 |
| Vegas Trip-Shawn |
Showing posts with label vegas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegas. Show all posts
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I swear! only 2 more posts!
This one is the promised post about dealing with delayed flights from Chicago. (the last one will be a link to all of Shawn's pictures from the trip)
For our return flight from Vegas we were supposed to be taking off at 345pm. Because I'm neurotic, I said "you know, we should probably leave the hotel by about 1245." I don't know why I said this. It only takes 15 minutes, by taxi, to get to the airport from just about anywhere on the strip. Anyhow, we got to the airport and got checked in by like 130.
Right before we got in the security line, we checked the departures board.
All the United flights to Denver (except ours) were delayed. By more than an hour.
By the time we got through security and to our gate, our flight had been delayed an hour. Since the United Flight to Denver right before ours was also delayed, and was now projected to be leaving at 3pm, we went ahead and put ourselves on the standby list. This is when we found out all of the United flights were delayed because of inclement weather in Chicago. (DAMN YOU CHICAGO!)
Somehow we managed to get on that flight ,though of course we couldn't sit next to each other. Instead I got to sit with two ex-fratboys-now-turned-chiropractors. Yeah...that was fun.
We land in Denver, and get to our regularly scheduled flight from Denver to Austin. As soon as we show up, the gate keeper picks up his intercom and calls us up to the desk. We get up there and ask, "did you just call us?" And with great disappointment in his voice he says,"oh...you guys made it."
This is when we learned they had overbooked the flight from Denver to Austin. Again. Yes, United has the really bad habit of horribly overbooking this particular flight. But of course, maybe it works because by the time we were boarding they were reading off their huge list of standbys that made it on...Actually I think the only person that didn't get on the flight was some guy who was obviously drunk...or stoned...or both.
Anyhow, next time we take United from Denver to Austin, we're going to take them up on their offer of "switch to Frontier and get a free flight to anywhere in the continental US!"
For our return flight from Vegas we were supposed to be taking off at 345pm. Because I'm neurotic, I said "you know, we should probably leave the hotel by about 1245." I don't know why I said this. It only takes 15 minutes, by taxi, to get to the airport from just about anywhere on the strip. Anyhow, we got to the airport and got checked in by like 130.
Right before we got in the security line, we checked the departures board.
All the United flights to Denver (except ours) were delayed. By more than an hour.
By the time we got through security and to our gate, our flight had been delayed an hour. Since the United Flight to Denver right before ours was also delayed, and was now projected to be leaving at 3pm, we went ahead and put ourselves on the standby list. This is when we found out all of the United flights were delayed because of inclement weather in Chicago. (DAMN YOU CHICAGO!)
Somehow we managed to get on that flight ,though of course we couldn't sit next to each other. Instead I got to sit with two ex-fratboys-now-turned-chiropractors. Yeah...that was fun.
We land in Denver, and get to our regularly scheduled flight from Denver to Austin. As soon as we show up, the gate keeper picks up his intercom and calls us up to the desk. We get up there and ask, "did you just call us?" And with great disappointment in his voice he says,"oh...you guys made it."
This is when we learned they had overbooked the flight from Denver to Austin. Again. Yes, United has the really bad habit of horribly overbooking this particular flight. But of course, maybe it works because by the time we were boarding they were reading off their huge list of standbys that made it on...Actually I think the only person that didn't get on the flight was some guy who was obviously drunk...or stoned...or both.
Anyhow, next time we take United from Denver to Austin, we're going to take them up on their offer of "switch to Frontier and get a free flight to anywhere in the continental US!"
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Part of Vegas is not for Children
And that is the part where you walk on the street.
That is because there are people making minimum wage handing out cards for 'strippers'. These cards are pretty graphic. The people handing out the cards do not hand them to children, and they rarely will hand them to women, but the problem is that as soon as some guys grab one of the cards, they look at it, their eyes bug out, and then they immediately drop it and subsequently rub their hand on their shirt or pants. As if the 5-second rule also works for things you pick up--"I only held it for 3 seconds, that means I didn't really take one!" Of course this now means that instead of these cards being in someone's hand, or in the trash, they are all over the sidewalk.
