Las Vegas, a mother’s promise

---

Planning a vacation can be fun, it can also be a major pain in ones anatomy; I found a little of both when I started to plan a 5 day trip to Las Vegas with my youngest son. Some back ground can help to understand the problems that arose. When my son was 15, I drove both him and his sister to visit my mother in Desert Hot Springs, California to spend the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the first such trip he had been on as a young man and we planned on staying overnight in Las Vegas at the Sahara. November in Las Vegas can be chilly which he found out when he planned on swimming in the outdoor pool which was not heated. A quick chilly dip and he opted for a walking tour of the strip
Being only 15, he could look, walk through but not enjoy the adult attractions that Vegas has to offer and I vowed to him that for his 21st birthday I would bring him back to enjoy Vegas as an adult. Here now starts the good, the bad and the ugly of our trip. Sadly we could not make the 21st birthday but we did manage to make the trip before his 26th birthday. I had been to Vegas many times and wanted his “first” time to be spectacular and a memorable event. So I pulled out the stops and started to plan an event that I hoped would remain in his memory for decades.

Our hotel would be the Bellagio, a towering beacon of opulence, money and extravagance and also I got great deals on line. Our five day stay would feature fine dining at Le Circ inside the Bellagio, the Stratosphere and the Eiffel Tower inside The Paris. We would have VIP seats at Le Reve at the Winn which included our own attendant, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and T.V. monitors to see back stage and underwater staging throughout the show. I had also planned a trip to Hoover Dam so my son could drive across the dam itself. Once the new bridge is opened driving across the dam will be no more; it would be a landmark item to add to his collection of memories.

Trying to orchestrate a trip with two people in the same household poses no problem, however my son wanted to include his Uncle Mark who lives in North Hollywood California and also his best bud who lives 250 miles away in Boise, Idaho. Uncle Mark was free for two days only on our first and second day but he needed to fly out on the third, my sons friend could arrive on the third day but needed to fly out early on the morning our last day. Itinerary in hand I started to plan the events, purchase tickets and plot arrival and departure times with the grace of a General planning a full battle campaign.

Now understand I was footing the bill for the hotel room but not for the additional airline tickets for Uncle Mark and Mike my son’s friend. Here we need to identify my son’s friend as “big” Mike and my son as Michael. I would furnish the tickets to Le Reve and treat “Big” Mike to dinner and Uncle Mark would pay a proportional share of dinner and drinks during his two days with us. I had also advised both “Big” Mike and Uncle Mark that dining would be dress and that suit and ties would be required, keep this in mind.

Now being a typical mother I wanted this vacation to be the best it could be, after all I had promised Michael I would wine and dine him for his birthday and what mother is going to let down their son. The tickets for the show were 159.00 each, for Uncle Mark, Michael and me it came to $477.00; thank God for tax refunds. With the help of the internet I could also look over the menu’s and prices for our three expensive restaurants and allocate funds to cover.

After the initial sticker shock of the cost of this trip we started planning our clothes to take and also comply with airline standards of suitcase size and weight. There would be three days of dress dining and two days of casual attire, garment bags and suitcases were packed, checked and repacked. Phone calls went out to Uncle Mark and “Big” Mike with a listing of items suggested covering our plans. All agreed and I assumed that each knew that this was May in the desert and Las Vegas is hot, very hot and to pack accordingly.

So we start: our planes departure was at 8AM from Salt Lake City, Utah which meant that we could get up at 3PM drive 3 hours to SLC, drop the car off at long term packing, hop a shuttle, stand in line to clear or we could drive up the afternoon before. We opted to drive up the day before and stay at The Clarion hotel which provided free parking for guests while away and also provide shuttle service right to the front door of the airport plus gave us a hot breakfast to boot. Up early and stoked on scrambled eggs and coffee we boarded the shuttle and soon found ourselves going through the arduous task of screening. Boarding our plane, it seemed we no sooner strapped in for our departure that we had to settle back down for our arrival at McCarron in Vegas, the trip is about an hour. We quickly found our way down to baggage and also the rows of slot machines that beacon the weary travelers to leave more of their money. Michael popped in a quarter and won $20.00; an omen.

