Vegas: Day and Night

Hemet, CA
Hello Friends!

The sunshine hit 90 degrees today and dare I say my farmers tan is way ahead of schedule of this time of year. As I sit here and think back to my days in the sin city I smile fondly and remember the day of fun I had last Saturday. You see, with two Friday shows and one show Saturday at 6PM we had quite the time off between shows. So I tranplanted myself from my nice home stay to the hotel digs of the South Point. A fairly new casino/hotel on the strip (sort of) becasue it is about 2 miles due south of the mian strip itself. It is more of a Plantation/Southern feel to it and I have to admit, I kind of liked it becasue it wasn't as packed as most of the strip establishments were.

Saturday morn I awoke and verntured to the strip proper. I have never been before so I was excited and a bit cautious. I told the cab driver to take me the Belagio and off we went. $30 bucks later we arrived and my goodness was the place opulent. It really was an ambush to all the sense as lavishness oozes from every corner of the place. I meet some good friends from the MCT ranch who happen to be spending a little R&R away from the motherland before the massive Spring Checkin / Summer Tour begins. It was great! We enjoyed some sights and took in some great food.

After a a goodbye from a too short hanging out I met Shawna at the Imperial Palace where she was staying with her Mom and we went off to do one last show in Vegas. The show went very well and for a 2-5 grade week the kids did very very well. From there I was transported back to the South Point (a good 40 minute drive) and I met up again with Brandon and Mandi on our night on the Strip began.

After a few in room adult beverages we went to the Cosmopolitan and parked. I quickly learned that all parking in Vegas is free since they want your dollars in their gambiling machines. The Cosmo was like an 18 year girls idea of casino full of shiney objects and very reminiscent of some awful rich girls sweet 16 party. It wasn't our style. So on the strip we went.

From their we stopped at the Monte Carlo. The entrance was deserated. We walked in and it was bedlam of a party going on. We high tailed it to the mall like food court (one of the best choices ever) and after some cheap food we went to the Minus 5 Ice Bar. I admit, this was my big birthday treat to myself. It was a bar made entirely out of ice. A horrible gimmick? Oh yeah, but I didn't care. After paying our cover we donned parkas and headed into the bar. It wasn't that big and defiantly not -5 degrees (more like 10 degrees) but was everything made of ice - YES! Was it AMAZING - OH YEAH! Do we have any pictures... well no.

See before you go in they say you need to stash your cameras and cell phones in their lockers so they aren't ruined by the "frigid" conditions, so of course you schlep all of your stuff out because you don't want it ruined. Then once you get in there, there is their professional photographer waiting to take your picture and you see that the bartender is using a bar till you would see anywhere else and then it dons on you that you have been bamboozled. Oh well.

Ever drink was $10 and the cover $15 so it wasn't a cheap foray, but what the hey, it was Vegas. The couches, seats, bar, even your glasses were made of ice. If someone spilled something, the bus boy had to come by with a blow torch to clean it up. It was awesome.

After thirty minutes of chillin' (get it!) we left the Monte Carlo. We walked past New York, New York and then crossed the street to the MGM. Known for its lion exhibit (which they were asleep) we wondered around the MGM for some hot slot machines, and found none. After a spilled drink on myself, we headed back out on the strip.

By now it was about 1AM and it became clear that unless you have a plan, wondering around the Vegas strip with out a plan isn't a great idea (though I was having a blast with Mandi and Brandon). As we pasted a corner we heard the sweet sounds of singing and Mandi's Karaoke Radar lit up like a K-Mart Special. Sure enough, we had stumbled upon an outdoor Karaoke bar. Tired of walking and ready to sit for a bit, we found a table and took in the sights.

The place was strangely hopping for being so late (then again I don't think they ever stop serving in Vegas) and we had a nice time people watching, and seeing look-a-likes and tourist of every type. Mandi was even serenaded by a lounge singer. 3AM rang and we started to feel like pumpkins and off we went back to the South Point.

It was a great evening and a great way to experience Vegas. Do I want to go again? Not anytime soon. I think a cabin on the coast is more my style or dare I say a houseboat with my family? I am glad I can finally check off this last spot on the list of places to go see west of the Mississippi, now if I can just get to New England sometime...

The Adventure Continues - ML