And this is what makes Vegas not for kids.
When we were walking back from the Bellagio Fountains, we were walking behind a family. Parents with two small girls (small being in the 6-8 range--old enough to walk and keep up with mom and dad).
The dad told the daughter he was holding hands with, "Look up at the sky! don't look at the ground!" Which, of course, for a 6-yr-old is easier said than done. One, they're close to the ground. Two, they probably don't have this walking without watching where they're going thing under control yet. Three, it doesn't help much that your dad, who is leading you around by the hand, forgets that you're not supposed to be watching where you're going so he keeps leading you into fence posts and whatnot.
That is because there are people making minimum wage handing out cards for 'strippers'. These cards are pretty graphic. The people handing out the cards do not hand them to children, and they rarely will hand them to women, but the problem is that as soon as some guys grab one of the cards, they look at it, their eyes bug out, and then they immediately drop it and subsequently rub their hand on their shirt or pants. As if the 5-second rule also works for things you pick up--"I only held it for 3 seconds, that means I didn't really take one!" Of course this now means that instead of these cards being in someone's hand, or in the trash, they are all over the sidewalk.
And this is what makes Vegas not for kids.
When we were walking back from the Bellagio Fountains, we were walking behind a family. Parents with two small girls (small being in the 6-8 range--old enough to walk and keep up with mom and dad).
The dad told the daughter he was holding hands with, "Look up at the sky! don't look at the ground!" Which, of course, for a 6-yr-old is easier said than done. One, they're close to the ground. Two, they probably don't have this walking without watching where they're going thing under control yet. Three, it doesn't help much that your dad, who is leading you around by the hand, forgets that you're not supposed to be watching where you're going so he keeps leading you into fence posts and whatnot.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Entertainment: The suggestions
Things I would recommend doing/seeing while in Vegas (some are free, some are for a fee):
The Aquarium at Mandalay Bay ($15 a few years ago--but they have sea turtles, thus it is worth every penny. If you go later at night, then there's not nearly as many people there to get in the way.)
Tournament of Kings at Excalibur (dinner and entertainment)
Lions at the MGM Grand (free)
Food Court at New York, New York (free)
Lost City at Planet Hollywood (free)
Village Buffet at Paris
Fountains at the Bellagio (free)
Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio (free)
Art Museum at the Bellagio ($18, so make sure it's something you want to see--when I went for my 21st birthday it was Czar Nicholas II collection, this last time it was contemporary painters of America)
Shops at Caesar's (or just wandering around searching for all the statues--they have a life size replica of Michaelangelo's David--free)
Volcano at the Mirage (free)
Dolphins at the Mirage (back in the day they had 'cheap days' where you got to see the dolphins, but not the Secret Garden. It was $10 cheaper and seeing the tigers and lions was actually pretty boring...so if they still have that deal, do just the dolphins)
Sirens of TI show (free)
Shops at the Venetian (and I'm still waiting to go on a Gondola ride--shopping is free, gondola rides are like $15...but usually a 75 minute wait)
Blue Man Group at the Venetian
See a Cirque Show (Alegria at TI, Ka at the MGM, O at the Bellagio, Love at the Mirage, or Zumanity at New York, New York)
Television City at MGM if you're looking to kill about an hour.
The Aquarium at Mandalay Bay ($15 a few years ago--but they have sea turtles, thus it is worth every penny. If you go later at night, then there's not nearly as many people there to get in the way.)