Dragging our bags we found the rental car shuttle and got on; rental cars are on the far side of the airport. We chose an inexpensive two door compact style car, which turned out to be an innocuous white indistinct style something or other type car. Bags swiftly stowed we were off for the short mile or so drive to the Bellagio and the start of our wonderful adventure. We arrived at the front of the Bellagio around 11AM amid a hoard of other guests both checking out and trying to check in. The bell boys quickly placed out luggage on a cart with our names and vanished, we found ourselves in the main lobby looking upward at the glass ceiling adorned in vibrant colors in a kaleidoscope array. Our room would not be ready for an hour so we were told, so we found our way to the Baccarat Lounge just outside of the “High rollers” lobby. Uncle Mark was slated to arrive around 4pm so we had time to sit back, relax and enjoy a cool and refreshing martini.

Time flies. We had informed our waitress about the need to wait for our room and after sitting for about two hours she went to the desk in our behalf and voila we were at the concierge counter getting information about our room and various amenities of the hotel. We had asked for a small refrigerator and were told “No Charge;” remember this one too. The rooms have a refrigerator stocked with various items and if you remove one of them to just look, yup you bought it and they are not cheap. We were about half way up on the 9th floor overlooking the fountains and what a view. The fountain show was ours any time we looked and the rest of the strip was ours to admire. Back down in the lobby at the lounge for a short time and we met up with Uncle Mark, bags deposited in the room we set out to find a liquor store. Although the drinks were fabulous they were also expensive and to get the most bang for our buck we wanted to save wherever we could.

One would think finding a liquor store in Vegas would be easy. First, driving Las Vegas Blvd. is life threatening in itself. Then when you spot a store you are on the wrong side of the street and must go for blocks before you can turn. I must say we found the backsides of many hotels and alley ways before we made it to our liquor store. Armed with the essentials, gin and tonic water, chips, pretzels and dip we mapped our return to the Bellagio and our first night of dining at Le Circ. Okay, remember the dress code and the fact that it’s May in the desert? Michael had his Armani suit with a cotton shirt, I had a cotton polly blend dress and heels, guess what Uncle Mark brought? Yup you guessed it, a wool suit, now Uncle Mark is a stout fellow and putting him in a wood suit for several hours well let’s say by the time I had my coffee Uncle Mark was well done. Le Circ is a small intimate cozy and elegant place to dine, for a full critique of our meal please see my blog at PattieSueFoodReview.

Since Uncle Mark was in the first stages of heat prostration we decided to change into casual attire and forego the limo tour of the strip and try our hand at gambling. Uncle Mark is into craps and I might say does quite well and he was going to take Michael under his wing and give him a few pointers. Since the casinos have no windows to look out of, nor do they have any clocks to tell time by, my indicator that we should return to the hotel was the fact that I was nodding off while sitting at the slot machine. It was 1am and time to pack it in.
Up and about in the early am found all of us famished and ready to have a good breakfast. Uncle Mark suggested the Frontier area of Vegas and the small quaint restaurant inside Bailey’s. About the only remaining “old” school casino it boasts rich wood floors, furniture and not a bit of laminate in site. One could almost see the Rat Pack and feel the mood of the 50’s. Quickly seated we found that the prices were reminiscent of the 60’s with generous helpings and not a budget buster we left full and completely satisfied. We decided to walk the Frontier and try our hand here and there with slots. Michael quickly found the Wheel of Fortune machine and in no time flat won $400.00. His good luck was continuing.

Back to the Bellagio and we decided to try the pool and soak up some sun and relax; we were going to see Le Reve and eat at the Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere tonight. Two pools and hundreds of lounge chairs arranged with tables and umbrellas. Several private cabanas for rent at poolside fill up the rest of the area. We lounged, the boys swam and we had a wonderful time just letting time go by. Our show tickets were for 7pm and on the other side of the strip, so we needed to shower, dress and get the car to drive to the Wynn. Valet parking does have its moments and since we were 30 minutes out from show time we needed to hurry and find our way through a maze of lights, slots and gaming machines to the ticket counter.

