Vegas, baby!

Day 4

I woke up excited in Flagstaff because today was Vegas day!! I almost wanted to watch "Vegas Vacation" just to refresh my mental image of Las Vegas.

Since the trek was only a mere 4 hours, Joe and I took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. Apparently our system's were still on Central Time as we were fed and ready to go by 7:30 am. So much for being lazy.

The drive was just as exciting, if not more, than the previous day. Insert sarcasm here. When we got closer to the Nevada border our "care factor" (as Joe likes to say) perked up. It was there that we a) jumped back an hour while simultaneously going forward and b)passed by the Hoover Dam. Insert "dam" jokes here. I know I did.

Go ahead! It's fun!

We had initially wanted to walk on the actual dam itself but it cost $7 to park and we said, "No way, dude! That's too much!" We opted for the free parking and slight hike to the bridge overlooking the dam. I had shown my 8th graders a Bill Nye video on energy with a segment on the Hoover Dam and I was geeking out over it. Yay for science! On our way back to the car I thought about hopping to and fro near the Pacific Time Zone sign but decided against it as I'm sure I'd get some interesting looks. But hey we were close to Vegas; weirder things have happened.

Time Zones: making science nerds geek out for decades

After taking the dam bridge tour and asking no dam questions (ha!) we reached Vegas. Our hotel was located a few blocks from the strip and was pretty easy to find. (Thanks to the GPS!) We were informed that the hotel bar had a happy hour from 5:30-6:30 and offered the hotel guests free drinks. I was starting to like Vegas already!

Joe and I dropped off our stuff upstairs and prepared to walk the strip. At first it seemed a little sketchy but as we turned the corner it got more crowded, and yes, still sketchy. As we walked down the street I saw Buzz and Woody from Toy Story, three Elvis impersonators (or were they?), many guitar wielding citizens and a man dressed as a show girl. I felt really far away from Mississippi then!

The Strip

Lobby at Caesar's Palace

Later that night, after we had had a few drinks (free makes them delicious!) we headed back to the strip once more. This time we were on a mission: to see The Blue Man Group. I was excited because I had never seen them before or really knew what they did. Since we had a couple hours (okay more like 4) to burn we decided to see what Vegas had to offer. We walked to Caesar's Palace and toured the mall that was nestled inside the building. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I been able to actually afford anything (Gucci, Dior, Dolce and Gabanna anyone?). I got excited when I saw a Bath & Body Works because I knew I could afford something!

The Bellagio is next to Caesar's Palace and we stopped by the fountains to watch the show. The fountains moved in time to "The Pink Panther Theme". It reminded me of Disney for some reason.

Ba dum da dum, da dum, da dum da dum da dum da duuuuuuuuuuum da da dum!

Our next stop was the Venetian which is where the Blue Man Group plays. The Venetian was huge as well. There is a small river of water that weaves its way around the food and shopping places. After getting lost multiple times we finally found a place to eat. Too bad the place we picked out was hosting an event and was closed to outside guests. Our options were limited as we were on a budget so we settled for the next cheapest place, The Luxe Cafe. They had good food but the portions were gigantic! I tried as best as I could to eat all of my pasta but my stomach said, "Are you crazy?!"

After our meal fit for any large mammal we waited outside the theatre. While we waited I had to use the bathroom. As I walked into the gilded and luxurious powder room I heard "Phantom of the Opera" being played on the speakers. I began to sing along with the music, forgetting where I was. No one was around to tell me to stop or that their ears were bleeding but I did get a funny look from the bathroom attendant.

By this time it was time to enter the theatre. (that's a lot of "time" in that sentence). We shuffled in and found our seats which were in the back of the middle section aka perfect! The show was great. I didn't realize it would be so funny/cool/energetic. All in all I was pleasantly surprised.

When the show let out it was almost midnight or when things start getting going in Vegas. We were both tired as we left the Venetian but everyone around us seemed drunk or hyped up on Red Bull.

Our tryst through the City of Sin was pretty tame. No gambling or putting all our money on black. No, no. The craziest thing we did was sing show tunes in the bathroom (ok that was just me) and eat crazy amounts of pasta. Wow we are craaaaaaaaaazy!