Las Vegas, in Bullet Points

Here are some strange things we saw on our trip to Las Vegas:

* Leaving town, we stopped at a traffic light. The fellow in front of us, who was driving a 1990's large black sedan of some sort, opened his window and used a whisk broom to brush a small piece of invisible dirt off the side of his car, then closed the window again and drove on. WTF?!?

* 15 men walked by on the sidewalk in front of the Luxor, in a group, each dressed as Mario - red cap, blue overalls, etc. Was there some sort of convention in town?

* Capt. Jack Sparrow and Cat Woman chatting up tourists in front of the Bellagio. What a pair!


Here are some (but not all) of the fun things we did on our very low-budget trip to Las Vegas:

* Checked into our *free* room at Bally's (best possible price, no?).

* Wandered around the strip checking out all the cool stuff in the lobbies and shops at the hotels. The Bellagio and Caesar's Palace are my favorites. The Bellagio, in particular, has beautiful glass flower sculptures hanging from the ceiling in the lobby which were done by Dale Chihuly, whom I've written about here before. They have a gift shop with some smaller pieces you can buy. I don't know how much they cost. I think the rule there is, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

* Lost a bit of money gambling. Won a bit of money gambling. Lost some more money gambling.

* Took fun and funny perspective photos of us appearing to do unusual things - such as a photo of me seeming to balance the "Paris" neon ball / balloon on my hand, a photo of my husband with his hands on the hood of a parked police car appearing to be arrested, and a photo of me appearing to lick a very phallic-looking sculpture at the Bellagio.

* Drank coffee and watched the other tourists and made catty remarks about their clothes, hair, behavior, and anything else we found amusing.

* Watched the fountain show in front of the Bellagio, choreographed with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

* Gambled some more and drank free drinks and lost a bit more money.

* Listened to the bands at several cafes and bars at Paris and Bally's.

* Checked out of Bally's and moved into our *free* room at the Four Queens downtown (another fantastic price!).

* Ate $1 shrimp coctails at the Golden Gate hotel & casino.

* Gambled and won a bit of money.

* Checked out the vendors on Fremont Street.

* Enjoyed the view of the Vegas lights and casinos from our almost-top-floor hotel room.

* Enjoyed the hippy-dippy "Summer of '69 Woodsdtock TributePalooza" street show (apparently a repeat from August) in front of the Golden Gate hotel on Fremont Street, complete with performers hanging from fabric and/or rings suspended in the air, Cirque du Soleil style.

* Enjoyed the "Fremont Street Experience" overhead light and music show several times (American Pie, Fire and Ice, and Kiss) one night.

* Played slot machines at the Four Queens and won more money.

* Enjoyed a decent buffet meal at the Main Street Station hotel and casino, complete with a darn good prime rib steak, a decent black-bean chili con carne with cornbread, and fresh (not canned) green beans that were cooked perfectly. The fried scallops apparently were fake scallops (like fake crab meat), but the shrimp were real and my husband said the pizza was good, too. The building is done in an old victorian style that is quite charming. I've never seen the rooms, but the lobby and restaurant / buffet area are absolutely beautiful. My husband tells me there is a portion of the actual Berlin wall in the men's restroom, with urinals attached to it. I did not verify this information for myself.

* Played more slot machines at the Main Street Station casino and won even more money!

* Returned home with more money than I took with me to Vegas - a first for me!

And now I have to get back to work. Happy Wednesday, gamblers and fools, happy Wednesday!