Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The Vac Continues

I haven't had internet access since last Thursday, but it has felt like forever. Our hotel in Las Vegas did not offer wireless connection. But then I did not have my laptop with me anyway, so same difference I guess. I just stumbled on an internet cafe here in Miami though, which is where I am blogging from now.

My vacation has been a lot of fun. I haven't done much lazing around and instead, I have spent a fair amount of time in airports and on planes. While I used to get really excited by flying when I was younger, now I often wish there were some way to step through a door and be transported to my destination instantaneously. Any journey is usually half the fun and so I try to take that approach and use the time to catch up on my reading. However, I am one of those people who cannot stay awake in a moving vehicle of any sort. On most flights I have taken in my life, I am usually dead to the world before we even take off. So, unfortunately I have not made as much progress with Half of a Yellow Sun as I would have liked.

Las Vegas, for those who haven't visited, is just like it appears on TV - loud, colourful and decadent (though, of course I didn't really experience that side of it). The main draws are the hotels and casinos, and each hotel tries to outshine the others in terms of eye-catching design. The Bellagio is a pretty simple design, but features water fountain shows every half-hour. The lobby is simply breath-taking with glass-cut flowers on the ceiling. The Bellagio also has a conservatory with flower arrangements that change each season. When we were there, staff were working on the winter arrangement. The Bellagio was my favourite and I want to stay there when next I visit.

The Wynn Hotel had a wonderful light display on its grounds - of course you only see this at night. Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand just look so opulent. The Luxor is a pyramid, I think. We didn't get the chance to visit. The Venetian was where my friends and I saw The Phantom of the Opera and that was incredibly plush. What really took my breath away was the theatre, where we watched the show. I wonder if it was built specially for Phantom, because there is a part of the show when the chandalier comes crashing down almost onto the audience's heads.

Las Vegas was cold though. I was not expecting it to be quite so cold. However, I was just happy to be in the setting of another of my favourite shows, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I know they shoot most of their scenes in Hollywood, but I was still half-hoping to run into members of the cast. Ah well!

I did see Hulk Hogan at the airport yesterday, while waiting for the shuttle. The lady manning the booth asked me if I saw who just walked past. What? Who? Where?, I thought. Then I saw him walking away and, well, Hulk Hogan is as distinctive from behind as he is from the front.

I'll write more about Miami tomorrow. I'm tired and it's a bit of a walk back to my hotel.

4 comments:

Gbemi's Piece said...

It's so nice that you get to visit these wonderful places. Vegas is one of my favorite cities. The food, the shows (Celine was great!), the hotels, the shopping, the nightlife, the scammers, the people... there's nowhere else like it in the world. I usually stay at the Venetian when I'm in Vegas but eat at different hotels to experience a little bit of everything. I'll say this much, breakfast at Cafe Bellagio is a must - did you see the lines right outside the Conservatory? The buffet at the Wynn is ridiculous (I usually don't do buffets), go around 11-ish and pay for breakfast (much cheaper than lunch) and by 11:30, they bring out their lunch fare - just excellent for an el-cheapo like myself!!! Finally, if you drink, Patio Daddy-o is my favorite whole in the wall. They have a drink called the Hurricane which is illegal in 49 States. I just LOVE Vegas!

Gbemi's Piece said...

I meant to say "hole" in the wall not whole. I'm obviously delirious thinking about Vegas.

adefunke said...

OMG! I LOVE Phantom of the Opera, I can sing the whole thing by heart. I haven't seen the movie, I am one of those people who think Micheal Crawford is the one and only Phantom.

Ore said...

I loved the musisc from Phantom of the Opera. I knew some of the songs, but listening to a CD cannot possibly come close to hearing it sung in the theatre. That's right, Micheal Crawford was the original phantom. I totally forgot about that and having seen the show, cannot imagine him playing a character with such a dark side. Well, I guess that's what actors do - they act.

Gbemi, wow, you are certainly no stranger to Vegas. Now I have more things to try next time I visit.