10 years ago
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Stay tuned!
We'll have some new photos & videos to share as soon as we get organized! At least we managed an updated blog posting.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
February 2011 Visit
Just in case you're in a hurry, please be warned that this blog entry is rather lengthy. You may scroll through the posting to find a variety of topics in the following order: weather; shows; accomodations; food & drink; transportation; shopping; attractions, entertainment & other oddities; general observations; & safety.
Also note that you may find additional & helpful information in the older posts. Access these posts by using the link at the bottom of each page or use the links on the right-hand side of the blog.
Weather
The weather during this last visit was not the greatest as compared to previous ones. We’ve experienced 70F to 80F (21C to 27C) in late January & have been able to wear our summer clothes. This time, we were lucky if the mercury climbed past 60F (15C). The wind was brisk on a couple of days & the evenings were quite chilly.
We didn’t pack enough warm clothes for the trip & had to go shopping for ‘winter coats’ that were not really winter coats by Canadian standards but more like what we don in fall & spring. We felt like wimps wearing coats & long pants while other tourists walked around in shorts & sleeveless tops. Maybe they were well on their way to oblivion after a few too many casino cocktails! We're from Alberta where it can be colder than any other place on the planet (most recently that was November 2009) and we were cold in Vegas!?? Notwithstanding the chilly weather, we did manage to pack in a fair bit of activities & gather additional fodder for the blog during our 5 days in Vegas.
Shows
Before we left home, we had debated on what shows we should try to see. We even toyed with the idea of checking out "Donny & Marie" because we've heard good things about their performance but the ticket prices are a bit tabby & since we never were real fans of the Osmonds with their cheesy music & their impossibly big & white teeth, we passed on that idea. We also considered purchasing tickets for either “Le Reve” or “Sinatra come dance with me” but for less than half the price of a pair of those tickets, we finally settled on 2 shows that aren’t as high-profile. We purchased VIP tickets through HalfPriceShows.com for “Echoes of the 60s” and “Vegas! the show”. The VIP tickets are your best bet & don’t cost that much more than the general admission tickets. Seating is assigned & you are given access to the bar before the show instead of being relegated to standing in the line-up for general admission seating.
“Echos of the 60s” was in a very small, intimate venue (Planet Hollywood V Theatre) & I think we were the youngest people there! Crikey!!! The music was good & the narrative interesting. The show covered everything from the birth of rock & roll to the psychedelic era. We were even given souvenir love beads. Groovy!
“Vegas! the show” at the Planet Hollywood Saxe Theatre was excellent. We were in the third row & the place was almost packed. There was a live orchestra on stage with lots of singing, dancing, story-telling & flashy costumes. The twin tap dancers were amazing & handsome! There was even a magician & a rather tongue-in-cheek Liberace puppet thrown in the mix. All of the performers were excellent & very enthusiastic. We recommend this show highly.
Accommodations
We returned to our usual haunt, The Flamingo, for this trip. As the shuttle pulled in to the drop-off area Cindy exclaimed, "We're home!" Check-in & check-out were painless, our GO room on the 21st floor was decent, was outfitted with a mini-fridge & coffee maker, & overlooked the beautiful chain of swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and gardens. At one time It had been voted the most beautiful pool area on the strip. The main reason we like to stay here is because of its central location.
Food & Drink
By the time we dropped our bags off in the room & freshened up, it was around 10:30 PM, we were thirsty, starving & Margaritaville was a zoo. We stopped off at the Burger Joint downstairs in the Flamingo instead. The host (at first we thought he was a hostess - perhaps because of the make-up & moobs!), was very pleasant & seated us promptly. There was a couple seated next to the table we were shown & they were grinning at us like we were all sharing some sort of inside joke. Not sure what that was all about so we just nodded & smiled, then focused on the menu. The service was efficient & friendly, & the food & cold beers hit the spot. We were treated to endless '80's hits which seems to be the choice of muzak in a lot of places. Must say something about the demographics! We also noticed that many places pipe in a lot of music by Canadian musicians. Funny....it makes you feel like you never left home which is not the point of going to Vegas!
