Viva Las Vegas - Oh The Possibilities!

We had a chance to escape to Las Vegas for a kid-less weekend, thanks to one big Great Dane. If you remember back to when we watched my brother-in-law and wife's Great Dane, the agreement was they'd watch our kids for a weekend in exchange. Sweetness!

I've never been to Las Vegas. I've always wanted to go and check it out - at least once for the experience. I can't say I fell in love with the place, but John and I did have a great time together and experienced quite a few Vegas possibilities that I will share for your enjoyment...

It is very possible to stay in a hotel the shape of a pyramid, which is where we stayed (the Luxor).

It is not possible to get bored in Vegas.

It is very possible to get hit with sensory overload in the place. As we were walking the strip the first night, I turned to John and said, 'It is like a bombardment on all of your senses here, isn't it?' To which he replied, 'No, it's a full-blown assault!'

I enjoyed going back to our hotel room just to escape the never-ending lights, smells, and noise. I was prepared for the lights, but had no idea every store front blasted music out onto the street, and every shop, restaurant, and casino was trying to blare their music louder than the next guy. While we're on the topic, does McDonalds and Motel 6 really need honkin' neon signs to flash out their presence? Apparently so in Vegas.

It is possible to get lost in a casino. Very lost. Just ask John - and he's the one with the good sense of direction.


Oh, the possibilities for rides of all shapes, sizes, and exorbitant amounts of mulah.
We did indulge in one of them- the New York New York roller coaster. It was thrilling. Not worth the $28 bucks though in my book. John begs to differ.

There are a few possibilities in Vegas that do not cost money, such as the Belagio Fountains. A definite must-see for all.

Here we are waiting for the fountains to begin.

And Wa-La! One of the few forms of free entertainment on the strip!

There are the possibilities of very expensive things to do in Vegas, such as the fabulous shows. We decided to see Phantom at the Venetian, which was relatively descent priced, and when we found out this is it's last run in the theater designed specifically for the musical, it became a must-see for us.

It was fabulous.

One other interesting thing I noticed about Vegas is their complete lack of places to sit around the city. They want us to walk along the strip and see all of the neat casinos, but you wanna guess where all the seats are at? Yup. In the casinos. Nary a seat in between those massive casinos.

For instance, we had been walking all morning long checking out the strip and our legs and feet began complaining, so we started looking for a place to sit down. It took us a good 15 minutes until we finally relented and took over some space in lobby of the Belagio.

Whilst resting, we noticed these babies above.

So I guess we weren't just taking up space. We were enjoying the artwork, right?

I have to admit, there were a lot of cool things to see and do in Vegas, like the Eiffel tower. We enjoyed the free-viewing section from below.

It is possible to visit Vegas without doing one iota of gambling. We're proof.

It is also possible to learn some new things in Vegas.
Yes, I learned for the first time what an oxygen bar was and that some people need straps on their drinking glasses to hold their large glasses full of alcohol - but aside from that, we walked into one shop that sold art pieces, including a bunch of Dr. Suess's sketch-ups, paintings, and sculptures. Bet ya' didn't know he did sculptures and paintings, huh? You see, he never sold any because he never needed to.

We sat and visited with the owner of the shop for a good 20 minutes - and we could do that, because it was one of the few places that wasn't blaring music. We learned that Dr. Suess did all of the drawings for his books. He even did all of the publishing work too. He would buy two plane tickets to New York - one seat for himself, and one for his box with his book in it. He would then proceed to the publisher and was the only author allowed into the different departments to publish his book.

Lastly, we learned that it is possible to escape the noisy strip for something a little quieter -

Red Rock Canyon.

It was so beautiful and serene you almost forgot you were in Vegas.

A fun time indeed - and a definite must-do for everyone. At least once anyway.