Advertisement
Published: July 14th 2007
Just Kidding! We weren’t there long enough to get into too much trouble, so here’s the scoop on our 18 hours in Vegas. We arrived at our hotel, the Excalibur, around mid afternoon. The hotels on our corner were pretty entertaining to look at; the other three were the New York, New York, they MGM, and the Tropicana. We spent some time just walking around, checking out the surroundings. All of the casino areas in these four hotels were pretty much the same—loud, flashy, and busy. Just for the heck of it we blew a few bucks in the slot machines. At the NY, NY we strolled Central Park, shared a slice of pizza and a smoothie, and laughed and screamed our way through the roller coaster.
That evening we met our friends Joe and Shirley at Mandalay Bay to try out the buffet, which we both had read is the best one on the Strip. FYI, Shirley and I became good friends when we taught on the same team for four years, and we are still coworkers. After we had known each other about two years, we figured out that our husbands had served on the same ship
in the Navy and even had a few months when their tours overlapped, so they enjoy reminiscing about their Navy days. It just so happened that we discovered a few days before leaving that we were going to be in Vegas at the same time, so we made plans to have supper together. It was fun being able to spend the evening with friends who were there for the first time also. Back to the buffet . . . I’m not big on buffets, but this one was quite a spread, with crab legs, prime rib, and all kinds of ethnic dishes. We all left quite satisfied!
After dinner, we strolled along the Strip to take in the night sights. It was kind of like Disney World for adults. The Paris hotel with its fountains, mini Arch de Triumph, and Eifel Tower was quite impressive all lit up, and we enjoyed watching the Bellagio fountain shows. We noticed the atmosphere “up-strip” was a little classier and less brassy. We used the rest of our $20.00 gaming allotment (real high rollers, aren’t we?) in the game machines, and after that it was time to get to bed so we could
be ready for the marathon drive that lay ahead of us the next day. Shirley was the lucky one; she came out about $30.00 ahead playing Wheel of Fortune. We were all amazed at how much money most people must drop in just a day or a few here.
Here are some final parting thoughts . . . Things we didn’t like in Vegas: sensory overload (music, TV, gaming machines, blaring lights, etc.), obnoxious street-side solicitors, and the crowds. Things we did like: the roller coaster and “Central Park” in the New York, New York, the Mandalay Bay buffet, the Bellagio fountains, and other night lights. Of course, there is a lot more we could have done and seen, but for 18 hours we feel like we got a taste of Las Vegas.
The following morning, we venture into Utah to visit Bryce Canyon and settle at Zion Canyon for two nights. Ta Ta for now.
Joanna
Advertisement
Tot: 0.111s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0726s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lora Pancoast
non-member comment
Hello from Florida
Hi there travelors! Well it has really been fun to keep up with your trip on this site. It has been great to hear all your happenings and Jo you are such a good writer we feel like we've been there too! Las Vegas I must say is one place I've never cared to go to mostly because of the cons you stated but it was nice to see your pics and hear of the other things there. I'm excited for you to go to Bryce and Zion, truly beautiful creations you will love. Seems like you've been gone a long time! Enjoy and be blessed. Love ya, Lora and fam........