The following column was first published on July 25, 1996:
Viva, Las Vegas! (the title of a 1964 Elvis Presley movie.)
A few years ago, thanks to the suggestion of pal Bob Mitchell, Hubby and I purchased a mini-vacation package to the Vegas World Hotel in Las Vegas. Because we did not have time to use the vacation during the time allowed, I wrote to the hotel, asking if we could extend the time limit for another year. My letter crossed paths with theirs saying that Vegas World would close at the end of January 1995 and would be completely renovated. We would then have one year from the time of reopening to use our vacation package. The hotel reopened as The Stratosphere at the end of April, and last week, Hubby and I boarded a plane for Las Vegas to take our vacation.
After a relatively bumpy flight, we arrived an hour later than expected, and finally got to our hotel just after midnight. The ride from the airport to our hotel, the farthest one up The Strip from the airport, was exciting, since all the lights were lit, showing The Strip in all its glitz. As we approached our hotel, we spotted its most outstanding feature, a tower similar to Seattle’s Space Needle, but taller. From the hotel’s brochure, we discovered that our tower was more than 100 stories tall, the highest structure west of the Mississippi.
The first night, we flopped into bed, since it was 12:30 a.m. Vegas time, 3:30 a.m. Boston time. The next morning, we cashed in our vacation credits and received “play” chips, which could not be redeemed for cash. Some were designated for Keno, a very difficult game to win, so we lost that money in short order. The rest of the chips were for use at the game tables. Hubby used half of the play money one night at a “craps” table and lost that money. The following night, he had better luck and made money in redeemable chips.
Also on the first day, we took one of the elevators at the hotel up to the 104th floor, where we went outside to the observation platform. What a view we had of The Strip and the surrounding area all the way to the mountains! Since the temperature had already reached 100 degrees, we beat a hasty retreat into the indoor observation platform, where it was cool. There were also three wedding chapels and a revolving restaurant at this level. Above us was a roller coaster, which was 909 feet about the ground, and which traveled for 865 feet at a 32-degree angle, with no visible side supports. Being chicken, we decided against that ride. Above the roller coaster was a ride called the “Big Shot,” which pulled riders up 160 feet, then let them drop. Again, our good sense prevailed, and we passed on that ride also.
The rest of our time in Vegas was spent going in and out of all of the famous casinos and hotels: the MGM Grand, the Luxor, the Sahara, the Aladdin, and Bally’s. We did not have time to visit the beautiful Monte Carlo, Caesar’s Palace, or Circus, Circus. As we walked up and down The Strip, we kept going into stores and hotels to escape the heat. What we noticed was that there were no sofas or chairs on which to sit in any of the hotels. There is a reason: They want you to sit at a slot machine and spend money. We found nickel game machines in all of the hotels and casinos. In one, we even found dime machines. I prefer poker machines, because at least you have a chance of winning by playing the right cards. With regular slot machines, it is just pure luck, which we had sadly misplaced, for the most part, while in Vegas. I did get 40 nickels back once during our stay, but it came about when I hit a wrong button on a machine and still won.
We were only in Vegas for two nights, so we didn’t see too many shows. We did, however, make reservations for King Arthur’s Tournament at The Excalibur. Tickets included the medieval feast along with the show. As the dinners were served, we were amazed to receive a whole chicken (even though small), one-half of a baked potato, a serving of broccoli, and a roll. Cream of chicken soup was served in bowls with handles. For dessert, we were given a small apple tart. All had to be eaten without utensils, like we had done at Bunratty Castle in Ireland. In our mugs, unlike in Ireland where we were served mead, the waiter poured Pepsi or Diet Pepsi.
Then the show began. Merlin came out and had each section of the audience cheer for a designated knight on horseback. Our knight was from Aquitaine. We shouted Merlin’s favorite term “Huzzar” and banged the tables with our hands to cheer on our knight. Each of the seven knights went through a jousting segment, then “attacked” the other knights with swords and flails. The knights were good horsemen, and so were the several trick riders who came out to entertain the crowd. At the end of the evening, we were treated to a medieval wedding, complete with ladies-in-waiting. The evil black knight was sent flying in defeat, with Merlin’s lightning bolt setting his back afire (via small fireworks in his cloak).
Because the mercury hovered around the 115-degree mark, we decided to go to the pool at The Stratosphere. The unusual feature of this pool was that it was on the 24th floor. With the extreme temps, I hurried into the water. Hubby took his time getting in, first looking over the walls of the pool area to see the view, a spectacular one all the way to the mountains.
If you’re worried about the cost of a Las Vegas vacation, you need not be concerned about the cost of restaurants. Most hotels have buffets at very low cost. At the Sahara, across from our hotel, we had breakfast for $2.49, lunch for $3.49, and dinner for $5.49. We also ate dinner at the Aladdin, a better buffet at a slightly higher cost. At the McDonald’s in the MGM Grand Hotel, two cheeseburgers, two small fries, and two sodas came to a little over $4. The buffet prices are kept low so that you will come, eat, and drop more than a few dollars into the slot machines before you leave.
On our last day, we just went into several of the hotels to see their spectacular themes. Built like a pyramid, The Luxor was amazing. We marveled at the way the rooms were laid out, built against the sides of the pyramid. Hubby noted, however, that the middle of the pyramid was a big waste of space. We did notice that the hotel was building a “regular” hotel behind the pyramid. From the top of The Luxor shines a bright beacon of light. (We heard that the beacon, at first, bothered pilots as they flew into Vegas.) Here are some thoughts and helpful hints from our trip to Vegas. Hubby and I decided against wearing fancy shoes when we discovered that our old shoes and socks protected our feet from the hot pavement. (My sandals stayed in a plastic bag in my suitcase.) As we were told by the Munroes, no one dresses up in Vegas, especially in the summer. Also, be prepared to walk and walk and walk in this town. Even inside the hotels, especially the MGM, it was a hike to get to the food court to get a cup of coffee or a cold drink.
All the time we were in Vegas, we watched CNN to keep up on Hurricane Bertha. We were amazed to see the CNN correspondent out in the middle of the winds and rains. We never thought that Bertha would affect our arrival in Boston, but as we flew into our great city, we descended through hundreds of feet of clouds. The rain from Bertha, when we arrived home early Saturday morning, was not as heavy as it was later in the day, so our landing was as terrific as our flight had been. (Our flight out to Vegas on Tuesday night was quite bumpy for about five minutes.) As we came through the gate, we were met by Daughter Sue holding a “McDonough” sign. As we came closer, she turned the card over to show us the other side: “Vinnie and Babs”, the affectionate names that her friends have for us. Home we came where our feline princess Abbey welcomed us with open paws and never left my side all day. After taking showers, (with Abbey waiting on the other side of the shower curtain,) Hubby and I flopped into bed, exhausted from our red-eye flight home, with Abbey resting at my feet. Daughter Sue also headed back to bed, not used to getting up so early on a Saturday.
