Today we fly to Las Vegas and I am pretty excited as I am really looking forward to seeing my old mates Carl and Suzie – the couple that myself and Big Mick stayed with on the last trip.  Unfortunately they are out of the Airbnb game now but it shouldn’t affect the fun too much as we can still catch up.

We get up and are not really in a rush as we did not have to be at our boarding gate at JFK until 1:20 p.m.  Lucky we had time because 2 new Israeli travelers arrived last night and they had taken the kitchen over completely (it is a small one to start with).  I do not know what crap they were cooking for breakfast but they used every pot and pan in the house and the end product looked/smelt something like mashed elephant sh*t. 

Finally in the kitchen and cook our good wholesome fried eggs on toast and coffee.  Clean everything up and on foot to the subway station – we estimated it would take about 2 hrs by public transport to get to JFK.  It would be quicker to take a taxi but we still had our subway passes so thought why waste extra money?

On the subway and we change lines after an hour but realise that although we are on the right line now we don’t have the right train.  Off we get and along comes a train that we ignore as it never had the ‘right’ number on it.  Turns out it was the right one and which means a 15 minute wait for the next one.

No dramas we are back on and later get off at the right platform and take the escalator to catch the sky train that does a long loop around the terminals at JFK.  Our subway passes don’t work with the air train and need another 1 trip pass that is sold right at the gate for $5.

On the train and you guessed it – our terminal was the last stop so around we go until we reach it and get off.  The self check in gets sorted pretty quickly and do the bag drop.  Straight over to the security check and the line is long and slow.  Eventually we get through and make our way to our gate just as boarding is announced!  Total time from our front door to the boarding gate is 3 hrs 20 mins! 

Now for some reason when I booked the flight I had a lot of trouble finding an affordable flight (most likely because I was booking it at 2:00 am and totally stuffed) and settled for an American Airline flight that had a short stopover in Charlotte.  We board the plane and have a very slow taxi to the runway and at one stage we were in a que of 17 planes.   Boarding started at 1:20 and we get into the air at 2:10.  

We arrive in Charlotte on schedule and as we fly in I can see that its a green (trees) city with a lot a very affluent housing – boats tied up outside mansions.  The Airport is very trendy/modern and has a lot of funky shops and restaurants. 

After a late lunch I start thinking about the gate to board our next flight.  I go up to the monitor and find that the flight is now delayed by 1 hr and 20 mins.  Scheduled departure is 7:50 and arrival in Vegas put back to 9:30 p.m. which all doesn’t sound too bad until you factor in that Vegas is 3 hrs behind and our body clock will be after midnight – another seriously late night.

We park ourselves in Starbucks right next to the boarding area and kill time by getting on the net.  7:50 pm comes and goes as further delays are announced – finally we have take off at 9:00 pm.  By the time we land in Las Vegas the local time is after 10:00 pm which means for us it feels like 1 am.  Even the welcome sign does little for me;

I know though some of the girls at work back home would have smiled at this one;

True to the day our bag is last out on the carousal.  I grab it and head out the exit doors to where I know you can catch a hotel shuttle bus that does a loop around all of the Hotels on the strip. 

At the first window I am told there is a 30 min wait so I move to the next company – finally our luck has changed and a van is about to leave.  Total cost is only $10 USD each and we get dropped at the front door of the Hotel.  Even better that our hotel, Treasure Island, is the first one.

We get dropped off at the Hotel and go in and find that their computer systems are down so our check in is done manually which takes a bit more time to sort.

Our bags and gear are left in the room while we quickly go over to Walgreen’s Supermarket just on the other side of the strip.  A few supplies and back to room we go.  By the time we get to bed its after 1 am local time.  What a day!  

Next morning we both look like the walking dead but manage to get up and out for breakfast around 9:30.  We check out a few of the restaurants in the hotel and its all pretty expensive so out we go for a look around the strip.  The days of getting really cheap meals in the Casino’s are apparently over and you have to look elsewhere if on a budget.