The next morning we headed over to “The Award-Winning Victoria Room” in Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall for a late-morning breakfast but had a 45 minute wait so we planned on hittin’ the slots while sippin’ on lattes. We were disappointed to find that the Seattle’s Best coffee place has been replaced by Java Detour. The only milk available that morning for lattes was skim or soy. Yuck!!!! The barrista was a ditz. Next door at the Flamingo there are several Java Detour counters throughout the complex & the selection is much better. The efficient service isn’t exactly the friendliest – it’s curt but that can probably be blamed on some of the insufferable & rude customers whom the barristas must contend with on a regular basis.
We hit Margaritaville later at night on Monday & the first Perfect Margaritas from the street-side bar were as they should be. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table so passed the time by hanging out in front sipping our drinks & watching the crowds go by on the street. We finally got seated, ordered a couple of appetizers & more Margaritas. The drinks were a disappointment, the coconut shrimp was overcooked & rubbery, & the quesadillas were so-so. We’ve had better at this establishment.
Tuesday night found us at Maggiano’s at the north end of the Fashion Show Mall. The spinach salad was just the right size & very good, but the chopped salad Cindy ordered was lacklustre & too big. We ordered ravioli & lasagne washed down with a couple of glasses of a yummy Super Tuscan. Both dishes were very tasty but the portions were large & we couldn’t finish our meals if there was any hope of sampling dessert. They were out of cheesecake so we shared a huge piece of Chocolate Zuccotto Cake that was amazing & contained layers of sambuca chocolate mousse. We couldn’t finish the dessert either! In hindsight, we should have taken it back to the room to keep in the fridge for breakfast!
Lunchtime on Wednesday we made our way to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace. The margaritas were very good. I had the Mesa Burger that was also very good but I couldn’t finish it or the addictive Southwestern fries. Cindy had the very tasty sweet potato chipotle maple soup with crushed almonds sprinkled on top & smoked chicken & black bean quesadilla.
We had walked by Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris many, many times in the past & finally popped in for lunch on Thursday. It was a sunny but windy day so we opted for the glassed-in patio rather than sit out in the open air. It was just as well because smoking is allowed on the terrace & trying to enjoy a meal while smoke is wafting your way & ashes are blowing about is not pleasant for us non-smokers. For drinks, Cindy enjoyed a mojito while I ordered a chilled glass of crisp & dry rosé. I sampled the grilled salmon & spinach salad while Cindy opted for a very light and fluffy Quiche Lorraine. Both were very delish as was our waiter. Cindy is sorry she couldn't get a picture without appearing stalker-like. We passed on dessert.
NEW GUILTY PLEASURE!!!! While we were out shopping & were in need of a bit of sustenance, we stopped by Auntie Anne’s Pretzels for Pretzel Dogs. We don’t have those in Canada & they are actually quite good. Not sure how good (or bad) they are for one nutritionally but they hit the spot. The ones with cheese are extra-tasty-delicious!
We didn't get to any buffets on this trip. We would like to try the ones at the Paris, Rio (the favourite of the locals) , & the Bellagio. Late in our trip, we noticed a HUGE sign on the side of Bally's advertising a $45 all-day buffett pass that could be used at several different hotels. That might be something worth checking out if you want to sample a wide range of foods over the course of a day. Of course, you'll need to strategically plan your day so that you are able to time your visits during the buffet hours.
At Mesa Grill & Mon Ami Gabi, expect to spend $70 to $80 on lunches for two that include drinks (but no dessert), tax & gratuity. Our dinner at Maggiano's was in the $90 range if I remember correctly.
Transportation
(CURRENTLY THESE LINKS ARE OUT OF DATE- we will update when we verify the services available) The bus service up & down The Strip has improved vastly over the past couple of years. The original double-decker DEUCE buses still operate along with the newer articulated ACE buses. The ACE bus has less stops than the DEUCE & also takes passengers directly to the Premium Outlet Mall north of Fremont Street. Prices for the passes have gone up but are still a bargain: $5 for a 2-hour pass, $7 for a 24-hour pass & $20 for a 3-day pass. The passes are now widely available at dispensers located at most of the bus stops on The Strip & at the terminals, & can be used on the ACE, DEUCE or any city bus. NOTE: You must use the exact amount of cash required in the ticket dispensers and DO NOT get on the ACE without a valid pass. On almost every bus we rode, a transit cop was checking passes. Depending on the mood of the cop, if you’re caught without a valid pass, you will be fined $250 or escorted off the bus to the next ticket dispenser & given a lesson on how to use it. Not that we're speaking from experience! Also mind your wallet or purse on the crowded bus since pickpockets can find plenty of opportunity around distracted tourists.
