20 October 2004

Having just spent the last 3-plus days in Las Vegas, it's funny that the strangest thing I've seen since leaving on Friday was actually something I saw upon coming home and turning on the TV: A-Rod slapping the baseball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove.

Sin City, by comparison, was a den of normalcy. To wit, then, a short trip recap:

Friday we flew out, direct to LV on Song, Delta's attempt to be like Southwest and JetBlue. It's not a bad try for a legacy carrier, but it doesn't quite capture the mood of those other airlines. Certainly, I'd fly it again if the fares were right.

Got our car from Enterprise (more on the automotive front later), drove over to Circus Circus, where we were staying. Not a bad place, though it's on the top end of the strip away from some of the more notable establishments. It was a bit of a trial finding our way to reception and then to our room, but we got there eventually. After which we got some food, played a little, and went to bed.

Saturday we trekked out to the Hoover Dam. Before leaving, we noticed something about the car that wasn't showing the night before: a crack in the windshield. We figured we'd do our best with it and headed out.

If you've not been to Hoover Dam, and you're in the area, you should go. It's an impressive piece of engineering, especially when you consider when it was built. The "tour" was kind of duff, outside of getting to go down into one of the generating rooms (in the past you actually got to go outside at the base of the dam, they don't do that any more). But for the first time out, the tour is probably worth it.

We spent the afternoon in Boulder City, during which time we noticed our crack was growing. This necessitated a trip back to Enterprise to swap cars and work out insurance-related matters regarding the windshield (as it wasn't noted as cracked when we left the lot). We then got a a new car. I figured we'd get the Ford Focus. We got the Jeep Liberty. At the economy rate. And we were comped for the gas; we could return it dry at no charge.

Suffice it to say that if you're looking to rent a car the next time you're in Vegas, I would highly recommend Enterprise.

That night we went over to the Orleans Arena to see the Las Vegas Wranglers take on the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies in a preseason ECHL tilt. You could tell it was preseason as there were no names on the jersies and no programs available. The one roster sheet we could get informed us that former Merrimack College standout Rejean Stringer was playing for Vegas. We were later told that former BU player Jon Sabo may have been playing for AC. The game itself was about what you'd expect, and we saw more blood than your average Vegas heavyweight title bout.

Sunday we just kind of kicked around, drove through downtown Vegas, some general sightseeing. Ate that night at Cravings, the new buffet at the Mirage. It's kind of upscale, and the food was pretty good, but pricey for a buffet. Earlier in the day we ate at an In 'n Out Burger, which was fantastic.

Monday saw more aimless wandering, though we actually walked around Fremont Street and the downtown casino area. Went into Binion's, but didn't spend too much time anywhere. Monday night brought us to the purpose of our trip, a wedding vow renewal ceremony at the Bellagio (savvy Blogalicious readers can guess which linked person at left was one of the participants). I will say that if you want to get married in Vegas and want it to actually be classy, the Bellagio would be the way to go. Had dinner in one of the restaurants at Paris. A good time was had by all.

Tuesday we pretty much traveled all day, going from Vegas to Atlanta to Boston. It was about as much fun as it sounds. And for the third time in a row, we landed in Atlanta and had to wait for another plane to get out of our assigned gate. Whoever is in charge of that process needs to be fired.

Quick assessment: I'd go back to Vegas. Don't know if I'd go more than once a year (or even once every two), but I could see putting it in a regular rotation.

4 comments:

James said...

Congrats on the renewal ceremony, and congrats on going to Vegas!

Good choice on the buffet, although I prefer breakfast as the *buffet meal* (as long as you avoided the CC Buffet like the plague, you should be OK).

While downtown, did you check out Main Street Station? IMO, the best buffet in LV, and a decent casino to boot. Took a bunch of TRASH and VTV staff to MSS last summer for a *champagne brunch*. Worth it.

Bellagio is tremendous, albeit snooty to the 10th degree. I'll stick to the Orleans.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!

For some of us, once Las Vegas gets into your blood you almost stop thinking of other vacation destinations, it truly has everything and you can try your hand at gambling too.

Glad to hear that the Bellagio was so nice, I've stayed there, but never seen the wedding chappel.

OTC

Mark said...

I was only involved in the renewal as a guest (well, I acted as a witness, though I'm not sure what there was to witness, given that the couple remained married). One of the participants is one of my linked bloggers. I'll leave it there and let him or her (OK, him) tell the story if he chooses.

We did go to the CC buffet for brunch. I've had worse. I'll keep the Main St. Station tucked away for next time.

Anonymous said...

Just to put the fears to rest, I am not the mystery blogger. And as I know who it is, I will go silent.

It's a shame Jon Sabo isn't playing for the Las Vegas team, since somewhere in the city you would then likely be able to get odds on how long it takes him before he takes of his skate and attempts to use it as a deadly weapon.

Yes, I ripped that out of Happy Gilmore. But I just love Jon Sabo that much ... it four years of mediocre hockey, he was the shining star.

Well, except for Russ Bartlett, who won the '99 Beanpot that BU surely didn't deserve, then was cut before the 99-00 season. But now I'm rambling.

Psycho!

Cooch

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