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cassy_gWell, I am back from Las Vegas, land of a billion blinky lights!
Now, for those that don't know this, there is a side of me that tends to be rather cat... ok, kitten-like, cats are too grown up. Everything shiny, sparkly or moving tends to grab my attention. If you have never been on the strip, or even in a casino (our hotel wasn't on the strip, but of course it had a casino in it!) everything, I mean everything is shiny, sparkly and moving! I could barely move two feet without something else grabbing my attention and pulling me towards it!
Thankfully,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
astralfire is very good at herding cats.
We got to the airport in time, despite me leaving the house almost an hour late! Marta was packed full (thanks to it being rush hour). Got to the plane in plenty of time, suprisingly since security is so much more complicated these days.
Got to be in first class round trip this year! I had some flight vouchers from another trip that were about to expire, so I bumped me andastralfire up. Very comfy there in first class, plenty of leg room and quieter. I have no idea what I am going to do next year! I think I will miss those plush leather seats!
In any case, the flight was really long, I think a little more than four hours going out there, but we got there safe and sound. John and Brenda had rented a car for the weekend, and we hung out with them most of the weekend. After we landed, we went to get the car.
This was a completely different experience than I was use to. We loaded onto a shuttle bus that took us to a place that equated to a huge car lot full of cars. The shuttle drops you off and there is a sign that says, pick the car you want and then drive through. Ok, so we find an attendent to help us pick the largest car available since off and on there were going to be up to six of us at a time. We picked up a new Impala, and drove up to the check out window and off we went.
We, of course, had to drive down the strip a couple of times before we went to check into the hotel. At this point I am oo-ing and ah-ing, because everything is blinking! :D By the time we got to the hotel it was around 10:30pm. Went and got something to eat, and was up in the room by around midnight. Of course, that doesn't sound too bad, but then you have to remember, I had been up since 6:00 am EST, and it was now 3:00 am EST. I was exhausted!
Unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep until almost 3:00 am (Las Vegas time), and I had to be up and ready for a meeting by 8:00 am. Of course, I was up by 6:30 am. I really hate how hard it is for me to get a night's sleep in a strange place. On the up note, I was ready on time for the meeting!
I can't really talk about the meeting as it was confidential, but I can say it was very productive. So, yay us!
Got out of the meeting around 2:30ish pm, and John, Brenda,astralfire and I headed over to the Hilton for the Star Trek Experience. We didn't actually make it on the Star Trek Experience Ride, but we did get to have a (late) lunch at Quark's Restaurant and Bar! It was incredible! The waiters were actually in Klingon and Borg costumes, I mean with full make-up and everything! And here's the real surprise, the food tasted really good! Their gift shop had some interesting little things, like teddy bears with the Klingon turtle heads, and Borg-bears. Overall, a very fun and cool place!
Then we headed over to the Stratosphere and up to the top, a mere 109 stories (that's around 1100 feet) above the city! And right at dusk, so I got some beautiful shots of the sun setting behind the mountains.
We weren't there long before we had to head back to the hotel since everyone was meeting to have dinner together. We got back just in time to drop everything off and meet everyone. Because we had eaten so late though, I really wasn't that hungry, and even though we'd planned to go out after dinner, I opted to go back to the room and go to bed. I think I was sound asleep by 10:00 pm.
Let me just say, that kind of blew. I hated being so tired knowing how short my time in Las Vegas was going to be, but I also know that it's better to sleep when you need it. I had a couple of extra pillows sent up to the room, and even though I didn't sleep great, I did sleep better until around 6:00 am.
Yep, you guessed it! Just in time for me to get up and get ready for my 8:00 am meeting.
Fortunately, it too went very well, which meant that we got done by 1:00 pm! YAY!
Then we loaded up in the Impala and headed out to Hoover Dam. I don't think that anyone can accurately describe the awe you feel when you look at something like the Hoover Dam. It's absolutely monsterous, and seeing anything that big, and knowing it was built the way it was, and when it was... it's just kind of astonishing. Not to mention, when it was first built, they estimated that it would last around 1000 years. One thousand years. Now, recent studies have placed that at closer to 2500-3000 years. That's three millennia. In a way, the Hoover Dam is like our version of the pyramids. It will be here long after the rest of us have become dust, and there will be people looking at it, marveling that it's still standing. What can I say, morally, I hate the Dam, but as a member of the human race, it's still very... *wow*.