Shopping
We hit the Town Square Mall on Monday after a late breakfast. We had never visited this mall before & it is easy to access by either the ACE or DEUCE southbound buses. Town Square is an open-air shopping centre & the staff at any of the stores we visited said they love working at the mall because they get to see the sun during the day. It’s a very pleasant & relaxing place to shop. We didn't notice very many tourists at Town Square. There are no typical anchor tenants so don’t bother stopping here if you’re only looking for any of the big department stores. There are plenty of the popular chain stores, a movie theatre complex, several restaurants, a play area for kids adjacent to a pretty green-space (c/w astro-turf), a Borders bookstore, Fry’s Electronics and a Whole Foods grocery store. The complex is dog-friendly too with at least one doggy-watering station & poo-bag dispenser. People take their dogs into the stores or sit outside on the restaurant patios with their furry friends.
Before hopping on the bus we stopped at Whole Foods to pick up yogurt, fruit & bottled water for the rest of the week (we had a mini-fridge in our room). In addition to a wide selection of organic foods & environmentally-friendly products, you can buy individual bottles of micro-brew beers, unusual & import beers as well as wine, wine, & more wine. Oh yeah! They had a cooler full of chilled vodka too! Absolutely Fabulous!! Pats & Eddie would love it! We wish that Whole Foods would come to Canada. Of course, they'd need to have a standalone liquor store, but that's okay. It's such a nice place to do your grocery shopping & they have lots of neat & great products! We did revisit the mall on Friday to give ourselves a break from the madness of Vegas before packing our bags & heading to the airport.
On Tuesday we caught the northbound ACE up to the Premium Outlet Mall. We managed to cover the whole complex in less than 3 hours & didn’t have a lot to show for it. You really have to be prepared to spend time browsing and trying on things if you want to leave with an armload of bargains. We stopped off at the Fashion Show Mall on the way back to the Flamingo. We ended up purchasing some outerwear to get us through the remainder of the week before hitting Maggiano’s for dinner. The next day we came back to the mall & found some great deals on Rockport footwear & picked up a coveted ‘Irish Yoga’ tee shirt for Mike at the souvenir store.
When we purchased some outerwear at Macy's (prices were slashed because swimwear was moving in the next day!), the clerk talked us into applying for Macy's credit cards in order to get an additional 15% off & then there was a further discount after that. Why not?! However, as part of the credit application we had to supply either our Social Insurance Number or our healthcare number. Our healthcare cards were in the hotel safe & there was no bloody way we were going to give out our real SINs. Supposedly, Macy's computer system has some magical ability to talk to the Canadian goverment's computers to verify this information. Yeah, right! We gave them bullshit SINs & they worked! Heh!!!!
We found some very cute patio lights at Margaritaville so two sets had to go home with Trish to spiff up the new patio & pergola. Of course, in order to enjoy them, we will have to actually have a summer season this year! They also had hand-painted Christmas ornaments on sale & shitloads of T-shirts at regular & sale prices. The selection was too overwhelming so we left without purchasing any clothing which was so out of character for us.
Valuable Tip: Don't go shopping when you're even slightly inebriated! It's hard on the pocketbook & brings out the spendthrift in us all. Trust us!!!!
Attractions, Miscellaneous Entertainment & Other Oddities
The street performers, buskers & impersonators were out in full force up & down The Strip & on Fremont. There were scads of Star Wars characters, several Elvis look-alikes, Michael Jackson, Captain Jack, KISS band members, Austin Powers, Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Spiderman, the late Dale Earnhardt (in honour of the NASCAR event in town), a bagpipe player, a violinist, some dude playing drums made out of plastic buckets, & several other musicians. We assume that these are just buskers and not associated with any shows or events happening.
Down on Fremont Street, we listened to the fabulous Carl Ferris & his saxophones, & watched a few new videos on the giant VIVA Vision screen. A new attraction on Fremont is the zip line (Fremont Street Flightlinez) that seems to be quite popular. There was a steady stream of ‘aerialists’ zipping by above our heads & under the video screen.
We took a wander through The Cosmopolitan and the City Centre complex. These places are huge & you could easily spend the whole day getting lost in these properties. The Cosmopolitan has a very glittery casino & lots of cool bars & lounges. We didn't linger for very long as we had lots of other things on the agenda.
