It wasn’t the trip we had planned. Still, when the captain of the sailboat Maiatla II that we were supposed to crew on while we explored Belize’s Barrier Reef fell 10 feet and had emergency surgery to pin his ankle back, we thought we’d better make the most of a bad situation. After all, we already had our flights —nonrefundable, via Vegas.
Thankfully, Andrew Gunson would recover, but would we recover from our four days and three nights in Sin City?
Adriane and I boarded our flight for a quick painless flight to Las Vegas. The Strip is a short cab drive away and $29 took us and our luggage to the Sahara.
Everything went smoothly until we got to the check-in desk. “Sorry, we don’t have any such reservation here,” said the clerk.
Adriane searched in her emails for the confirmation number but to no avail. Just when things started getting desperate, she recalled that she had booked it under her company name.
Soon we were in our very comfortable suite with two queen beds, a beautiful bathroom with a waterfall shower and an amazing view from the 16th floor. Along with lighted floor-to-ceiling mirrors, a safe, and a mini fridge, it also had an office area set up – as if we were going to do any work here, I thought. But what the room didn’t have was a coffee maker. A coffee and tea in the morning would cost $17.
Knowing that the Canadian dollar exchange to the US dollar would be brutal we had packed some instant oatmeal and protein bars. After all any dollar saved would be a dollar to feed the hungry tables.
Have you ever made instant oatmeal using the overnight water method? Not for the faint of heart.
We had picked the Sahara because it was on the northern end of The Strip and a stop on the Las Vegas Monorail, but mostly because of the gym and heated outdoor pool which was critical to keeping those alcohol and carb calories down.
The Sahara still echoes its original African theme. But since its opening in the 1950s, it has endured many incarnations and renovations. We were tickled to think of the celebrities who performed at the Sahara, including the Rat Pack, and the Beatles who stayed there in 1964. Hmm, Any inspiration to the line “Will you still love me when I’m 64?”
We quickly understood that everything in a casino resort is designed to extract as much money as quickly as possible from the guests. Enticements and entertainment beckoned at every casino entrance and every path would take you on a circuitous route that would take you deep into the gambling arena while exits were cleverly disguised.
Before our first night ended we hurried to a Dole Whip pina colada and margarita from Uno Mas before it closed. We were not disappointed though I’d argue that drink could be classified as a meal.
A side dish of corn chips and a trio of melted cheese was just the nightcap and motivation needed to ensure a gym visit in the morning to do our penance.
The next morning we went to well-equipped gym. Spotting a boxing and speed bag, Adriane was inspired to do her impersonation of Rocky Balboa. Luckily she did not get two black eyes. But it was a close call.
Next, we hit the rooftop pool. It was December so it was the only one of four still open. The bar was closed and the cabanas were deserted. I could imagine the private parties that had taken place here.
Feeling fit and healthy we headed to the Stratosphere – now called the Strat, to take in the best view in Vegas.
This is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States, and at 1,149-foot-tall Observation Deck gives you a bird-eye view of the City.
For the thrill-seeker, there are rides, including the SkyJump. For the more tame tourist, there’s fine dining along with casual grub such as homemade chips and ice cream.
We didn’t see any daredevils when we were there but it was early in the day and I’d already had enough adventure walking there. A block in Vegas is misleading because of its mammoth size it tricks you into thinking it’s just a few minutes walk when it isn’t.
And then there are the vacant-eyed people we dodged who looked like they had cashed in their dreams long ago.
We stopped at the General Store to buy cheaper liquor as drinks were running at $17 US each but we discovered we couldn’t buy liquor without photo ID anywhere. Having decided walking around with passports was not a good idea earlier we came back not high but dry.
We gave up on that and a visit to The Noodle Bar soon had us in high spirits. Homemade noodles revived us and by 6 pm we were catching a taxi to Fremont Street.
The cabbie cheerily greeted us and asked if we were paying cash or credit. I said cash. “It will be cheaper that way,” he smiled.
The fare was $29. The meter hadn’t changed from when we got there. Nice I thought! A good way to save some money.
It was my sister’s first time on Fremont Street. This is a must-do when you are in Vegas.
Located in the heart of the Downtown casino corridor, Fremont Street is today, or was, the address for many famous casinos such as Binion’s Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Nugget
Known as Glitter Gulch, in 1994 construction of the Fremont Street Experience began. This is now a pedestrian mall covering five blocks. The main attraction is a canopy, 90 ft high at the peak and four blocks, or approximately 1,375 ft (419 m), in length that showcases light and music shows on the hour. Three stages are spread throughout the area, and vendors and street performers keep everyone entertained. As did that massive whisky Slurpee I was packing.Sadly I did not drink enough to entice me to go on the SlotZilla zip line. I have to save something for next time, right?
We strolled the five blocks watching the antics of the street performers. Showgirls and characters posing for photos, vendors, a Michael Jackson lookalike and even a dancing gorilla.
Despite the bright lights, it was a cold evening and my icy drink wasn’t helping so we we headed to a bright pink building promising sweets. If nothing else it was an excuse to sit down and warm up.