After that, we headed back to Las Vegas, and went to New York, New York, then to MGM and on to M&Ms World, and World of Coke. We walked around New York, New York for a while. It was really beautiful, and let me say for the record, no one in Las Vegas does anything small - at least not that I could tell. It was really amazing, to see a city inside a building like that. We only kind of breezed through MGM that night because we were headed to M&Ms World, where if you ever dreamed of anything M&M it was there!
Then we had to head back to the hotel for dinner - the steakhouse in the hotel. The prime rib was delicious, absolutely delicious. Of course, we had the unfortunate luck of being seated next to a group of obnoxious Chicago Cubs fans. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care if the Braves won, or lost, but these people were a wee bit intoxicated, and I have found that as the level of alcohol in the blood goes up, the level of intelligence goes down - at least when it comes to sports fans when their team is involved.
After that,astralfire and I headed back out to the strip with Cat (no, not drcat - I just know a lot of Cats!), her mother, John and Brenda.
First on our stop was the Luxor, which for those of you that don't know, is a giant pyramid with a sphinx in front and everything. Being a huge fan of Egyptian mythology, art, and architecture, I was happy as a lark. Inside was spectacular. There's so much detail in the place - well in most of the hotels. So, there were a lot of oo-s and ah-s at least from me.
After the Luxor, we headed to Paris, at least I suppose that's the name of the hotel. It's the one with the one quarter scale model of the Eiffel Tower. Inside there was a recreation of a French street. It was amazing - ok I am saying that alot, but it is amazing. The roof was painted to look like a bright day with a few fluffy clouds. Even though it was pitch black night outside, it felt like a clear day and was so beautiful.
After that, we went over to the Bellagio, unfortunately, we never got inside the Bellagio, but we did get to see the dancing water! Yes, I know that sounds odd, but that's what it is. They play music and the giant pond in front of it (and I say giant because the Bellagio takes up what I think is the equivalent of two full city blocks in Atlanta) and they have water fountains that they control the water flow through to make it look like the water is dancing to the music. Most spectacular and cool!
By then it was midnight, so we all headed back to the hotel. I was really tired, but couldn't fall asleep right away. Eventually I did get to sleep after watching what the people in Las Vegas call the news...
astralfire and I got up pretty early, we were going to head over to the strip via the shuttles and do some shopping. Of course, the shuttles didn't even start to run until 9:30 am. Instead we headed over there around 9:00 am with John and Brenda. We went to see Excalibur, since we hadn't gotten to the night before, did a little shopping and headed by the Lion Exhibit in MGM before going back to the car and getting ready to come back home.
There was still a ton of stuff that we never got to see, like the Mirage (with the unfortunate accident with Rory it was surrounded almost constantly), didn't get to Treasure Island (the show there was closed anyway, since they are restructuring it), no Ceasar's Palace, or inside the Bellagio - well there are so many places to go there.
Even the flight home was pleasant, and shorter than the flight out there. Not sure why, but it was, probably something to do with the rotation of the earth. We were home by 10:30 pm last evening. Then we stayed up and watched the video tape I had made with my brother until around 1:00 am then I went to bed.
All in all a great place, wonderful to visit, would love to go back, but definately not a place I could stand to live.
Of course, with the very productive meetings, it means I have a ton of stuff to take care of now! This is a very good thing, even if it means me being a busy bee.
Now, for those that don't know this, there is a side of me that tends to be rather cat... ok, kitten-like, cats are too grown up. Everything shiny, sparkly or moving tends to grab my attention. If you have never been on the strip, or even in a casino (our hotel wasn't on the strip, but of course it had a casino in it!) everything, I mean everything is shiny, sparkly and moving! I could barely move two feet without something else grabbing my attention and pulling me towards it!
Thankfully,
astralfire is very good at herding cats.We got to the airport in time, despite me leaving the house almost an hour late! Marta was packed full (thanks to it being rush hour). Got to the plane in plenty of time, suprisingly since security is so much more complicated these days.
Got to be in first class round trip this year! I had some flight vouchers from another trip that were about to expire, so I bumped me and
astralfire up. Very comfy there in first class, plenty of leg room and quieter. I have no idea what I am going to do next year! I think I will miss those plush leather seats!In any case, the flight was really long, I think a little more than four hours going out there, but we got there safe and sound. John and Brenda had rented a car for the weekend, and we hung out with them most of the weekend. After we landed, we went to get the car.