After “Vegas! The Show” wrapped up, we ambled out of the theatre & caught a glimpse of Barry Manilow with a TV camera & lights pointed in his face & surrounded by a small group of people as he walked through the mall. He was the only famous person we caught sight of on this trip.
We continued on through the mall & swung through the Planet Hollywood casino where we happened upon a bar band at the “extra lounge” in the middle of the casino. The band was crankin’ out the hits from the ‘70s & ‘80s. We stood there & watched for a bit & then the lead singer hollered at us to sit & grab a drink, so we did.....in fact, we had several drinks. They even played a bunch of hits by Canuck bands (Loverboy, Bryan Adams, etc., but sadly no Celine! Mon Dieu!! Yeah, right.....) & of course, they had to check if there were any Crazy Canucks in the crowd. It was just like being back in our hometown of Valleyview, Alberta at one of the local bars. Even the people sitting at the tables in front of the band/dance floor looked & behaved like the crowd from that era.....too funny & kinda weird. Many of the lounge acts at the casinos are high-calibre musicians & it's worthwhile stopping to listen. Do take the opportunity to get away from the casino madness when you hear the sounds of some live music wafting your way. Head over, grab a table & a drink & enjoy! In the past we always ran around without allowing for these spontanious & leisurely moments because we thought we needed to stick to our agenda. What the hell we were thinking? We are supposed to be on vacation!
On this trip we only managed to hit the Fountains of Bellagio one evening for less than an hour. That's where we met Kevin from FSN Northwest in Seattle with his video camera (and not the kind that tourists wield!) grabbing some footage of the fountains for a piece he was putting together on what to see & do in Vegas. We think it had something to do with the Seattle Mariners when they hit Vegas for spring training, but by then we'd had several margaritas & can't recall the exact details. We had a bit of a visit with Kevin between the fountain shows (he was only going to stay to watch one...heh) & gave him our Vegas blog address before he headed down the street with camera in hand. Apparently, he knows very few Canadians, so hopefully we didn't set a bad example! We later caught up with him on our way toward the Bellagio shops & scared the crap out of him while he was getting more footage of the night lights of Vegas. Ha! A bit more chit-chat about what to do in Vegas & the Canadian healthcare system, plus a caution from Kevin for us to "have a safe visit" before we parted ways & headed towards the Fendi store. Danger!!!! Red-alert!!!
We didn't do a whole lot of gambling during this trip. The slots seemed really tight at most places. However, we did place our very first sports bets! We each put down $50 on the Flames to take the Stanley Cup. The odds at the time were 60:1 but several people we know are quite confident that the Flames are finally going to do it this year. Team morale seems to be higher now that Sutter has been punted from the GM post. Go Flames go! We typically cheer for the Oilers BTW.
General Observations
We must be getting cranky or impatient these days because the crowds really seemed to grate on us during this trip & we were compelled to escape to the more civilized Town Square mall a couple of times. We had a late lunch on Friday at the............wait for it............”Award-Winning Victoria Room” at Bill’s. Surprisingly, the place was almost empty & it was very quiet & relaxing. On our list of things to do but that didn’t get done was to hit the Imperial Car Museum. It’s usually very quiet there & a neat place to escape the hubbub of The Strip. At the other end of the spectrum, there's always one of the local gun ranges.
For our next trip we’re probably going to check out the accommodations at the Paris Hotel or The Mirage. The Flamingo is feeling a bit claustrophobic these days. The casino is crowded & smoky, the lobby is always crawling with people, & it’s just time to try another place for a change of scenery, not to mention as a source for more blog material. Paris and Mirage are also mid-Strip & very centrally located for us.
Safety
In addition to the usual warnings about pickpockets we have given previously, a new one was brought to our attention. Our brother told us that twice on his last trip to Vegas in January, he observed some fast-moving thieves in the casinos. Working in pairs, these crooks will find someone sitting alone at a machine. One person will distract the lone player by tapping on their shoulder to get them to turn away from their machine & begin to give some hard-luck story while the partner hits the cash-out button on the machine, then runs off with the ticket before anyone realizes what has happened. Hollering for Security won’t do any good at this point because these creeps will be long gone before anyone comes to your aid.