The local Starbucks outside the Hotel (I found one inside later) was overflowing so we continued up the street to the Fashion Mall and found another.  This particular Starbucks was nearly empty so in we go.  I had the bacon/egg toasted sambo that was dripping fat and melted cheese – I am absolutely certain I will be 200 kgs by the end of the trip.

Next door to Starbucks was a discount ticketing booth (TIX 4) that was similar to New York in that they had daily discount tickets.  I checked out the list and decided to go with ‘Hitzville’ a Motown show which was on later in the day at the Planet Hollywood Casino – 2 x tickets cost us a total of $108 USD.  I later compared the cost with the usual Vegas.com discount ticketing site and they were identical in price.  I think I will stick with the website as its easier than in person.

Next we walked through some of the more massive Hotels on the strip which was pretty interesting given the amount of money that was on display. 

Back at our Hotel I did a bit of research on car hire to go out to the Hoover Dam rather than doing a tour bus.  I also discovered that the Hotel had 2 x car hire agencies (One Dollar & Hertz) so I went in person to check out the costs – I decided not to use One Dollar as I had read about their poor service and when I went to the counter that was confirmed.  The Hertz  counter was closed so I put that off until later.

Later that evening we catch a ride and head down to Planet Hollywood where our show is playing.  The theatre is located in the ‘Miracle Mile Shops’ which is worth a look in itself as they have done the ceiling to make it feel that you are actually outside;

It is crazy just how big the whole shopping area is and we wander around and check it out.  Time comes for our show so we make our way back to the theatre and grab our seat.

The show is called Hitzville and as the name suggests its a show about the mega Motown bands and their hits.  The show covers everyone from Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson etc.  The lead female is sensational with her impersonations of Tina Turner and Dianna Ross;

After the show we decide to walk back to the Hotel – it’s not that far and it was a good opportunity to have a look at the strip;

The Belagio is famous for its water show that is done every half hour during the day and then every 15 mins at night;

We only had to wait 10 mins to see a show and it was excellent – the water show is played to background music.  Its even better at night but the crowds are large and get bigger the later it gets.  We move on and I take a few photo’s;

I get stopped by what I think are 2 x showgirls who are promoting one of the Casino’s so I get a photo with them – turns out they are just hawkers trying to get tips!  Done again as they put their hand out and tell me that they ‘usually’ get a $20 tip for a photo.  I laugh and said that they need to go and check the currency exchange rate and give them $5.  As soon as we left them I ran into heaps of others that were dressed in everything from police to hookers.

Next stop was the Mirage and watched their show which was based on a volcano theme using large flame throwers;

By this stage the sun is going down and the walkways are jam packed mostly with Chinese tourist groups.  The groups make me laugh as each tour guide had something like a large selfie pole with some sort of Pokemon toy hanging from the end.  It gets quite slow to make your way through;

Next morning on the way to breakfast I checked out the Hertz car rental and worked out with the guy that I could get a car from 4:30 p.m. that day – this would be a better option as it meant I would have the use of car that night to go and see my mates and the next day to go out to the Hoover Dam.

An extra night in Vegas was booked to cover us seeing a Cirque du Soleil show at the Mandalay Hotel.  I was able to get a room at another Hotel that was much closer to the event.  Also sorted was our road trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles via ‘Mega Bus’ for Saturday and even our Airbnb in LA!  I made sure the Airbnb has a parking space – fingers crossed Stan will be ready for collection on time.

I get on to my mate Carl and we are good to go for later today re catch up.  Suzie is working but will be home in time for our arrival.  Most things are now sorted so I work on my photos and blog. 

4:30 comes around and we go to Hertz and collect the car.  I get talking to the sole operator ‘Pete’ who is a really cool dude that moved to Las Vegas from Michigan with his family a couple of years ago.  He tells me that he is a gambler that used to come here to gamble but since moving he had to curtail his activities – made me think of when Big Mick took a hiatus from Policing and went and manged a hotel bottle-shop!