This was a completely different experience than I was use to. We loaded onto a shuttle bus that took us to a place that equated to a huge car lot full of cars. The shuttle drops you off and there is a sign that says, pick the car you want and then drive through. Ok, so we find an attendent to help us pick the largest car available since off and on there were going to be up to six of us at a time. We picked up a new Impala, and drove up to the check out window and off we went.
We, of course, had to drive down the strip a couple of times before we went to check into the hotel. At this point I am oo-ing and ah-ing, because everything is blinking! :D By the time we got to the hotel it was around 10:30pm. Went and got something to eat, and was up in the room by around midnight. Of course, that doesn't sound too bad, but then you have to remember, I had been up since 6:00 am EST, and it was now 3:00 am EST. I was exhausted!
Unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep until almost 3:00 am (Las Vegas time), and I had to be up and ready for a meeting by 8:00 am. Of course, I was up by 6:30 am. I really hate how hard it is for me to get a night's sleep in a strange place. On the up note, I was ready on time for the meeting!
I can't really talk about the meeting as it was confidential, but I can say it was very productive. So, yay us!
Got out of the meeting around 2:30ish pm, and John, Brenda,
astralfire and I headed over to the Hilton for the Star Trek Experience. We didn't actually make it on the Star Trek Experience Ride, but we did get to have a (late) lunch at Quark's Restaurant and Bar! It was incredible! The waiters were actually in Klingon and Borg costumes, I mean with full make-up and everything! And here's the real surprise, the food tasted really good! Their gift shop had some interesting little things, like teddy bears with the Klingon turtle heads, and Borg-bears. Overall, a very fun and cool place!Then we headed over to the Stratosphere and up to the top, a mere 109 stories (that's around 1100 feet) above the city! And right at dusk, so I got some beautiful shots of the sun setting behind the mountains.
We weren't there long before we had to head back to the hotel since everyone was meeting to have dinner together. We got back just in time to drop everything off and meet everyone. Because we had eaten so late though, I really wasn't that hungry, and even though we'd planned to go out after dinner, I opted to go back to the room and go to bed. I think I was sound asleep by 10:00 pm.
Let me just say, that kind of blew. I hated being so tired knowing how short my time in Las Vegas was going to be, but I also know that it's better to sleep when you need it. I had a couple of extra pillows sent up to the room, and even though I didn't sleep great, I did sleep better until around 6:00 am.
Yep, you guessed it! Just in time for me to get up and get ready for my 8:00 am meeting.
Fortunately, it too went very well, which meant that we got done by 1:00 pm! YAY!
Then we loaded up in the Impala and headed out to Hoover Dam. I don't think that anyone can accurately describe the awe you feel when you look at something like the Hoover Dam. It's absolutely monsterous, and seeing anything that big, and knowing it was built the way it was, and when it was... it's just kind of astonishing. Not to mention, when it was first built, they estimated that it would last around 1000 years. One thousand years. Now, recent studies have placed that at closer to 2500-3000 years. That's three millennia. In a way, the Hoover Dam is like our version of the pyramids. It will be here long after the rest of us have become dust, and there will be people looking at it, marveling that it's still standing. What can I say, morally, I hate the Dam, but as a member of the human race, it's still very... *wow*.
After that, we headed back to Las Vegas, and went to New York, New York, then to MGM and on to M&Ms World, and World of Coke. We walked around New York, New York for a while. It was really beautiful, and let me say for the record, no one in Las Vegas does anything small - at least not that I could tell. It was really amazing, to see a city inside a building like that. We only kind of breezed through MGM that night because we were headed to M&Ms World, where if you ever dreamed of anything M&M it was there!
Then we had to head back to the hotel for dinner - the steakhouse in the hotel. The prime rib was delicious, absolutely delicious. Of course, we had the unfortunate luck of being seated next to a group of obnoxious Chicago Cubs fans. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care if the Braves won, or lost, but these people were a wee bit intoxicated, and I have found that as the level of alcohol in the blood goes up, the level of intelligence goes down - at least when it comes to sports fans when their team is involved.
After that,
astralfire and I headed back out to the strip with Cat (no, not drcat - I just know a lot of Cats!), her mother, John and Brenda.First on our stop was the Luxor, which for those of you that don't know, is a giant pyramid with a sphinx in front and everything. Being a huge fan of Egyptian mythology, art, and architecture, I was happy as a lark. Inside was spectacular. There's so much detail in the place - well in most of the hotels. So, there were a lot of oo-s and ah-s at least from me.