Tournament of Kings at Excalibur (dinner and entertainment)
Lions at the MGM Grand (free)
Food Court at New York, New York (free)
Lost City at Planet Hollywood (free)
Village Buffet at Paris
Fountains at the Bellagio (free)
Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio (free)
Art Museum at the Bellagio ($18, so make sure it's something you want to see--when I went for my 21st birthday it was Czar Nicholas II collection, this last time it was contemporary painters of America)
Shops at Caesar's (or just wandering around searching for all the statues--they have a life size replica of Michaelangelo's David--free)
Volcano at the Mirage (free)
Dolphins at the Mirage (back in the day they had 'cheap days' where you got to see the dolphins, but not the Secret Garden. It was $10 cheaper and seeing the tigers and lions was actually pretty boring...so if they still have that deal, do just the dolphins)
Sirens of TI show (free)
Shops at the Venetian (and I'm still waiting to go on a Gondola ride--shopping is free, gondola rides are like $15...but usually a 75 minute wait)
Blue Man Group at the Venetian
See a Cirque Show (Alegria at TI, Ka at the MGM, O at the Bellagio, Love at the Mirage, or Zumanity at New York, New York)
Television City at MGM if you're looking to kill about an hour.
The Entertainment: The free
Of course, in Vegas there is always the FREE entertainment and then there is always the entertainment that you pay for. This is about the free entertainment.
Most of the casinos are entertainment in, and of, themselves. And you don't even have to pay for anything.
For example: New York, New York has the 'downtown' food court where it's almost like you're walking around in New York (well, except for all the muggers and the trash and what not). The MGM has the Lion Habitat where you can watch the lions. Planet Hollywood has the mall (as does Caesar's).
Anyhow, places/things we did to entertain ourselves that did not include spending money:
MGM Lion Habitat--I think we stopped here every day at least to just watch the lions for a while
New York, New York food court area--we ate lunch the first day here.
Planet Hollywood Mall
Planet Hollywood 'Lost City' and thunderstorm
Planet Hollywood free entertainment by acrobats (buskers)
Bellagio Fountains
Bellagio seasonal floral display (year of the rat)
statues at Caesar's, Bellagio, Paris
The Shoppes at Caesar's
Sirens of TI show
and we tried to check out the White Tiger Habitat at the Mirage, but it was closed in November of last year.
and finally Television City at the MGM where you watch a TV show that hasn't aired on US television yet so you rate it, and it helps the TV execs decide if the show gets aired or not. I have a feeling that Moonlight and Aliens in America are two shows that got the greenlight because of Television City. Furthermore, since they're always looking for reviewers, you can watch like 3 different shows if you want. After you watch the show, you fill out a survey and they give you coupons to use at the MGM for food (10% off at the CBS store, 2 for 1 at Nathan's Hotdogs, 2 for 1 at Haagen Daas, $3 off at Starbucks, 2 for 1 at some pretzel shop in NY, NY across the street, and a free appetizer at the Rainforest Cafe)
Of course we walked everywhere. The only times we didn't walk was when we were driving to/from the airport.
In the past, I've also gone to the Venetian, the Flamingo Habitat at the Flamingo, wandered around the Luxor (which they're apparently getting rid of the Egyptian theme), watched the Mirage Volcano and went to the Fremont Street Experience.
All things to do for free.
Who says you have to spend money to be entertained in Vegas?
Most of the casinos are entertainment in, and of, themselves. And you don't even have to pay for anything.
For example: New York, New York has the 'downtown' food court where it's almost like you're walking around in New York (well, except for all the muggers and the trash and what not). The MGM has the Lion Habitat where you can watch the lions. Planet Hollywood has the mall (as does Caesar's).
Anyhow, places/things we did to entertain ourselves that did not include spending money:
MGM Lion Habitat--I think we stopped here every day at least to just watch the lions for a while
New York, New York food court area--we ate lunch the first day here.