Pinkbox Doughnuts has been voted “Best Doughnuts in Las Vegas. Judging by the lineup, many agreed. I had the Raspberry Squeeze a raised shell donut rolled in sugar and filled with homemade raspberry jam.
Adriane’s Apple fritter just didn’t go with the whisky so I did what any overweight person would do. Dumped my drink for the donut.
As the evening wore more people started filling the street. The national rodeo finals were in town and that accounted for more than the usual number of cowboy hats and boots. It was getting cold and the streets were filling with more people as the evening wore on, so we headed back. This time – with meter running the cab ride only cost us $18. Ha, I realized my mistake. Lesson learned.
The next day dawned with us determined to catch a show.
Adriane had wanted to book the tickets before we left for Vegas, but I was confident that we would be able to get a good price if we waited until the final hours. We had heard about a kiosk called Tickets4Tonight and set out to find it. We headed to the monorail station to buy a pass. That part was relatively painless. The search for the ticket kiosk however would prove otherwise.
When you look at the map of the monorail, it doesn’t show you where exactly you get on or off and that’s because it’s a labyrinth of corridors that will always lead you through massive casinos with very poorly marked signs on purpose. (Or at least that is our story and we are sticking to it.) We had to stop several times and ask for directions to even exit the building. Never mind find the kiosk. After about 40 minutes of stumbling around the Venetian, we managed to find our way to the booth. Ironically, they were going for more than the website we had been on earlier.
So making an excuse to the vendor, we snuck to a quiet corner and booked tickets for Cirque du Soleil.
After admiring the architecture of the Venetian and feeling a little homesick for the beautiful Italian city, we had visited a few years ago, we took the monorail and headed towards Mandalay Bay to see the shark reef. The rail doesn’t go all the way, but we caught another connector.
But first, we needed to replenish ourselves with beer and carbs at the Irish Pub in New York, New York.
By the way, they had the best pretzels I had ever tasted.
Getting to the Mandalay Bay was an ordeal. But finding the elusive Shark Reef would prove to be impossible. It was a long torturous walk down long empty hallways that would at every corner when we were just about ready to give up, flash a sign or promise. Shark reef ahead. I had already lost sensation in my feet and my head was feeling woozy. We finally stood at the entranceway. $20 to get in and now we only had 45 minutes left before the show started. Defeated we caught a cab to Treasure Island Theatre.
Treasure Island had a unique water feature of battling pirate boats. The Sirens of TI show has been discontinued but the boats remain in their landlocked lagoon. Just itching for a rematch.
Sadly they lost the fight not for pirate booty but another search for gold — the expansion of 48,000 sq ft of retail space.
Finding the theatre was easy. We just followed the lineup getting beer and popcorn. I settled into my seat and took a long pull on the bottle then looked around with dismay. The $70 seats we bought should never have been on the market. We could only see the front end of the stage. What a huge disappointment.
Adriane was not to take that sitting down and off she went to see if we could upgrade our tickets. Because we bought tickets from a third party, the box office said they couldn’t do anything. We took matters into our own hands. When the lights dimmed we slid into the row of vacant front-line seats. Front of the house, baby!
Cirque du Soleil Mystère has been running for years. It’s part of a series of shows that have been a mainstay in Vegas for over 30 years. Shows include acrobatics, dance, music, and storytelling. The show was amazing and you simply can’t go to Vegas and not catch one!
We decided to brave the monorail one more time and catch it back to the Sahara. Now don’t get us wrong. We love the concept of the monorail. However, even though we downloaded the map and deep-dove their website there were no directions to getting to the stations. And even when we did spot the signs, just walking through massive 70,000 sq ft plus casinos clicked 14,000 steps on my poor feet daily. After 3 days I had a new hole in my sneakers and my big toe was a purple bruise. By the time we arrived back at the Sahara Adriane had developed a twitch and a disturbing laugh that sounded like a sob. So take a cab. But not one that asks if you will pay cash or credit.
We knew we needed to end our night at the Sahara’s cocktail bar. I vamoosed over to the bar and I was drawn to a young man looking intently into a small wooden box.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“They are smoking my cocktail,” he slurred.
I quickly ordered a second drink but this time smoked. A few minutes later cherry-wood smoker sat on my table. After a few minutes, I pulled it out and was amazed at the transformation.
From now on I’ll have some smoke with my whisky, please.
The Tangier serves classic cocktails and fabulous whisky and if you catch the special it’s a bargain at $10.
The next morning it was decided to skip the gym and head out to get our final meal. Chickie & Pete’s crab fries with cheesy dipping sauce. It sounded better than it was but once again loaded with carbs and fat, and a drink to boot we headed to the casino for our last dance with Lady Luck.
Adriane headed to the tables. In 5 minutes she was back. At $15 a hand, the tables were just too much fast company for these girls.
The time had come to say goodbye. As I took one last pull on the slot, I’d like to be able to tell you that the machine lit up, and silver streamed from its belly. That would make a great ending, but it didn’t happen.
We had spent four days and three nights in one of the most amazing cities in the world and had only lost $50 gambling. Come for the food. The shows. The spectacle. And you will leave a winner.
Viva Las Vegas we say.