Gordon said to avoid being a target, hit the slots with a friend & sit at adjacent machines. Keep your wallets & purses secure. If you’re alone & someone starts pestering you, holler "SECURITY!!!!" If you’re getting bad vibes from anyone hovering around you, just cash-out & grab your ticket. Gordon warned us to avoid friendly strangers but we laughed at him because we’re typically the friendly strangers & are always striking up conversations with people.
Also note that you may find additional & helpful information in the older posts. Access these posts by using the link at the bottom of each page or use the links on the right-hand side of the blog.
Weather
The weather during this last visit was not the greatest as compared to previous ones. We’ve experienced 70F to 80F (21C to 27C) in late January & have been able to wear our summer clothes. This time, we were lucky if the mercury climbed past 60F (15C). The wind was brisk on a couple of days & the evenings were quite chilly.
We didn’t pack enough warm clothes for the trip & had to go shopping for ‘winter coats’ that were not really winter coats by Canadian standards but more like what we don in fall & spring. We felt like wimps wearing coats & long pants while other tourists walked around in shorts & sleeveless tops. Maybe they were well on their way to oblivion after a few too many casino cocktails! We're from Alberta where it can be colder than any other place on the planet (most recently that was November 2009) and we were cold in Vegas!?? Notwithstanding the chilly weather, we did manage to pack in a fair bit of activities & gather additional fodder for the blog during our 5 days in Vegas.
Shows
Before we left home, we had debated on what shows we should try to see. We even toyed with the idea of checking out "Donny & Marie" because we've heard good things about their performance but the ticket prices are a bit tabby & since we never were real fans of the Osmonds with their cheesy music & their impossibly big & white teeth, we passed on that idea. We also considered purchasing tickets for either “Le Reve” or “Sinatra come dance with me” but for less than half the price of a pair of those tickets, we finally settled on 2 shows that aren’t as high-profile. We purchased VIP tickets through HalfPriceShows.com for “Echoes of the 60s” and “Vegas! the show”. The VIP tickets are your best bet & don’t cost that much more than the general admission tickets. Seating is assigned & you are given access to the bar before the show instead of being relegated to standing in the line-up for general admission seating.
“Echos of the 60s” was in a very small, intimate venue (Planet Hollywood V Theatre) & I think we were the youngest people there! Crikey!!! The music was good & the narrative interesting. The show covered everything from the birth of rock & roll to the psychedelic era. We were even given souvenir love beads. Groovy!
“Vegas! the show” at the Planet Hollywood Saxe Theatre was excellent. We were in the third row & the place was almost packed. There was a live orchestra on stage with lots of singing, dancing, story-telling & flashy costumes. The twin tap dancers were amazing & handsome! There was even a magician & a rather tongue-in-cheek Liberace puppet thrown in the mix. All of the performers were excellent & very enthusiastic. We recommend this show highly.
Accommodations
We returned to our usual haunt, The Flamingo, for this trip. As the shuttle pulled in to the drop-off area Cindy exclaimed, "We're home!" Check-in & check-out were painless, our GO room on the 21st floor was decent, was outfitted with a mini-fridge & coffee maker, & overlooked the beautiful chain of swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and gardens. At one time It had been voted the most beautiful pool area on the strip. The main reason we like to stay here is because of its central location.
Food & Drink
By the time we dropped our bags off in the room & freshened up, it was around 10:30 PM, we were thirsty, starving & Margaritaville was a zoo. We stopped off at the Burger Joint downstairs in the Flamingo instead. The host (at first we thought he was a hostess - perhaps because of the make-up & moobs!), was very pleasant & seated us promptly. There was a couple seated next to the table we were shown & they were grinning at us like we were all sharing some sort of inside joke. Not sure what that was all about so we just nodded & smiled, then focused on the menu. The service was efficient & friendly, & the food & cold beers hit the spot. We were treated to endless '80's hits which seems to be the choice of muzak in a lot of places. Must say something about the demographics! We also noticed that many places pipe in a lot of music by Canadian musicians. Funny....it makes you feel like you never left home which is not the point of going to Vegas!
The next morning we headed over to “The Award-Winning Victoria Room” in Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall for a late-morning breakfast but had a 45 minute wait so we planned on hittin’ the slots while sippin’ on lattes. We were disappointed to find that the Seattle’s Best coffee place has been replaced by Java Detour. The only milk available that morning for lattes was skim or soy. Yuck!!!! The barrista was a ditz. Next door at the Flamingo there are several Java Detour counters throughout the complex & the selection is much better. The efficient service isn’t exactly the friendliest – it’s curt but that can probably be blamed on some of the insufferable & rude customers whom the barristas must contend with on a regular basis.
