2012 Roadtrip Day 9
Sep. 15th, 2021 02:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanFrom the wilderness to the wild side
Sept. 19 Wednesday - Barstow to Las Vegas
A sleep-in this morning ‘til 8am, then off to Denny’s for breakfast. Both of us said yes to coffee before thinking about it, then suffered for it – this was the closest American coffee has come to my favourite denigration ‘Hot water with a brown crayon dissolved in it’. Serves us right for not having plugged in the Nespresso machine in the morning
A short drive along part of Route 66, then onto the freeway to Las Vegas. The Mojave Desert heats up quite quickly in the morning... or maybe it just doesn’t cool down much overnight, so Steve McQueen’s air-con was a welcome remedy. As we approached the Nevada state line, I could see a roller coaster in the distance & thought I was going crazy from the heat, but no... There, at the Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino was a collection of buildings with a roller coaster winding its way around them. We didn’t stop to ask why...
As we approached Las Vegas from the south-west, we decided to do a little shopping first, as we couldn’t check into our room at the MGM Grand until 3pm. We had a few directional problems, but eventually arrived at a shopping mall so big it’s referred to as a suburb on maps & signposts. Premium Outlets is like a D.F.O. that’s taken too much growth hormone... it really is the size of a suburb. After finally finding a parking spot, the first thing that hit us when we got out of the car was the heat. Las Vegas in the middle of the day is not a cool place to be, even in early Autumn. So we wandered & sweated around the myriad shops until we both agreed we’d bought & had enough
Given that we were to stay at one of the larger, swankier Casinos, we decided to put Steve McQueen through a carwash, so we wouldn’t be too embarrassed handing over the keys to the Parking Valet at MGM Grand. A little aimless driving through the streets of Vegas suburbia found one that did a basic exterior wash for a ridiculously low amount, even if we’d been able to tip the Mexican washer who started us off... which we couldn’t, as we were rolling into the auto-wash as soon as he was done. Emerging sparkling on the other side, we drove up Las Vegas Boulevarde to see what’s what & where
‘The Strip’ just doesn’t have the atmosphere during the day. In fact, it looks a little tawdry & tacky... the statues, fountains & features are a bit sad & all the vacant lots & construction works detract from whatever ambience the street can muster up before the sun goes down. And what’s with all the billboards for lawyers who specialise in ambulance-chasing lawsuits??!! Very tacky & in questionable taste. The perfect occupation for Vegas then, I suppose...
We thought about trying to park Steve McQueen ourselves, but the sheer size of the carpark at the MGM & its distance from the Hotel entrance meant we gave in to temptation & were pleased to find that Valet Parking was a free service... excluding tip of course. Once checked in, we got a true feel for the size of the place by getting lost in it. Armed only with the vaguest of hand waves from the desk clerk, indicating the elevator we needed was "Over there", 10 minutes later we were still wheeling our cases through the bells, whistles & beeps of the slot machines & dodging the people wandering from one machine to another, or from baccarat to roulette... in everything from tracksuits to white bathrobes & Crocs... Eventually a passing staff member took pity on Julia & pointed us in the right direction. And so to the thirteenth floor of the West Tower, down a long corridor & into what MGM calls a ‘Petite King Suite’ – a comfortable room with more mirrors than anyone could possibly need, a large shower cubicle, king-size bed, a view of the renovation work going on behind MGM’s façade & blessed air conditioning
After a rest & a shower, I headed down to the ‘West Wing Bar’ for a desperately needed scotch & coke, then a Guinness, just because I felt like one. Joined by Julia who needed a Bailey’s, we decided that what we both really wanted was dinner, so off down the Strip we went, in search of the Planet Hollywood Casino’s Spice Market Buffet, which had been recommended by a friend back home. A short wait & $72 later, we were free to eat & drink as much as we wanted – Middle Eastern, Asian, Seafood, American, Mexican, Salads & Soups... & two glasses of white wine, thanks very much
Well-fed & sufficiently cooled down, we headed back out onto the Strip, which by now was lit up like... well, like Las Vegas. So, out with the point’n’shoot cameras & off we went. Looking much better at night & with lighting of every bright colour neon can create, there are fountains, an Eiffel Tower, a statue of Liberty & a Brooklyn Bridge, wandering showgirls, Sesame St characters, Mario & at least one Elvis singing karaoke on the street. My favourite & the only one we gave money to, was a busker singing & playing ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’, not in costume as a member of Steely Dan, but doing a fine job regardless. The other thing the Strip has in abundance is seething masses of people, all going in no particular direction at no great speed, but determined to barge past you at any time... every time. And it was still hot out there... & humid from the crowd of humanity, so we kept popping into various places for drinks... & their air conditioning. Including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino, where all the drinks & snacks are named after his songs &, of course, his songs are on constant rotation... about the only place where they still are, I’m guessing. We also arrived at the Dancing Waters outside Caesar's Palace at the right time - between shows, so we were able to find a good viewing & photography point...