The car is a Chevrolet Cruz and after a close inspection I am surprised at what you get over here in a small car;

So in we get and off we go – our first stop is the Vegas welcome sign;

The sign is a major tourist attraction and there is a lineup of over 40 – 50 people waiting to take a photo under it – when we arrived a Mexican wedding couple having a photo shoot.  I take a few photos and then head off to Carl and Suzie’s.  I sort of rememberd how to get to their house but needed google maps to make sure.

To see Carl and Suzie again after a couple of years was pretty special.  Both are amazing people and they certainly rolled out the red carpet for us.  Suzie is an amazing host/cook and had platters of the best treats you could imagine laid out.  Later she cooked a sensational salmon main course that Gordon Ramsey would be lucky to copy.

It was really good to hear about the work that both had been up to.  Carl has made a pitch for doing a Dionne Warwick documentary after just completing a concert shoot for her (she is 78 and sharp as a tack).  If he is successful it means that he and Suzie will be doing a global road trip for 6 months.  Here’s hoping mate!

Suzie cracks us up because she has worked at recent major events – behind the scenes for Barbara Streisand, Guns n Roses, and even Lady Gaga.  Her next shift is Aerosmith.  No big deal she reckons as most of the time she has never even heard of them!  After a great night we head back to the Hotel and call it a day.  With a bit of luck we should be able to catch up with them again before we leave Vegas.

Next morning we drag ourselves out of bed and have breakfast in the Hotel Starbucks before jumping in the hire car to head out to the Hoover Dam.  It was an early start given that we needed to be in the line outside the Visitor Centre for tour tickets before the doors opened at 9.

I had called the Visitor Center a couple of days ago to work out the details of what they had so I could compare them to what is on offer by the ticketing agencies here in Vegas.  I was told to get there early given it was school break and needed to be in the line by 8:45 am at the latest (if we wanted the ‘Dam Tour’ which is limited).

The drive out was full on as it had been a whilst since I had driven a left hand drive car in heavy traffic – using google maps with my phone also made it more interesting.  

We arrive at Hoover Dam and I pull into the public carpark – the attendant tells me that given we are early we should park the car on the Arizona side of the dam where the parking is free and then walk back.  There are not many tourists around so we go with the advice.

I drop Helen off so she can go and find the line.  I drive over the Dam and park the car.  Walking back I take a few photo’s;

So I walk all the way from Arizona back to Nevada (ha) and find Helen who is about 8th in the que.  The doors open at 9 and we go through security check to the ticketing stations and get our tickets – we are in the first tour at 9:30 and mission accomplished!

The tour starts off with a 10 minute documentary on the History of the Dam and then we move out and take the lift down to the pump station which houses the turbines;

Here different groups separate but our tour continues and incorporates going through the access tunnels to one of the vent windows where you can take photos whilst positioned in the middle of the dam wall;

We also get shown the staircase (known as the staircase to heaven) which is the emergency exit for workers;

The tour concludes and we get back out on top of the dam.  I can’t believe how hot it is and how many tourists are now flooding the area.  We go and check out the rest of the dam;

It is now seriously too hot to be walking around so we head back to the car.  As we leave the Hoover Dam I see that the in road in is bumper to bumper and backed up nearly 2 klms.  Next stop was the Lake Meade lookout;

The drive back to Las Vegas is straight forward and we end up down near the Vegas Welcome sign as I had to fill the hire car up with petrol before I returned it.  Right beside us was the Las Vegas Police head quarters that I had gone into back in 2017 and got a patch.

Given it was right there I went back in and walked up to the counter.  I stand behind a dude that is ‘signing in’ as part of his bail and get served by a nice old girl that took one look at me and grabbed a patch.  She tells me they get it all of the time – what was funny is that the patch that I gave them in 2017 is on the display board on the wall behind the front counter.