Planet Hollywood Mall
Planet Hollywood 'Lost City' and thunderstorm
Planet Hollywood free entertainment by acrobats (buskers)
Bellagio Fountains
Bellagio seasonal floral display (year of the rat)
statues at Caesar's, Bellagio, Paris
The Shoppes at Caesar's
Sirens of TI show
and we tried to check out the White Tiger Habitat at the Mirage, but it was closed in November of last year.
and finally Television City at the MGM where you watch a TV show that hasn't aired on US television yet so you rate it, and it helps the TV execs decide if the show gets aired or not. I have a feeling that Moonlight and Aliens in America are two shows that got the greenlight because of Television City. Furthermore, since they're always looking for reviewers, you can watch like 3 different shows if you want. After you watch the show, you fill out a survey and they give you coupons to use at the MGM for food (10% off at the CBS store, 2 for 1 at Nathan's Hotdogs, 2 for 1 at Haagen Daas, $3 off at Starbucks, 2 for 1 at some pretzel shop in NY, NY across the street, and a free appetizer at the Rainforest Cafe)
Of course we walked everywhere. The only times we didn't walk was when we were driving to/from the airport.
In the past, I've also gone to the Venetian, the Flamingo Habitat at the Flamingo, wandered around the Luxor (which they're apparently getting rid of the Egyptian theme), watched the Mirage Volcano and went to the Fremont Street Experience.
All things to do for free.
Who says you have to spend money to be entertained in Vegas?
The Entertainment: The paid.
Of course, in Vegas there is always the FREE entertainment and then there is always the entertainment that you pay for. This is about the entertainment that we paid for (aside from the buskers--I paid a dollar, but they were raising money for habitat for humanity).
We went and saw Ka by Cirque du Soleil.
Production-wise the show kicked ass. For those that don't know, Ka is performed on a stage that floats, twists, spins, goes vertical, goes horizontal, and sometimes isn't even there.
'Cirque'-wise, the show was very 'meh'. There was really only one act that seemed to push the realm of what the human body can do.
We sat in the back of the theater (there was only one row behind us), but for the most part we could see everything and it wasn't a problem. The only time when I would have liked to be closer would have been during the beginning fight scenes as from where we sat it was pretty boring. And I think a lot of it was because we weren't close enough to see all the sword and staff work.
I would suggest seeing it, especially if you haven't ever seen any Cirque Show. If you have seen a Cirque show, know that this isn't going to be the same type of thing--prepare to be entertained, but not necessarily wowed.
We went and saw Ka by Cirque du Soleil.
Production-wise the show kicked ass. For those that don't know, Ka is performed on a stage that floats, twists, spins, goes vertical, goes horizontal, and sometimes isn't even there.
'Cirque'-wise, the show was very 'meh'. There was really only one act that seemed to push the realm of what the human body can do.
We sat in the back of the theater (there was only one row behind us), but for the most part we could see everything and it wasn't a problem. The only time when I would have liked to be closer would have been during the beginning fight scenes as from where we sat it was pretty boring. And I think a lot of it was because we weren't close enough to see all the sword and staff work.
I would suggest seeing it, especially if you haven't ever seen any Cirque Show. If you have seen a Cirque show, know that this isn't going to be the same type of thing--prepare to be entertained, but not necessarily wowed.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Hotel: Post 2 of 2
Here is a layout of the hotel/casino:
We stayed in Tower 2 (upper right hand corner), and the strip was at the lower left. It was approximately 1/4 mile to walk from our hotel room to the strip. Each day, we ended up walking more than 6 miles. Of course, if we weren't the type to go walking up and down the strip, then it wouldn't have been as much.
Now then, for those of you who have been to Vegas, you know that none of the strip hotels offer an inclusive breakfast. And the food is expensive. My only suggestion is to go to the buffet during their 'breakfast' time. Mostly because if you time it right, you end up being there when they put out the lunch food as well. However, Shawn and I did not care for the breakfast buffet at the MGM Grand. I can't really put my finger on what we didn't like (Shawn would say they did the Eggs Benedict all wrong), but I'm glad we only paid $15/person (breakfast) instead of $18 (brunch price).
Suggestion: Go to the Paris brunch instead. It's about $10 more per person, but it's well worth it.