I wonder what future historians/archaeologists will think of Las Vegas, if they ever dig it up? Will all the tacky statues etc... gain credibility & respectability because they're hundreds of years old? Did the ancient Romans & Greeks think their statues were a bit over-the-top back in their day & it's only 2000+ years that have afforded them 'classic' artwork status?
By the time we reached the rather downbeat Riviera towards the eastern end of the Strip (2021 update: the Riviera - one of the original 50s Casinos, is now closed & is probably a hole in the ground at the moment, while the Feds try to identify all the bodies unearthed by its demolition. Allegedly!!), we were feeling like we were done, so crossed the street for a bus to take us back to the MGM. Our bus was crowded with people who obviously felt the same as us, tired, footsore & in need of maybe one last drink at their hotel. We put a few dollars through MGM’s machines, just so we can say we've gambled, lost them almost immediately & so headed up to our room, called our respective mothers to reassure them that we're alive, well & not in thousands of dollars of debt to the Mob, fell into bed & fell asleep... air conditioning still blasting
Sept. 19 Wednesday - Barstow to Las Vegas
A sleep-in this morning ‘til 8am, then off to Denny’s for breakfast. Both of us said yes to coffee before thinking about it, then suffered for it – this was the closest American coffee has come to my favourite denigration ‘Hot water with a brown crayon dissolved in it’. Serves us right for not having plugged in the Nespresso machine in the morning
A short drive along part of Route 66, then onto the freeway to Las Vegas. The Mojave Desert heats up quite quickly in the morning... or maybe it just doesn’t cool down much overnight, so Steve McQueen’s air-con was a welcome remedy. As we approached the Nevada state line, I could see a roller coaster in the distance & thought I was going crazy from the heat, but no... There, at the Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino was a collection of buildings with a roller coaster winding its way around them. We didn’t stop to ask why...
As we approached Las Vegas from the south-west, we decided to do a little shopping first, as we couldn’t check into our room at the MGM Grand until 3pm. We had a few directional problems, but eventually arrived at a shopping mall so big it’s referred to as a suburb on maps & signposts. Premium Outlets is like a D.F.O. that’s taken too much growth hormone... it really is the size of a suburb. After finally finding a parking spot, the first thing that hit us when we got out of the car was the heat. Las Vegas in the middle of the day is not a cool place to be, even in early Autumn. So we wandered & sweated around the myriad shops until we both agreed we’d bought & had enough
Given that we were to stay at one of the larger, swankier Casinos, we decided to put Steve McQueen through a carwash, so we wouldn’t be too embarrassed handing over the keys to the Parking Valet at MGM Grand. A little aimless driving through the streets of Vegas suburbia found one that did a basic exterior wash for a ridiculously low amount, even if we’d been able to tip the Mexican washer who started us off... which we couldn’t, as we were rolling into the auto-wash as soon as he was done. Emerging sparkling on the other side, we drove up Las Vegas Boulevarde to see what’s what & where
‘The Strip’ just doesn’t have the atmosphere during the day. In fact, it looks a little tawdry & tacky... the statues, fountains & features are a bit sad & all the vacant lots & construction works detract from whatever ambience the street can muster up before the sun goes down. And what’s with all the billboards for lawyers who specialise in ambulance-chasing lawsuits??!! Very tacky & in questionable taste. The perfect occupation for Vegas then, I suppose...