We hit Margaritaville later at night on Monday & the first Perfect Margaritas from the street-side bar were as they should be. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table so passed the time by hanging out in front sipping our drinks & watching the crowds go by on the street. We finally got seated, ordered a couple of appetizers & more Margaritas. The drinks were a disappointment, the coconut shrimp was overcooked & rubbery, & the quesadillas were so-so. We’ve had better at this establishment.
Tuesday night found us at Maggiano’s at the north end of the Fashion Show Mall. The spinach salad was just the right size & very good, but the chopped salad Cindy ordered was lacklustre & too big. We ordered ravioli & lasagne washed down with a couple of glasses of a yummy Super Tuscan. Both dishes were very tasty but the portions were large & we couldn’t finish our meals if there was any hope of sampling dessert. They were out of cheesecake so we shared a huge piece of Chocolate Zuccotto Cake that was amazing & contained layers of sambuca chocolate mousse. We couldn’t finish the dessert either! In hindsight, we should have taken it back to the room to keep in the fridge for breakfast!
Lunchtime on Wednesday we made our way to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace. The margaritas were very good. I had the Mesa Burger that was also very good but I couldn’t finish it or the addictive Southwestern fries. Cindy had the very tasty sweet potato chipotle maple soup with crushed almonds sprinkled on top & smoked chicken & black bean quesadilla.
We had walked by Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris many, many times in the past & finally popped in for lunch on Thursday. It was a sunny but windy day so we opted for the glassed-in patio rather than sit out in the open air. It was just as well because smoking is allowed on the terrace & trying to enjoy a meal while smoke is wafting your way & ashes are blowing about is not pleasant for us non-smokers. For drinks, Cindy enjoyed a mojito while I ordered a chilled glass of crisp & dry rosé. I sampled the grilled salmon & spinach salad while Cindy opted for a very light and fluffy Quiche Lorraine. Both were very delish as was our waiter. Cindy is sorry she couldn't get a picture without appearing stalker-like. We passed on dessert.
NEW GUILTY PLEASURE!!!! While we were out shopping & were in need of a bit of sustenance, we stopped by Auntie Anne’s Pretzels for Pretzel Dogs. We don’t have those in Canada & they are actually quite good. Not sure how good (or bad) they are for one nutritionally but they hit the spot. The ones with cheese are extra-tasty-delicious!
We didn't get to any buffets on this trip. We would like to try the ones at the Paris, Rio (the favourite of the locals) , & the Bellagio. Late in our trip, we noticed a HUGE sign on the side of Bally's advertising a $45 all-day buffett pass that could be used at several different hotels. That might be something worth checking out if you want to sample a wide range of foods over the course of a day. Of course, you'll need to strategically plan your day so that you are able to time your visits during the buffet hours.
At Mesa Grill & Mon Ami Gabi, expect to spend $70 to $80 on lunches for two that include drinks (but no dessert), tax & gratuity. Our dinner at Maggiano's was in the $90 range if I remember correctly.
Transportation
(CURRENTLY THESE LINKS ARE OUT OF DATE- we will update when we verify the services available) The bus service up & down The Strip has improved vastly over the past couple of years. The original double-decker DEUCE buses still operate along with the newer articulated ACE buses. The ACE bus has less stops than the DEUCE & also takes passengers directly to the Premium Outlet Mall north of Fremont Street. Prices for the passes have gone up but are still a bargain: $5 for a 2-hour pass, $7 for a 24-hour pass & $20 for a 3-day pass. The passes are now widely available at dispensers located at most of the bus stops on The Strip & at the terminals, & can be used on the ACE, DEUCE or any city bus. NOTE: You must use the exact amount of cash required in the ticket dispensers and DO NOT get on the ACE without a valid pass. On almost every bus we rode, a transit cop was checking passes. Depending on the mood of the cop, if you’re caught without a valid pass, you will be fined $250 or escorted off the bus to the next ticket dispenser & given a lesson on how to use it. Not that we're speaking from experience! Also mind your wallet or purse on the crowded bus since pickpockets can find plenty of opportunity around distracted tourists.