We also ate at Wolfgang Puck's (the pink/blue rectangle in the lower left). It was the best restaurant spaghetti I've ever had. Shawn ordered the eggplant calzone and it was as big as his head. No joke. The people next to us were asking if there was any way he could eat it all. He did eat it all. Even though we could have taken left overs back to our room (since we had a fridge and a microwave), we were to be going to Ka that night and we timed it just right so we got in without having to wait in a line (thus having left overs, and walking all the way back to the room, would have taken forever).
Suggestion: Eat here. This place is actually really cheap for the fact that it's a restaurant by a world-renowned restaurateur ($18 for the spaghetti, $15 for the calzone), and it was dinner time. The wait was about 30 minutes and we didn't have reservations.
On our last day, we ate at the Wichcraft (a sandwhich shop--closer to our end of the hotel). I had a $9.75 BLT. I've had much better BLTs for a fraction of the price. I don't remember what Shawn got, but after getting chips and a drink, the final bill was $30.
Suggestion: Skip it. The sandwiches are good, but they're not worth the $10 they have you pay. Though they are definitely large enough to split one sandwich between 2 people. They try to pass off that getting chips and a drink is cheaper than getting them separate, but they're not. All sodas were $3.
We stayed in Tower 2 (upper right hand corner), and the strip was at the lower left. It was approximately 1/4 mile to walk from our hotel room to the strip. Each day, we ended up walking more than 6 miles. Of course, if we weren't the type to go walking up and down the strip, then it wouldn't have been as much.Now then, for those of you who have been to Vegas, you know that none of the strip hotels offer an inclusive breakfast. And the food is expensive. My only suggestion is to go to the buffet during their 'breakfast' time. Mostly because if you time it right, you end up being there when they put out the lunch food as well. However, Shawn and I did not care for the breakfast buffet at the MGM Grand. I can't really put my finger on what we didn't like (Shawn would say they did the Eggs Benedict all wrong), but I'm glad we only paid $15/person (breakfast) instead of $18 (brunch price).
Suggestion: Go to the Paris brunch instead. It's about $10 more per person, but it's well worth it.
We also ate at Wolfgang Puck's (the pink/blue rectangle in the lower left). It was the best restaurant spaghetti I've ever had. Shawn ordered the eggplant calzone and it was as big as his head. No joke. The people next to us were asking if there was any way he could eat it all. He did eat it all. Even though we could have taken left overs back to our room (since we had a fridge and a microwave), we were to be going to Ka that night and we timed it just right so we got in without having to wait in a line (thus having left overs, and walking all the way back to the room, would have taken forever).
Suggestion: Eat here. This place is actually really cheap for the fact that it's a restaurant by a world-renowned restaurateur ($18 for the spaghetti, $15 for the calzone), and it was dinner time. The wait was about 30 minutes and we didn't have reservations.
On our last day, we ate at the Wichcraft (a sandwhich shop--closer to our end of the hotel). I had a $9.75 BLT. I've had much better BLTs for a fraction of the price. I don't remember what Shawn got, but after getting chips and a drink, the final bill was $30.
Suggestion: Skip it. The sandwiches are good, but they're not worth the $10 they have you pay. Though they are definitely large enough to split one sandwich between 2 people. They try to pass off that getting chips and a drink is cheaper than getting them separate, but they're not. All sodas were $3.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Pictures
The good pictures from the trip (from my new digital SLR Canon Rebel). I probably took about 150...most at the Bellagio fountain.
 |
| Vegas Trip |
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Hotel (post 1 of 2)
(The Signature: Tower 2 at MGM Grand)
The view ain't much,
But the room sure kicked ass.
Memory Foam king sized bed, kitchenette, internet access, flat panel LCD TV, complimentary bottled water and newspaper delivery.
Whirlpool bathtub, granite floor and counter top, his and hers sinks, bathrobes for each of us, toilet paper that had "MGM Grand: Signature" pressed into it, and a water heater that was so good, I swear you could get boiling water from the faucets.Shawn decided we HAD to take a bath since he'd never been in a hotel with a bathtub with jets...too bad he tried to boil us in the water.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)