We thought about trying to park Steve McQueen ourselves, but the sheer size of the carpark at the MGM & its distance from the Hotel entrance meant we gave in to temptation & were pleased to find that Valet Parking was a free service... excluding tip of course. Once checked in, we got a true feel for the size of the place by getting lost in it. Armed only with the vaguest of hand waves from the desk clerk, indicating the elevator we needed was "Over there", 10 minutes later we were still wheeling our cases through the bells, whistles & beeps of the slot machines & dodging the people wandering from one machine to another, or from baccarat to roulette... in everything from tracksuits to white bathrobes & Crocs... Eventually a passing staff member took pity on Julia & pointed us in the right direction. And so to the thirteenth floor of the West Tower, down a long corridor & into what MGM calls a ‘Petite King Suite’ – a comfortable room with more mirrors than anyone could possibly need, a large shower cubicle, king-size bed, a view of the renovation work going on behind MGM’s façade & blessed air conditioning
After a rest & a shower, I headed down to the ‘West Wing Bar’ for a desperately needed scotch & coke, then a Guinness, just because I felt like one. Joined by Julia who needed a Bailey’s, we decided that what we both really wanted was dinner, so off down the Strip we went, in search of the Planet Hollywood Casino’s Spice Market Buffet, which had been recommended by a friend back home. A short wait & $72 later, we were free to eat & drink as much as we wanted – Middle Eastern, Asian, Seafood, American, Mexican, Salads & Soups... & two glasses of white wine, thanks very much
Well-fed & sufficiently cooled down, we headed back out onto the Strip, which by now was lit up like... well, like Las Vegas. So, out with the point’n’shoot cameras & off we went. Looking much better at night & with lighting of every bright colour neon can create, there are fountains, an Eiffel Tower, a statue of Liberty & a Brooklyn Bridge, wandering showgirls, Sesame St characters, Mario & at least one Elvis singing karaoke on the street. My favourite & the only one we gave money to, was a busker singing & playing ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’, not in costume as a member of Steely Dan, but doing a fine job regardless. The other thing the Strip has in abundance is seething masses of people, all going in no particular direction at no great speed, but determined to barge past you at any time... every time. And it was still hot out there... & humid from the crowd of humanity, so we kept popping into various places for drinks... & their air conditioning. Including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino, where all the drinks & snacks are named after his songs &, of course, his songs are on constant rotation... about the only place where they still are, I’m guessing. We also arrived at the Dancing Waters outside Caesar's Palace at the right time - between shows, so we were able to find a good viewing & photography point...
I wonder what future historians/archaeologists will think of Las Vegas, if they ever dig it up? Will all the tacky statues etc... gain credibility & respectability because they're hundreds of years old? Did the ancient Romans & Greeks think their statues were a bit over-the-top back in their day & it's only 2000+ years that have afforded them 'classic' artwork status?
By the time we reached the rather downbeat Riviera towards the eastern end of the Strip (2021 update: the Riviera - one of the original 50s Casinos, is now closed & is probably a hole in the ground at the moment, while the Feds try to identify all the bodies unearthed by its demolition. Allegedly!!), we were feeling like we were done, so crossed the street for a bus to take us back to the MGM. Our bus was crowded with people who obviously felt the same as us, tired, footsore & in need of maybe one last drink at their hotel. We put a few dollars through MGM’s machines, just so we can say we've gambled, lost them almost immediately & so headed up to our room, called our respective mothers to reassure them that we're alive, well & not in thousands of dollars of debt to the Mob, fell into bed & fell asleep... air conditioning still blasting
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-15 01:46 pm (UTC)