Since I had VIP reservations we could line pass and got our tickets in no time, we also got a privileged access pass which was to be worn around your neck, it allowed your seating in the reserved section of the show. After which it also allowed you to line pass at various bars and restaurants within the Wynn, I guess the biggest perk was the complimentary access to LURE, the club of clubs within the Wynn. I mentioned the fact that our seats came with champagne and strawberries but the best feature was the closed monitor TV’s each of us had, we were allowed to look into the dressing area and see the cast getting ready for the show, it showed the underwater pool area and how the platforms were raised and lowered. And the reason the cast members could stay below for minutes at a time, scuba divers were there not only for safety but to provide air to the cast as they waited for their cues to return to the surface. With the show over we could not linger to enjoy the perks of our VIP passes since we had reservations at the Top of the World to keep. Handing our ticket to the valets our car was quickly brought around and we were off to the Stratosphere for yet another dining adventure.

The restaurant is not at the immediate top of the Stratosphere, it sets below the “fun zone” those rides that take you over the rim of the hotel and dangle you for the ultimate in thrill seeking. The elevator to the restaurant and fun zone are not free and open they are either reserved for patrons dining at the TOW or those who have purchased tickets to the fun zone. Elevator operators take you to your destination once your tickets or reservations have been confirmed. Our table was by the window which affords a panoramic view of the entire metropolitan area. For those who have a fear of heights, dining is also available within an inner ring, not next to the window. You turn so slowly that it’s hard to tell you’re moving at all. Counter clock wise (I think) from you and the window is another moving circle; this one contains the desert samples which seem to come around ever so much faster than the view.

Having just enjoyed the show at The Wynn we were eager to sit and relax and savor the cuisine at the Top of the World Restaurant, after perusing the menus we ordered and our salads came out with our bottle of wine. Having only taken a bit or two of our salads my sons cell rang, judging by the look on his face something was terribly wrong, sitting almost stunned he looked at his Uncle Mark and stated, “It’s The Wynn. They say we took someone else’s car and we need to return it immediately.” You know how every family has an “Uncle” well ours is Mark and he politely said to Michael, “Give me the phone!” He asked the caller to repeat the message. Then he said in a low and controlled voice, “We did not take the wrong car. Your valets gave us the wrong car. We are just sitting down to dine and when we are done, at our leisure, we will drive the car back to The Wynn to exchange for our car.”

Now I want to say that the rest of the dinner went smoothly, it did but the mood was cast; we were in a horrible mood, our dinner was ruined by the thought of the Wynn accusing us of “stealing” a car. Please see my blog of TOW at PattieSueFoodReview for a thorough critique of the food. We paid our check and the elevator operator allowed us to briefly tour the top gaming deck. Since we were on a leash so to speak and needed to return to the Winn we only had time to view the rides and then depart. Once we had the Stratosphere valet bring round the car, we stood and really looked it over, remember when I said we opted for a cheap, white two door car, well it seems most of the patrons in Vegas do just that, the only difference were the seats (color) and someone else’s camera in the glove box. So visitors beware; when the valets pull up in the evening under those fluorescent lights there is no way to tell a dark grey from a tan from a brown seat, and once you depart its dark. So take care, mark your cars especially if you park at the Wynn.

Once back at The Wynn, their gang was waiting for us in the front almost like a mob scene, they wanted us out of that car and dammed fast. Uncle Mark was not to be pushed off and wanted to know just what compensation The Wynn was going to offer us for having first given us the wrong car, and secondly ruining our dinner and planned events of the evening, the reply was nothing, nada, zilch. Asking to talk to the hotel manager, we got the assistant manager who was not pleasant and assumed that we were not worth his time. After much haggling and the mention that The Wynn gave the other folks whose car we had, free Limousine service for the evening, he asked “just what do you want?” Comp our show tickets, NO, again comp our tickets, not to bore you this took place over about 20 minutes and the resolution was he would comp us two tickets only since he really didn’t think this was a big deal. So we got $318.00 back which paid for our dinner at TOW, but could never compensate for an evening that was ruined or the humiliation of having to stand outside in the valet area haggling over this issue. Only when we had come to a decision did they invite us into the casino, but to wait at the front door while he typed up a letter attesting to the refund. I have nothing against The Wynn its self, I do have trouble with its valet attendants and assistant managers who treat guests like poor trash, seems if we had been staying at The Wynn, he would have treated us better, but since we were poor neighbors staying down the road at the Bellagio, he didn’t have much in kindness to show towards us.

