It's a snowy day here at Nutwood, but we had family obligations so we got out in it. It was my great-nephew Hunter's first birthday party, and wow, did he ever haul in the loot! He was so cute, and although a little shy at first, he smiled a little bit at me. It was great that his Dad, my nephew Steve, got to come home on leave, too. He's a Marine and hasn't been home since around June. We were also planning on going to my sister's after the birthday party, because my niece Heather and her husband and son are in town, visiting from San Diego. It was a nice surprise when they showed up at the party, so we all had a nice visit!
Living in San Diego, this big snow is quite an adventure for them, especially little Liam. My brother-in-law told me that when he was out shoveling the driveway today, Liam was out playing and took a header into a snowbank. They wiped all the snow off of his face, and he came running out and took another dive right into the snow--on purpose! He is such a cute kid, and so friendly. Heather said that she takes him to book time at Borders, and that he's almost "aggressively friendly," and sometimes scares the other little kids. The adults love him, but Liam is not one bit shy about going up to other kids and kind of scares them a little bit!
Oh, and before I get to Vegas stuff, "Spamalot" was marvelous! I've mentioned before that I love Monty Python (movies
and TV show), and this was a great adaptation of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The woman who played the Lady in the Lake was excellent, and I also liked the guy who played Sir Galahad. Great voices all the way around, lots of fun, and a chance to sing along at the end! Remember to always look on the bright side of life! Shane is going tonight, and I can't wait to hear what he says about it.
Okay, on to Vegas! I know I'm jumping all over the place with this stuff, but please bear with me. Today I'm going to write about our general timeline and impressions. I'm most excited to write about the
Boneyard, but I haven't edited those pictures yet! This is us outside the fountain at Paris.
We got in later than we expected Sunday evening, and Kim and Steve had been there for a few hours and had eaten already. We got a little caught up on things, then played a little video poker at Sully's bar in Bally's (Sully's became our daily meeting place). We walked around the casino a little bit, then on over to Paris, which is connected by a walkway with little shops and French restaurants. Oui, oui! We were looking for $5 tables, but I was pretty certain we wouldn't find any on the Strip, and I was right. Ken sat and played a little Blackjack at the $10 tables in Bally's, but when you're strict about your daily allotment, you can't play for long at the $10 tables! We finally called it a night at around 2 AM, I think, and agreed to meet up the next morning for a trip to the Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast is a little ways off-Strip, by the Rio, and Ken and I encountered it and played there back in '05. During the day, they have $3 tables, and they actually had a couple open during the afternoon when we were there. Kim and Steve and I sat down at one, and Ken was at another, but he was able to join us the last hour we were there. It was really a fun afternoon, and it was Kim's first time playing Blackjack in a casino. She did great, and she had an older gentleman sitting next to her who really helped her. There was another guy at the table who was from Michigan, and he was
such a character, and we all had a lot of fun talking! Those are the most fun tables, where people are relaxed and having fun, willing to chat and joke a little bit, and no one is so uptight that they're all grim and gloomy. Everyone was fine with Kim being a first-time player, and I was really happy that we got such a good table for her "first time!" Ha ha!
That night we had a fairly quick dinner at a burger place, then headed to the Mirage for "Love," which I've already written about. Would I see it again? Hell to the yeah!
Tuesday was our old Vegas day, with a trip on the Blue Deuce (the bus that covers the Strip and goes downtown--excellent value!) downtown. There are tons of great Googie signs on the way downtown, and this one was a beaut. It was cool enough in the daytime, but on the way back, we got to see the neon. The starbursts at the top light in sequence, and all the neon is intact. It is a gorgeous example of Googie signage!
We had breakfast at the Bay City Diner at the
Golden Gate Casino. The Golden Gate is the oldest casino in Vegas, built in 1906. It also had the first phone number issued in Vegas. (Whoever can guess what the number was gets a gold star for the day!) The Golden Gate has beautiful dark woodwork inside, and really has the feel of historic Vegas. It is also the home of the original Vegas cheapo shrimp cocktail, and everyone except Steve had one. (I dedicated my shrimp cocktail to you, Melissa!) For many years, they were 99 cents, but when we were there in '05, they had recently raised the price to $1.99. This time they were $3.99. Still, Kim agreed that it was a good-sized portion of shrimp for that price. After a filling (and reasonably priced) breakfast, we trekked a few blocks to the offices of the
Neon Museum. I'll save that entry for another day, because I'll have lots more pictures for you!
