Vegas, Baby!

From all accounts, there are few more exciting places to spend New Year's Eve than Las Vegas. So naturally, when Sara and I decided that this city would be our next vacation destination, we opted to skip the excitement and get there on New Year's Day. Not surprisingly, the party had not altogether ended.

My "boarding pass" for the Titanic exhibit,
with a real passenger's information on it. The
fate of each passenger was listed at the end
so we could see if we survived. (I didn't.)

In fact, I don't think the party ever really ends in Las Vegas, but I'd still say we picked a good time to go. We stayed at the Mirage, on the famous strip, where most of our activities took place. Anyone who has been to Vegas knows all about the huge, opulent hotels on the strip, with their casinos, restaurants, malls, shows and other attractions--so I'll dispense with detailed descriptions and just talk about what we did there.

Las Vegas is not the place to visit if you are poor--even if you don't gamble. Nothing in Las Vegas is cheap, from the spectacular shows to the most meager of meals. This became real to me on Day One, when we figured we would save a little money by having breakfast at one of the little cafes in our hotel, rather than spend the $30+ on the breakfast buffet. For a breakfast burrito, a small bowl of fruit, a muffin, a coffee, an orange juice, and a cup of milk, the grand total came to just over $30. So much for saving money. Most of this day was spent exploring the expansive hotels along the strip. That night, we saw VEGAS! The Show--a sort of tribute to the Vegas of the past (mostly impressions of entertainers who had famously performed there).

One of the more interesting and better-
preserved signs at the Neon Museum

Day Two began with an adventure, as we had set our minds on having breakfast at this particular "healthy" restaurant in the Venetian. It took us an hour just to find the place! (You have to find the one magic elevator that stops on the third floor.) We saw the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor, commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the ship, which was quite enjoyable. In addition to the artifacts--dishes, personal items, pieces of the ship, etc.--that had been salvaged from the wreck, various rooms of the museum had been constructed to resemble different areas of the ship, and plaques on the walls told the story of the ill-fated voyage in fascinating detail. (It seems the disaster might have been averted if only the lookout had had a pair of binoculars.) We also visited the CBS Television City Research Center, where we screened a potential new sitcom called Friend Me. (I could see it going one season.) The main event that night was David Copperfield, whom I thoroughly enjoyed, not just for his magic tricks, but for his quick-witted sense of humor. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Sign at the Neon Museum with an interesting history: second
hotel to open on the strip, first place Elvis performed
in Vegas, and three name changes (Last Frontier,
New Frontier, Frontier, then back to New Frontier)

On Day Three, we bit the bullet and forked over the $30+ for the breakfast buffet. The variety was nice, but the food itself was nothing special. We finally ventured off the strip to the Neon Museum, "where neon signs go to die." This guided tour turned out to be pretty neat, as it included a lot of Vegas history--much of which was apparently also known by a young boy on the tour whom I mentally nicknamed Vegas-pedia, who kept feeling the need to show off his knowledge by interrupting the tour guide with dates, names, and other information that may or may not have been relevant. (Even the tour guide, amused and seemingly impressed at first, eventually became annoyed with Vegas-pedia.) We then conducted a brief exploration of Fremont Street and returned to the strip. The grand finale that night was the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE, featuring the music of The Beatles.

So what is my impression of Vegas? It's a fun place to visit--once. I don't see myself going back, but I'm glad to have been.