So to show we were good sports we asked the valet to park “our car” and we went back inside The Wynn and gambled until 2pm. I must say when we came out and handed our ticket to the valet our car reached the speed of light from the parking garage, doors flung open and almost being helped inside, we glanced around to make sure this one was ours, grinned and actually handed the idiots a $5.00 bill and left. Can’t say us Idaho tater pickers ain’t real swell sports!
The third day was sunny and already warm at 8am; sadly Uncle Mark needs to depart back for North Hollywood mid-morning and Michaels friend “Big” Mike comes in about an hour later. Packing for a trip is fun, packing to return is sad more so when only one is departing. The drive to the airport is only minutes with good traffic and quickly we are in the terminal and Mark is getting his boarding pass. Good byes and accolades of praise for having dealt with the assistant manager, Mark leaves for the screening area and we wait until Big Mike appears at the other end of the terminal. Now I need to set this scene right, I am olive skinned and 5.5, Michael is also olive and about 5.5, Big Mike is about a foot taller, very pale, and shaves his head. He has a good nature, is fun and my son’s best bud but he also has a strained sense of humor.

Now being boys they were hungry so we stopped at the Hard Rock Café for a quick late lunch. Even when I was young I never enjoyed having to yell across a table for someone to hear you and this is exactly the experience you get when you enter the café. The music is cranked to the 9th level; the tables vibrate from the base. The wait staff either has exceptional hearing or can read lips when taking your order. Memorabilia adorn the walls, the gift shop has a lot of the items for sale at rather spendy prices and the food was okay, not bad, not fantastic but you got your money’s worth. Complete food blog at PattieSueFoodReview.

We deposited the luggage at the hotel and the boys decided they wanted to try out the roller coaster at New York, New York. So we opted for a taxi ride this time since the afternoon traffic was already backing up. We toured several areas, the tram, MGM and ended up at New York, New York and strolled around the casino until we found the gift shot and roller coaster entrance. I don’t know why rides are made for two people, when there is a third person; they sit alone or not at all. This was my occasion to bow out and let the boys ride together and do what young men do. It’s not cheap so in thinking back I was glad I didn’t go. The boys disappeared around a corner to wait for the next set of cars; I ambled through the gift shop where the exit would be. I was told about 5 minutes for the ride start to finish, looking up at the clock we had plenty of time for the ride a few slots and back to the Bellagio to dress, tonight we had reservations at The Paris.

So about at the 5 minute mark people came out, now I thought these were the ones that were ahead of the boys, and when they didn’t come out I figured that they caught the next set of cars. Well after about 30 minutes I was frantic, no more riders, but most importantly no boys. Just as I was about to imitate a frantic mother, a gentleman came out asking for Mrs. Knapp. Okay my heart in my throat, God what happened, your worst nightmares; the car fell off the track, the bar came open and they were thrown out, bloody inured, WHAT? He said in a rather casual but almost joking mode, please come with me, we passed the do not enter sign, turned around a corner and what to my wondering eyes appeared but the roller coaster sitting nicely in the bay, with both Michael and Big Mike sitting in tact but with the legs and butt of someone rising out from in between them.

The maintenance crew was frantically trying to release the bar to let them out; they had been working on this for over 40 minutes. You know the characters of Laurel and Hardy, Mutt and Jeff, Abbott and Costello well I had mine all to myself, Michael and Big Mike I cannot begin to describe the looks on their faces. Finally after about 45 minutes the bar popped open and the boys almost simultaneously sprang out of the car. Now having had problems last evening and now this I can say we were not in a mood for “gee we are sorry”, hell no, let me talk to your manager. It seems that Casino managers don’t care if you are angry, upset, have had a bad experience or whatever, they don’t want to give you a lick of compensation. Our dinner was in 1 hr. at least give us the dammed cab fare back to the Bellagio, since your dammed ride cost us over an hour of delay. I think the guy had a trip meter calculator in his hip pocket because he gave us the amount of money to the dime.

Frantically we changed and decided that it actually would be faster for us to walk over the skywalk to the other side and walk the few blocks to The Paris rather than a cab or take our car. I must say we worked up a sweat and appetite once we reached the casino. The elevator to the Eifel Tower is also the elevator you take to the restaurant, you either pay to ride to the top observation deck or if you are dining, they set the elevator to stop at the entrance. I must say though when the elevator doors open your eyes feast on mounds of caviar and a most pretty hostess. Quickly we were seated at our table, sadly we sat on the inner side and were not afforded a good view, and I did note that the glass is very dark so no glare from midday sun enters but still allows you a wonderful view of the Blvd.
This was more casual than the dinners the previous two nights and the boys were eager to tour the town and be boys. After dinner I walked back to the Bellagio and the boys went their own way. Somewhere during the early morning hours they managed to drag themselves back but I had my revenge since they had to rise early I had planned a tour of Hoover Dam and we needed to get cracking.

