful, not only are the rooms comfortable and the service excellent, but whoever built the place understands the concept of whimsy, judging from the giant garden of Murano glass flowers in the arboreteum and the giant copper ants that live among them. Plus the food is great and the bartenders have a sense of humor (always a plus in my book).
We checked in Friday afternoon after Lyndon talked me into indulging my inner Homicide captain and renting a Charger from Alamo (hee!), grabbed some food at the buffet, then saw the spectacular Cirque du Soleil show "O." I loved it so much that I bought the soundtrack -- I suppose I'm too old to run off and join the circus, huh? After the show, we walked around the Strip (it was for research, honest!), picked out locations from CSI, had some excellent drinks in various bars (it turns out that I have become a lightweight in my old age -- two drinks and I'm thisclose to dragging my husband off to a strip club), and played "Spot the Hooker." But Lyndon is an engineer (because we weren't in the greatest seats, he spent the bulk of the CdS show studying the theater's rigging), and for an engineer in Vegas there's one place to which you MUST make a pilgrimage.
So we spent a large chunk of Saturday afternoon out at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, taking pictures and video, and soaking in some serious heat. The dam, of course, is one amazing piece of engineering, and the new bridge they're building that overlooks the dam from the south and will carry Highway 93 as of late 2010 is equally spectacular (once the bridge is open, Hoover Dam will no longer be open to vehicular traffic by order of Homeland Security). And Lake Mead looks much like how I imagine the Sea of Gallilee must look -- a deep pool of blue cupped between desert mountains. We wandered around the lake for a bit taking pictures and trying to dodge the truly hellacious wind, before the full impact of spending a couple of hours out in desert heat hit us and we decided that long, cool showers back at the room sounded just right.
Later that evening, Lyndon headed over to the Star Trek Expo (I may have picked that weekend to go to Vegas so that he could have Leonard Nimoy sign his photography book and attend Nimoy's photography seminar *grin*). While the Bodacious Brit was immersed in all things Leonard, I mused over catching the 8:00 PM show of The Thunder from Down Under over at Excalibur, then decided, "Screw it" and relaxed in my roman tub with a nice drink and the picture window (tinted, of course) overlooking the Strip. After spending an afternoon in desert heat, that was a little slice of luxury.
Sunday morning we checked out and went over to the Luxor to see the Titanic exhibit there -- they have some great mockups of various parts of the ship, as well as the Big Piece, a huge chunk of the Titanic's hull that was brought up a couple of years ago and preserved. There's something quietly awe-inspiring about the fact that we've seen both the Vasa in Stockholm and an actual piece of Titanic's hull.
Lyndon wants to go back in March. And I can't blame him. :-) And now, pictures:
Yours truly at Hoover Dam, with the Colorado River in the background.
Eddy, using this opportunity to dry out a bit before Saturday night's festivities.
The Bodacious Brit, with the new bridge that will carry Highway 93 and bypass the Hoover Dam as of late 2010.
Paris Hotel and Casino and the Las Vegas Strip, from the Bellagio frontage.
A couple of happy tourists in front of Paris.