Shopping
We hit the Town Square Mall on Monday after a late breakfast. We had never visited this mall before & it is easy to access by either the ACE or DEUCE southbound buses. Town Square is an open-air shopping centre & the staff at any of the stores we visited said they love working at the mall because they get to see the sun during the day. It’s a very pleasant & relaxing place to shop. We didn't notice very many tourists at Town Square. There are no typical anchor tenants so don’t bother stopping here if you’re only looking for any of the big department stores. There are plenty of the popular chain stores, a movie theatre complex, several restaurants, a play area for kids adjacent to a pretty green-space (c/w astro-turf), a Borders bookstore, Fry’s Electronics and a Whole Foods grocery store. The complex is dog-friendly too with at least one doggy-watering station & poo-bag dispenser. People take their dogs into the stores or sit outside on the restaurant patios with their furry friends.
Before hopping on the bus we stopped at Whole Foods to pick up yogurt, fruit & bottled water for the rest of the week (we had a mini-fridge in our room). In addition to a wide selection of organic foods & environmentally-friendly products, you can buy individual bottles of micro-brew beers, unusual & import beers as well as wine, wine, & more wine. Oh yeah! They had a cooler full of chilled vodka too! Absolutely Fabulous!! Pats & Eddie would love it! We wish that Whole Foods would come to Canada. Of course, they'd need to have a standalone liquor store, but that's okay. It's such a nice place to do your grocery shopping & they have lots of neat & great products! We did revisit the mall on Friday to give ourselves a break from the madness of Vegas before packing our bags & heading to the airport.
On Tuesday we caught the northbound ACE up to the Premium Outlet Mall. We managed to cover the whole complex in less than 3 hours & didn’t have a lot to show for it. You really have to be prepared to spend time browsing and trying on things if you want to leave with an armload of bargains. We stopped off at the Fashion Show Mall on the way back to the Flamingo. We ended up purchasing some outerwear to get us through the remainder of the week before hitting Maggiano’s for dinner. The next day we came back to the mall & found some great deals on Rockport footwear & picked up a coveted ‘Irish Yoga’ tee shirt for Mike at the souvenir store.
When we purchased some outerwear at Macy's (prices were slashed because swimwear was moving in the next day!), the clerk talked us into applying for Macy's credit cards in order to get an additional 15% off & then there was a further discount after that. Why not?! However, as part of the credit application we had to supply either our Social Insurance Number or our healthcare number. Our healthcare cards were in the hotel safe & there was no bloody way we were going to give out our real SINs. Supposedly, Macy's computer system has some magical ability to talk to the Canadian goverment's computers to verify this information. Yeah, right! We gave them bullshit SINs & they worked! Heh!!!!
We found some very cute patio lights at Margaritaville so two sets had to go home with Trish to spiff up the new patio & pergola. Of course, in order to enjoy them, we will have to actually have a summer season this year! They also had hand-painted Christmas ornaments on sale & shitloads of T-shirts at regular & sale prices. The selection was too overwhelming so we left without purchasing any clothing which was so out of character for us.
Valuable Tip: Don't go shopping when you're even slightly inebriated! It's hard on the pocketbook & brings out the spendthrift in us all. Trust us!!!!
Attractions, Miscellaneous Entertainment & Other Oddities
The street performers, buskers & impersonators were out in full force up & down The Strip & on Fremont. There were scads of Star Wars characters, several Elvis look-alikes, Michael Jackson, Captain Jack, KISS band members, Austin Powers, Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Spiderman, the late Dale Earnhardt (in honour of the NASCAR event in town), a bagpipe player, a violinist, some dude playing drums made out of plastic buckets, & several other musicians. We assume that these are just buskers and not associated with any shows or events happening.
Down on Fremont Street, we listened to the fabulous Carl Ferris & his saxophones, & watched a few new videos on the giant VIVA Vision screen. A new attraction on Fremont is the zip line (Fremont Street Flightlinez) that seems to be quite popular. There was a steady stream of ‘aerialists’ zipping by above our heads & under the video screen.
We took a wander through The Cosmopolitan and the City Centre complex. These places are huge & you could easily spend the whole day getting lost in these properties. The Cosmopolitan has a very glittery casino & lots of cool bars & lounges. We didn't linger for very long as we had lots of other things on the agenda.
After “Vegas! The Show” wrapped up, we ambled out of the theatre & caught a glimpse of Barry Manilow with a TV camera & lights pointed in his face & surrounded by a small group of people as he walked through the mall. He was the only famous person we caught sight of on this trip.