The drive is through downtown Las Vegas on the interstate so you are able to see some of the less traveled parts of the town. Bedroom communities, strip malls abound but start to thin out as you near Boulder City, about a 20 mile trip. The interstate turns into the Boulder Highway and takes you through this quaint little town. As you wind through the town it curves to the left and up over a small hill and you are able to see parts of the lake and a large recreational area. The road narrows at this point to a two lane road just before you reach the dam you are pulled over to the right for a car search before being allowed to cross over the dam itself. Once through the blockade we pull into the parking structure to the left of the dam, a multi-story affair affording plenty of parking. There is an elevator for those who cannot negotiate the stairs. Across the road we get our first glimpse of the dam, Lake Mead on one side and hundreds of feet of air on the other down to the spillway below.

As you enter the lobby you are once again searched before being allowed into the ticket area and the holding lines waiting for the elevators to take you down to the bottom of the dam. For those who are claustrophobic beware the elevators, you are crammed, jammed and jostled until the last person is in, and you become quite intimate with your fellow passengers. There are several stops during the tour to allow you to catch your breath, walking is through tunnels where the footing can be slippery from the continuous seepage from the lake above.

Since the 9-11 incidents the turbines are off limit to the general tours, you can however for extra expense have an extended tour and actually walk the floor. But for the majority the overview afforded is almost as good. The tour takes about an hour and allows videos and cameras. After our tour we did the obvious and took pictures and peered over the edge and then looked up and I mean up at the new bridge under construction. For as far as the dam is down, the new bridge is that far above the dam and once completed it will replace the dam access into Arizona.

So to add to my son’s life experiences I had him drive across the dam into Arizona and down the road for a few miles, then back around again and back across. You must allow additional time for traffic since this is the main route across and any incidents can cause lengthy delays. Heading back towards Boulder City we spot a sign for helicopter rides for $25.0 for 15 minutes, which would have been a nice touch to our dam tour, but we resisted the urge and decided to pass it by. Stopping in Boulder for a quick snack we once again find ourselves on the interstate about 10 miles from Las Vegas.

My son at the wheel, Big Mike was shotgun and I of course occupied the back seat and as a normal mother usually does nagged my son not to be driving so fast in the inner lane. Normally he would just smile and keep going, but this time he obliged and merged into the middle lane. No sooner than he had merged a small sporty car came flying up to us going no less than 90 (we were at 75 ) and then for some unknown reason hit the inner cement barrier. His car was actually sliding on the top of this for several feet before it became disengaged and then started to spin in the fast lane, and was propelled forward by the momentum. Had we had stayed in the lane we would have been hit when he came off the wall; our guardian angel was riding with us that day.

Making it back to Vegas and our hotel we all breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a long and an exciting day. For all we had experienced and done, we all had a marvelous time and came away with good memories and many many stories to tell family and friends.

Oh yes the next morning before departing for the airport, my son had twenty dollars he put into the Wheel of Fortune machine in the Bellagio, each spin was a dollar and his last dollar spin won him, yes you guessed it another $400.00.

---

Photos

Bellagio Hotel and Casino
The Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Nevada
(c) FreeFoto.com

The Dancing Fountains Bellagio Hotel and Casino
A night view of the dancing fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
(c) FreeFoto.com

Bellagio Hotel Lobby Ceiling
The ornate ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel lobby.

At the Wynn
Here I am at the Wynn. Now, then, where is my car?

Dinner at the Top of the World
Uncle Mark, me and son Michael at the Top of the World Restaurant

Stratosphere Casino
A night view of the Stratosphere Casino at the base of the Top of the World Restaurant.

Top of the World Tower
The Top of the World Restaurant is located just below the roof-top rides at the top of the tower. A breath-taking view of Las Vegas.

Hoover Dam Composit VIew
Three photos stitched together to form a vista of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam from the overlook on the Arizona side.