Las Vegas April ‘09 CHEERS (AND JEERS…to come)
Heading to Sin City this year? Read on…
My fiance, Bill and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Vegas after I was laid-off. Why not get away to escape and get my mind off of things for a week? What we discovered over the next week (it was my first trip to Vegas, his third) was complete insanity and fun in all it’s revelry.
CHEERS:
Phil at the MGM Grand, we arrived to LAS 1 day late, it was due to Delta’s mechanical problems, and he immediately upgraded us to an executive suite with a big jacuzzi tub, so we didn’t need to argue about getting money back from priceline.com. Lovely. Who doesn’t love a 250 square-foot marble bathroom?
MGM has a check-in area at the McCarran airport! Complete genius! We stepped off the plane, picked up our luggage, made a u-turn and were at their “lobby” in the airport! It was fabulous. A quick shuttle-ride to the hotel/casino and we were at MGM. How’s that for convenience and efficiency?!
Madaam Toussand’s Wax Museum at The Venetian- Beautiful recreations (Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones, Hugh Hefner and Jenna Jameson, Salma Hayek, Babe Ruth, Jimi Hendrix). It’s fun to go with some prop, like a top hat, cane, Mardi Gras beads and the like. The museum is completely hands-on. So feel free to grab J-Lo’s booty, you know you want to or tousle Mel Gibson’s mane.
Vegas Luxury Rides – after 5 days on the strip, gambling, drinking, dancing our butts off and swimming we needed a break. Bill suggested heading to the Canyon, Hoover Dam and maybe hitting Lake Mead along the way too. As far as the car we knew one thing and one thing only, a convertible. In the desert, wear some SPF, let your hair down and enjoy the sun!
I first looked up Avis rental prices, because I know they are competitive. They wanted $250 for a Seabring (Chrysler) convertible for 24 hours. I then followed a link to Luxury Car Rentals and they listed the total prices, tax included on their website, no other luxury car rental site in Vegas does this. Their red 2008 Porsche Carrera was going for $350. I love sports cars and driving fast. We went with the Porsche. There’s nothing like driving 120+ mph down Interstate 90 in the desert to remind you how amazing life is!
The guys at VLR were incredible to work with. Laid-back, professional and funny. It’s a relatively small operation, (though they have a huge fleet of cars). They will also pick you up at your hotel with your car of choice for an additional fee, of course. If you’re attending an event in Las Vegas, why not arrive in style?
Body English (dance club) at Hard Rock Cafe- They have platforms where you can dance if you’re feeling brave enough and when you’ve danced like crazy to the past 10 songs they spray a mist of ice cold water on the entire lower floor. Completely refreshing and it doesn’t make you wet or cold. The bartender was also completely accommodating when I told her my Grey Goose on the rocks was preemptively taken by a buser and she refilled another for free.
Waiting in line to get in, I struck up a conversation with a girl in line next to me, and we ended up getting in for free because her friend (that she was with) owned another club in Vegas and locals get in free many places. Talk to people! Be nice! You never know what will happen or who you’ll meet.
Eiffel Tower at Paris Casino- High, very high. I’d say I have an average-persons fear of heights, but this is pretty crazy because you’re so high and it’s open air, screened in of course, very windy. The view of the strip and surrounding mountains is interesting, so much development down below and then just desert and mountains. The elevator operator was very funny too. I hear the Stratosphere, since it’s even taller is incredible as well, (complete with a rollercoaster at the top) we’re saving that for our next trip to The Strip.
Daylife party at MGM’s Wet Republic Pools- What’s better than swimming during the day in salt water pools in your coolest suit, surrounded by hundreds of people wanting to have a good time, grooving to a great DJ, DJ Crooked, and drinking the best sangria west of the Mississippi? Not much. The staff was so helpful and accommodating. The food on their menu, like the poached lobster, shrimp and crab plate for 33 bucks was too big for me and so fresh. Their cheesesteak quesadillas melt in your mouth.
Now, I should move on to the people-watching. HOLY $&!%. It was incredible. We would dance in the pool, swim around, cool off and then go back to our padded lounge chairs to watch the wild locals and “celebrities” of Vegas strut their stuff around the pool and socialize. It was hilarious coming from a Cowtown-to-Philly girl. The East coast is so different from the West “coast” that is Vegas. It had a very LA vibe. The party starts around noon and ends at 6:30. Just in time for your dinner reservation at Joel Robechon or show. Bring cards, we choose Quiddler and it was fun to play a game while waiting for our suntan lotion to set-in.
Deal or No Deal Slots, at the MGM Grand and Hard Rock Cafe – Imagine the slot machines you’re used to playing in Atlantic City, now times the fun by lucky number 7. These slots have a bonus game, much like the gameshow where you eliminate suitcases which contain a secret money amount. If you eliminate the suitcases with the lowest worth you’re in good shape, if you’re willing to make “No Deal” against the bank and continue playing the game, you could also be on your way to victory. Did I mention these are nickel slots and Bill and I walked away up 300 bucks in 3 hours over 2 days? If only I could say the same for blackjack… These come in penny, nickel, dollar and higher bets, but dollar and above don’t have the bonus game, which makes the game so much more fun.
Stay tuned for JEERS, what to avoid in Vegas, coming up shortly…
After visiting Hoover Dam, driving back to Vegas
Tags: beautiful setting, change, Freedom, Humor, Joy, letting go, Love, luxury, party, wants
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