Sin City Vegas

Welcome to Vegas

Memorial Day, September 3^rd was fast approaching, and we were in Chicago for about a month – July 25^th onwards. So it was vacation time – after the hard office work. Barely a couple days before the Friday, 31^st, we booked our ’Spirit Air’ tickets, got busy planning the trip, and were all set for a Grand Canyon and Sin City trip in the Wild Wild West.

Madame Tussauds - Venetian

The Venetian

The Venetian

Inside The Venetian

Inside The Venetian

Viva Vegas

Chicago O’Hare is easily accessible by the CTA Blue line for a couple of dollars, and we used that to reach the airport, and then the Spirit Air flight to McCarran Vegas airport and reached Vegas at around 5 p.m. local time. The party hadn’t started yet, but the day (and the nights) was getting longer already. After (another) eventful airport to Hotel ride, via route# 108, we checked into Tuscany Suites, and were ready for the night-out with plenty of time left in the day (or the night J). Las Vegas defies imagination. It is dry and hot, quite unlike anything we were prepared for. And it is massive in all dimensions – the roads, the casinos and the sheer scale of everything. But it is a city that is best captured via the camera. Less roads, more slot machines – would be a succinct description to a layman.

The Sirens Of TI

The Sirens Of TI

Sep. 1^st –  we were in the scorching sun on our way to the Venetian, Paris Paris and New York. We took the Deuce Bus (almost), and the city bus #202 (I think), and managed to reach The Venetian. It is an absolute must to keep drinking water while in Vegas – you are just a sip away from sun stroke. 

Gondolas at Venetian

At The Sirens Of TI

The Venetian casino has been made to replicate the Venice experience. There are gondolas with boatmen, indoor sets with Venetian type canals and a cast dressed like you could be in actual Venice any time. It is an experience- resplendent, and yet somehow hollow. The grand creation, and the surreal ambience draws you in, but the commercial side walks leaves you with a glitzy experience. Of course, it is sham, given that the true Venice-experience we had in our Rome-Florence-Venice trip included the Murrano trinkets and the Venetian Carnivale’ masks. It also helps to know that the world’s oldest working Casino is in Venice – and of course, we had visited it. But well, it was worth a trip here.

Harrahs

Treasure Island was a better experience – it was original, and without any pretense - it was simply grand. We took in the sights, visited the Casino, and admired the grandness of it all. A real city had been built on these casino slot machines and roulette and poker games! Isn’t it amazing – the creativity of it all? Of course, we have all read the Godfather – but seeing it is still an experience.

Caesars Forum

Off we were to the Tix4tonite venue – and we queued for an hour to get the tickets for an original Cirque du Soleil show. The reward – almost half price tickets for the Mystere’ the same night! Venue – TI Then we scooted off the Grand Canyon South Rim tour – and managed a deal at $150 for the next day. So we were now all free to experience the casino city at leisure till 9 p.m. We quickly toured Harrahs, Flamingo and Bellagio – planning to get some food and rest before show time. Dinner at an all American Sports Bar with Pizza and sides was scrumptious and the experience was a first. We had originally gone for an Indian buffet, but the free American spirit of this Italian pizzeria was hard to ignore.

Caesars Forum

Caesars Forum

Anyways, we bought some snacks for the next day from a nearby convenience store and started off to TI for the show. A full 2 hours later we realized why one should see a show every day in Vegas – it is worth the $175 for 2 tickets. And the Cirque du Soleil is an established group that has performing O, KA et al for the last 25 years. Well, another show by the BlueMan group in Chicago is a must-do on the wish list.

Trevi Fountain -Caesars Forum

Grand View of Ballys and Paris Paris

Grand Canyon Views

2^nd Sep. – We were all set for our Grand Canyon tour by 6 a.m. The hotel pick up at 6:30 was a little late, and the actual tour start at almost 8 a.m. did nothing to brighten up the mood after the tiring late night outs. Lunch and breakfast were complimentary – so sat back and relaxed – in different rows. Due to some bio-break essentials, the couple seats in the bus were mostly taken and we were seated a few rows apart – separately. The trip was uneventful; the commentary was non-too inspiring, and the views were not spectacular – not till we actually reached Grand Canyon south rim at least. But lunch buffet was good, and we endured.

Grand Canyon

Backdrop of Grand Canyon Views

Grand Canyon Views

Grand Canyon Views

We finally hit the canyon at around 2 pm after almost 5 hours and 400+ odd miles. Deciding to stretch and take a hike, we set out from the drop off point to the next pick –up point using a map for directions. The driver made it sound like a hell of a trek, but the 2 miles approx. was hardly breaking a sweat for us. It was the lack of proper directions and the surly driver-cum-guide who spoiled it by acting too smart.

Grand Canyon Views

Grand Canyon Trek is HARD WORK

Grand Canyon is OLD

Grand Canyon Views

But I digress. The Canyon is truly a wonder of nature. How the gorge was created, and the vast crevasse was painted by Nature is truly amazing. The river (Colorado, I think) flows beneath, and the hills, valleys and plateaus are cut grain by grain every moment as we speak. It is a must visit – no picture can describe it enough, ever.

The Little Wedding Chapel

Eternal Wecome to Vegas

Fremont Street

Fremont Street

Fremont Street

Fremont Street

3^rd Sep. – Our last day, and we had a pile of left over things to do before the day ran out, and we had to catch the return flight at mid night from Vegas. But first, we had brunch at iHop.

 Can you spot the Little Wedding Chapel

Grand Caesars

At The Fall of Atlantis

Then we jumped on to the Deuce bus, and went to Fremont Street – a hidden gem. It was researched and a well-kept secret, but the morning light didn’t do enough justice to the place. We wandered about a bit, did the mandatory souvenir shopping and set back to view the Luxor and MGM Grand once more. Oh, and we found the famous Little White Chapel on 1300 Las Vegas Boulevard. That is where all the happens-only-in-Vegas marriages take place, and there are other scores of chapels for the same reason! Too sad, we didn’t go ahead ourselves, heard it is only $50 fees – but then after more than 6 years of marriage bliss – what is another 50 or 100 here or there! We though gave it a pass, maybe another timeJ

The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Harrahs at The Strip

The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

At The Luxor

We wandered about Luxor and Bellagio and New York casinos on the last day of our short trip. We took tons of snaps of Eiffel Tower replicas and the fountain show at Bellagio. Oh, and we also gambled our hard-earned dollars on the slot machines and the $1-beers and margaritas. Total damages – a grand $8 on gambling in the sin city. Well, that’s down the drain but a tip / contribution for the U.S. economy.

At the Luxor

At the Luxor

At Caesars

Gambling away to our Glory

In our Gambling Den

Hell, we even managed to enroll in a Harvard MBA course, while we got sloshed! Howzzat for some sin J

Fountains of Bellagio

Fremont Street 'Experience'

Fremont Street 'Experience'

Fremont Street 'Experience'

Views of The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Then we went for the best part of the trip – Freemont Street Experience at night after 8 p.m. It is one giant TV screen on above the road, and the surrounding shops are closed for the ’event’. It is a LCD experience like no other, and we will always associate the Miss American Pie (anyways my favourite) with the Freemont Street ‘’Experience”. It is one must must-have experience while in Vegas. 

Views of The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

Views of The Strip - S. Las Vegas Boulevard

P.S. One tip – don’t bother about the frees shows on offer – The Sirens of TI, The lions of MGM and above all, Fall of Atlantis at Caesars Forum Shops.