After our
Boneyard tour, we headed back to Fremont Street. We did a little gambling before dinner, then went to the seafood buffet at the Fremont. I'd read that it was a very good value at $15.99, and while a few things disappointed (Ken said the fried oysters and the calamari were too chewy), all in all, it was pretty good. I even had some sushi, which tasted really good to me. Without a doubt, the buffets on the Strip would have been better, but we also would have paid at least 3 times as much. And although Kim and Steve teased me about my hollow leg--for a small person, I can really put away the food!--I can only eat so much. A $50+ buffet would make no sense for someone like me. A $16 one? Oh yeah, I can hold my own.
When we left the buffet, the hourly show was just beginning. The Fremont Street Experience is a large arched roof over a portion of Fremont, and it is the largest television screen in the world. That hour, the video was to "American Pie," but at the end of the show they announced that the next show would be a tribute to Queen. I thought of you, Jenny! We made sure we were back out on the street for that one, and WOW, it was so cool! The song was "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions," and let me tell you, that is one hell of a sound system. The final show we saw, later that night, was more of a Vegas show, with hot girls dancing to songs like "Takin' Care of Business." I suppose they wait till later, when all the Vegas kiddies are tucked away, to show that stuff!
We did more walking around (trying to work off that seafood buffet), then tried a few different casinos. That night we checked out the Fremont, Fitzgerald's, Four Queens, El Cortez, and the Golden Gate. Ken and I didn't gamble at El Cortez (which is just off Fremont Street), but our tour guide at the Boneyard, Justin, said that the
El Cortez is a true gem, and the owners have been doing a lot to improve it. It's one of the oldest casinos in Vegas, built in 1941, and the last time we were there, Ken and I found it sort of dingy and depressing, with sort of an air of desperation to it. Justin said they'd torn out the old, smelly carpet, and that it's a great historic casino, so we were curious to see how it was this time. They have lots of great pictures up of Vegas in the 40's and 50's, and it really did seem that they were embracing their past and trying to play it up, and trying to make the casino a lot nicer. It was a lot better on this visit. I was thrilled to see that!
Our last stop of the night was at the Golden Gate. Ken and I didn't play long, because the table was cold. We had a good run at a couple of the casinos earlier, but sometimes you just have to call it a night. On our way out I saw--wait, first I should explain Kim and Steve's people watching game. I'm sure many of you know that Vegas is a great place to people watch. They and their friends came up with a point system for people watching. For example, a woman in a bridal gown is one point. If she is obviously over 60, that's another point. If she has a tattoo (visible), that's another point. A couple with matching shirts is one point. Serious CFM shoes are one point, and if coupled with an extreme miniskirt, that's another point. A confirmed celebrity sighting is 5 points. So as we were getting ready to leave the Golden Gate, I had a confirmed celebrity sighting! I was able to get both Kim and Ken to look and confirm that it was none other than Fred Willard. The guy has been in so many things, but I first remember him from Fernwood 2Night, and later in "This is Spinal Tap" and "Best in Show." Did I say anything to him? No. I'm not really that kind of person. He didn't look all that happy...he walked right by me, and I'm sure he saw me staring at him because he sort of glanced my way, but he did not have a smile on his face, and I'm just not that intrusive. I suppose that if it were someone like Leonard Nimoy, I'd be running after him and tackling him in order to get a picture with him. Hey, he's closing in on 80. I think I could take him.
On Wednesday, we slept in. Kim and Steve signed up for a poker tournament that morning, and told us later that they didn't embarrass themselves, so they were happy! Ken and I met with Marty that afternoon, and before we headed to the Petrossian for our meeting, we took a look at the Bellagio Christmas display, which I'd heard was amazing. They were already starting to tear it down in preparation for their next display, and it was interesting to see some of the "innards" of the elaborate display. One thing that dismayed me was that the display included hundreds of potted poinsettias, and they were
throwing them all into a dumpster. These were living plants, and they were just tossing them out! Were they composting them? I seriously doubt it. Couldn't they donate them to a nursing home, or something like that? Poinsettias can live for a long time if properly cared for, and it just really bothered me to see them just chucked like that. I'm even thinking about writing to the Bellagio and suggesting that they "repurpose" their living plants. I suppose that's kind of stupid, but isn't it about time we started rethinking our environmental behavior as a society? I sure think so!