After the Luxor, we headed to Paris, at least I suppose that's the name of the hotel. It's the one with the one quarter scale model of the Eiffel Tower. Inside there was a recreation of a French street. It was amazing - ok I am saying that alot, but it is amazing. The roof was painted to look like a bright day with a few fluffy clouds. Even though it was pitch black night outside, it felt like a clear day and was so beautiful.
After that, we went over to the Bellagio, unfortunately, we never got inside the Bellagio, but we did get to see the dancing water! Yes, I know that sounds odd, but that's what it is. They play music and the giant pond in front of it (and I say giant because the Bellagio takes up what I think is the equivalent of two full city blocks in Atlanta) and they have water fountains that they control the water flow through to make it look like the water is dancing to the music. Most spectacular and cool!
By then it was midnight, so we all headed back to the hotel. I was really tired, but couldn't fall asleep right away. Eventually I did get to sleep after watching what the people in Las Vegas call the news...
astralfire and I got up pretty early, we were going to head over to the strip via the shuttles and do some shopping. Of course, the shuttles didn't even start to run until 9:30 am. Instead we headed over there around 9:00 am with John and Brenda. We went to see Excalibur, since we hadn't gotten to the night before, did a little shopping and headed by the Lion Exhibit in MGM before going back to the car and getting ready to come back home. There was still a ton of stuff that we never got to see, like the Mirage (with the unfortunate accident with Rory it was surrounded almost constantly), didn't get to Treasure Island (the show there was closed anyway, since they are restructuring it), no Ceasar's Palace, or inside the Bellagio - well there are so many places to go there.
Even the flight home was pleasant, and shorter than the flight out there. Not sure why, but it was, probably something to do with the rotation of the earth. We were home by 10:30 pm last evening. Then we stayed up and watched the video tape I had made with my brother until around 1:00 am then I went to bed.
All in all a great place, wonderful to visit, would love to go back, but definately not a place I could stand to live.
Of course, with the very productive meetings, it means I have a ton of stuff to take care of now! This is a very good thing, even if it means me being a busy bee.
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 08:13 pm (UTC)I wish I could have gone to some of the shows there! Specifically, O and Zumanity, both by Cirque de Soliel (and I think I spelled that wrong). Zumanity is a 18+ show, and from the commercials that were playing for it, it seemed like a drop dead killer hot show!
If you get the chance to go, I say, do it! There's more to that town than gambling. :D
no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 08:14 pm (UTC)I am sorry that you are going to be gone so much, but I am glad you have a job. Would you please smile once and a while? You are fabulous and you seem so sad in your new icon!
Maybe around or just after Halloween we can do something about the j-pop/anime/japanese food thing!
no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 08:16 pm (UTC)It's funny... when you fly into Las Vegas you can see lights for miles. Everything is flat, ordered and bright. It's really beautiful, but when we were coming home Monday night, I realized that there's nothing like flying into Atlanta. It's haphazard, chaotic, the hills and trees block some lights and show you some you wouldn't have otherwise seen, but too me, it's far more beautiful - it's art.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 08:07 pm (UTC)I was promptly booted out.
Hoover Dam sounds amazing.
And I've always wondered what the electricity bill is for that town. : )
no subject
Date: 2003-10-07 08:21 pm (UTC)LOL I understand, the slots are very pretty to look at! And now there are so many different kinds of games, it was really amazing. Ok, I need a new word, I am working the hell out of "amazing".
Hoover Dam was really phenominal (heh and amazing too), and I wonder about the actual bill for Las Vegas too, but from what they said, the Dam's electric output was almost a second thought. They built it to control the flooding down in the valleys, and to pump water to the outlaying areas so they could grow things. They decided to produce the electricity just so they could pay off the Dam. They still focus more on the water control than they do electricity. I guess for them, the electric production is like a happy coincidence. :)
By the way, I know you must be going crazy getting ready for your wedding, if there's anything I can do to help you out, please let me know. Even if it's just running to pick something up, or deliver something so you don't have to, I will be more than happy to do so.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-09 02:20 pm (UTC)BTW, if you still want some weight training info, call me!
no subject
Date: 2003-10-08 09:45 pm (UTC)"We didn't actually make it on the Star Trek Experience Ride"
Bummer. Next time you hit Vegas you have to make sure you do it next time. It's way fun. Even the walk to the ride is fabu. It's set up to look like the inside of the NG Enterprise ship.
"we did get to have a (late) lunch at Quark's Restaurant and Bar!"
Did you try their Ractagino? Mmm.