We continued on through the mall & swung through the Planet Hollywood casino where we happened upon a bar band at the “extra lounge” in the middle of the casino. The band was crankin’ out the hits from the ‘70s & ‘80s. We stood there & watched for a bit & then the lead singer hollered at us to sit & grab a drink, so we did.....in fact, we had several drinks. They even played a bunch of hits by Canuck bands (Loverboy, Bryan Adams, etc., but sadly no Celine! Mon Dieu!! Yeah, right.....) & of course, they had to check if there were any Crazy Canucks in the crowd. It was just like being back in our hometown of Valleyview, Alberta at one of the local bars. Even the people sitting at the tables in front of the band/dance floor looked & behaved like the crowd from that era.....too funny & kinda weird. Many of the lounge acts at the casinos are high-calibre musicians & it's worthwhile stopping to listen. Do take the opportunity to get away from the casino madness when you hear the sounds of some live music wafting your way. Head over, grab a table & a drink & enjoy! In the past we always ran around without allowing for these spontanious & leisurely moments because we thought we needed to stick to our agenda. What the hell we were thinking? We are supposed to be on vacation!
On this trip we only managed to hit the Fountains of Bellagio one evening for less than an hour. That's where we met Kevin from FSN Northwest in Seattle with his video camera (and not the kind that tourists wield!) grabbing some footage of the fountains for a piece he was putting together on what to see & do in Vegas. We think it had something to do with the Seattle Mariners when they hit Vegas for spring training, but by then we'd had several margaritas & can't recall the exact details. We had a bit of a visit with Kevin between the fountain shows (he was only going to stay to watch one...heh) & gave him our Vegas blog address before he headed down the street with camera in hand. Apparently, he knows very few Canadians, so hopefully we didn't set a bad example! We later caught up with him on our way toward the Bellagio shops & scared the crap out of him while he was getting more footage of the night lights of Vegas. Ha! A bit more chit-chat about what to do in Vegas & the Canadian healthcare system, plus a caution from Kevin for us to "have a safe visit" before we parted ways & headed towards the Fendi store. Danger!!!! Red-alert!!!
We didn't do a whole lot of gambling during this trip. The slots seemed really tight at most places. However, we did place our very first sports bets! We each put down $50 on the Flames to take the Stanley Cup. The odds at the time were 60:1 but several people we know are quite confident that the Flames are finally going to do it this year. Team morale seems to be higher now that Sutter has been punted from the GM post. Go Flames go! We typically cheer for the Oilers BTW.
General Observations
We must be getting cranky or impatient these days because the crowds really seemed to grate on us during this trip & we were compelled to escape to the more civilized Town Square mall a couple of times. We had a late lunch on Friday at the............wait for it............”Award-Winning Victoria Room” at Bill’s. Surprisingly, the place was almost empty & it was very quiet & relaxing. On our list of things to do but that didn’t get done was to hit the Imperial Car Museum. It’s usually very quiet there & a neat place to escape the hubbub of The Strip. At the other end of the spectrum, there's always one of the local gun ranges.
For our next trip we’re probably going to check out the accommodations at the Paris Hotel or The Mirage. The Flamingo is feeling a bit claustrophobic these days. The casino is crowded & smoky, the lobby is always crawling with people, & it’s just time to try another place for a change of scenery, not to mention as a source for more blog material. Paris and Mirage are also mid-Strip & very centrally located for us.
Safety
In addition to the usual warnings about pickpockets we have given previously, a new one was brought to our attention. Our brother told us that twice on his last trip to Vegas in January, he observed some fast-moving thieves in the casinos. Working in pairs, these crooks will find someone sitting alone at a machine. One person will distract the lone player by tapping on their shoulder to get them to turn away from their machine & begin to give some hard-luck story while the partner hits the cash-out button on the machine, then runs off with the ticket before anyone realizes what has happened. Hollering for Security won’t do any good at this point because these creeps will be long gone before anyone comes to your aid.
Gordon said to avoid being a target, hit the slots with a friend & sit at adjacent machines. Keep your wallets & purses secure. If you’re alone & someone starts pestering you, holler "SECURITY!!!!" If you’re getting bad vibes from anyone hovering around you, just cash-out & grab your ticket. Gordon warned us to avoid friendly strangers but we laughed at him because we’re typically the friendly strangers & are always striking up conversations with people.
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