The car is returned to Hertz and all up the Hoover Dam trip took us a total of 6.5 hours.  I really recommend this way of doing it as you get to do what you want in the time that you have.  I saw a lot of tour companies that simply drove around the Dam and all you got was a narrative from the driver.  The experience of actually getting inside the wall of the dam was unique.

We head home it was nap time for about 2 hours before checking out St Marks Square in the Venetian Hotel.  The Hotel has recreated the Venice original and it is mind blowing in what it must have cost to do it;

After St Marks it was back to Treasure Island for music at a different pace.  O’Reilly’s bar was in full swing with a country band playing;

Next morning we go to breakfast at a Denny’s on the strip – I spent a lot of time in Denny’s when on my tour in 2017 as it was a great place to eat and have a good wi-fi connection;

Having only just finished breakfast and back to our room I get a phone call from Carl.  He and Suzie are only 20 mins away and are coming to pick us up for a tour of Red Rock Canyon.  That makes it a mad rush to get packed up as we are moving Hotels and Carl can drop us off later in the day.  The canyon is well worth a tour;

Carl decides he wants to show Helen a genuine bikers bar so we make our way to one that is hidden away and only the locals know about;

We spend 2 hours in the bar and have lunch there – burgers and fries.  Helen true to form had a glass of Chardonnay in an American Biker Bar whilst Carl, Suzie and I had a few beers.  It was real blast and a lot of fun.  Easily the best single day of our trip.

Carl drops us off at our new Hotel and its only 5 mins away from the Mandalay where our show is on.  The Hotel is ordinary but in a great location even though the area is rough – the new Raiders stadium is being built next door so I would expect that the old Hotel will be bulldozed in the near future;

Carl was a bit worried about where we were staying (we just wanted somewhere to throw our bags) and wanted me to have a lend of his firearm!

The Mandalay is a huge Hotel/Casino and its worth a look even if you don’t gamble;

The show we are seeing is ‘Michael Jackson 1’ performed by Cirque du Soleil and although its on just about daily gets sold out every time (it was on when I was here in 2017).  We get seated and the show starts at 7 and goes for 90 mins – it certainly did not disappoint and was sensational;

Breakfast next morning we head down to Hotel reception as a ‘continental’ breakfast is provided on weekends.  It actually turns out to be ok and the first real healthy one we have had for a while – plenty of fresh fruit, bagels and coffee (as long as you ignored the donuts, cakes and pastries).

I get a call from Carl and he is on his way to pick us up and drop us off at the bus station – he tells me that it’s no big deal as it is on the right side of town for him.  I can only hope that Carl and Suzie come out to Australia so we can return the hospitality.  There is a chance that we may also be able to catch up with them in Thailand next year if they go ahead with their trip.

Carl picks us up and drops us off at the bus station.  We are early but it gives me a chance to complete this blog with a few tips on Las Vegas;

• You don’t have to be a gambler to enjoy Las Vegas – we aren’t and had a ball
• All shows are a lot of fun but if you want to go to one of the big ones or a concert you will have to plan and book ahead to avoid missing out
• The smaller shows are a great experience as they are in smaller theatres and much more personal 
• I recommend to stay on the strip for at least a couple of nights to get the full Vegas night experience – it is very expensive and you will get charged a $37 resort fee (per night) as well as other taxes.  Staying just off the strip will save you a lot of money but you will not be ‘right’ in it
• You may not be staying in Ceasers Palace or the Venetian but there is nothing stopping you from hanging out in them.  Sitting in St. Marks square listening to classical music was a lot of fun
• If you do Hoover Dam then make sure you do the ‘Dam Tour’ as it is much better than the others – getting inside the Dam wall was great
• I have now been to Vegas 3 times and find that 4 – 5 nights is plenty.  Vegas is expensive and you churn through the money but you will be having the time of your life

Now for the bus to Los Angeles

 

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