We met up with Kim and Steve that evening and headed back to the Mirage for dinner at Samba, a Brazilian steakhouse. It was our "nice" dinner of the vacation, and we had already planned our eating strategy: they bring by the cheaper meats first, so don't load up on those, or on the sides. Wait for the good stuff. It was all good, actually, but I think we all decided that the sirloin was the best. Very tender and flavorful, with a nice rub on the outside. A nice surprise was that any wine below $3000 a bottle (feel free to do a spit take there!) was 50% off, so Ken and Kim and I (Steve doesn't imbibe) were able to enjoy two nice bottles of red wine! And no, they were not $2999 bottles!
Then it was time to be tourists, and we hit the the volcano at the Mirage; the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island (not for the kiddies, and they might want to consider renaming it the Sirens of T&A!); went back to the Mirage to have our martoonis at Revolution Bar; watched the fountains at the Bellagio; and finally went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris, which offered an amazing view of the Strip. We could even see the Mirage volcano going off again, and watch the Bellagio fountains from way up high. Very cool, and worth doing.
After that, it was back to Bally's, and after agreeing on a meeting time for breakfast, Kim and Steve went off to play some slots (Kim's favorite was Star Trek), and Ken and I got to play a little $5 craps. We had a pretty good run going for a while, and the croupiers were having a lot of fun. It was great to play a bit on our last night there, and to play at a fun craps table. We played for a while and lost very little, so that was a good way to end!
The next morning, we met at Sully's (one of the bars in Bally's, if you recall), and there was a table of maybe 2 girls and 3 guys there that were having an awfully good time at 9:30 in the morning. Their table was full of beer bottles, and they were doing shots, and they were yelling and talking really loudly...and then they started singing. At the tops of their voices. And not just a few lines of a song, but an entire song.
I told the gang, "You know, I've been pretty drunk at various times in my life, but I don't think I've ever had the urge to
sing loudly." Steve said, "Yeah, especially a cappella!" What is that compulsion? We speculated whether or not they were ending their night or just beginning it. We all agreed that they were ending their night, or perhaps continuing it, as they were still there when Ken and I checked out at a little before 11 AM! We usually encounter something really unusual or obnoxious when we're in Vegas, and I'd say that group takes the obnoxious award for this trip. (Last time, it happened
before we got to Vegas, on the plane out there...the guy that barfed all over himself and spent the entire flight at the back of the plane with the flight attendants, being watched.)
After our breakfast, we parted ways with Kim and Steve and agreed to plan something for later this year--perhaps a week together at our timeshare? We headed off to the airport for our 2 PM flight, but Kim and Steve had a while before their flight, so they were going to do more slots (or as Steve kept calling them, "sluts"). It was a great trip, and I think we all felt that we crammed a whole bunch o' fun into a few short days. I'm sorry this was so long, but that was our trip itinerary, except for our visit to the Boneyard. I'll save that for an entry in the next few days. I've got a few things to say about Palin's recent interview, and a few things to say about our State Representative who wants to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood! Oh no she didn't! Oh yes she did. I sent an email to her today. I've voted for her in the past, but I told Ken that if she doesn't back off, she has lost my vote. I'm feeling the need to write about those things very soon, so the Boneyard might have to wait! But not for long....
The Neon Museum is a nonprofit organization, so all of their funding comes from whatever they charge for photo shoots and from private donations. If I won the lottery, I'd be paying for a sign or two! (I think I'd choose the Sweetheart Motel sign.) These may look like junk to some, but to me they are bright and shiny pieces of history. Many of them were made by Young Electric Sign Company, or YESCO, and they still make signs for various places in Vegas. I don't think the modern signs have quite as much character as the old signs, though, do you?
So the next time you're getting ready to go to Vegas, try to arrange a tour at the Boneyard. Tell 'em Beth sent you! I don't think you'll be disappointed. They are going to open a Visitors Center soon, and that's another cool thing--it's built with the facade of the salvaged lobby of the El Concha Motel. Justin said that it's one of the rare (did he maybe even say the only?) pieces of actual architecture that has been saved in Vegas. It's a gorgeous piece of Googie architecture, and it is in place at the Boneyard, although not yet open. I hope they can continue to grow their preservation efforts, and that people will pick up on the renewed interest in "old Vegas." (Justin told us that the Sahara is looking to get away at least a little bit from its NASCAR makeover, and go for more of a 60's style--SWEET!) I believe that most people are intrigued by old Vegas, and enjoy hearing about its history once someone takes the time to tell them about it. The Neon Museum can capitalize on that, and I hope the word gets out about them--I'll do my part! I'll look forward to our next visit so I can see the new Visitors Center, as well as that beautiful Silver Slipper, restored and dazzling!
