To say it right away: The part about losing in today's headline has nothing to do with gambling of any kind - although my father and I did gamble quite a bit in the last few days. In our case though, the losing started before we even went to Las Vegas and what was at stake was my dad's luggage. No casino was involved, although some airline's yield management-driven pricing may sometimes seem like gambling, and in the first case, there was a pick-up, namely: the bag arrived safely in Vegas two days after us - That was the private high stakes game for my dad - with more to come.
Arriving at the hotel made even him forget about his luggage for a moment, as the sight was truly amazing - never in my life (and I have been to quite a few hotels during my work in the travel industry and my trips - including some in Dubai) have I seen such crazy and overladen design as in the Bellagio. Colourful glass flowers as a ceiling and a check in desk that is about as long as an airport counter at Heathrow. This being my first Vegas resort, I was quite impressed - the feeling of excitement wears off if you have seen a few of them and gets replaced by a certain feeling of weariness and disenchantment. In fact, I feel that your mind becomes overwhelmed with so many new impressions that after a few days in Vegas you become indifferent to it's extravagancies.
But as a first impression, the overwhelming size of everything and the novelty kept us entertained on our first stroll around the strip and a visit to a few casinos. I feel that we have seen almost all main hotels on the strip in the last few days, including Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Luxor, Excalibur, the Bellagio, Cesar's Palace, the Mirage, the Venetian and Wynn. But to be completely honest, my favourite was in "old Vegas" and I liked the worn-out charme of this part a lot better than the huge assembly lines these hotels are. Everything there is planned and maximized to perfection by the most skilled architects, interior designers and of course hotel directors in the world, but it feels so impersonal if you check in with hundreds of other people waiting in-line at reception and everywhere else. Maybe this is why next time, I would prefer staying in Old Vegas - at the Golden Nugget. They have a slide that goes through a basin with sharks at their pool and their older and used look somehow gives them a certain aesthetic.
As everything is planned in Vegas and no minute is left idle you leave your sense of time at reception together with your credit card details. You don't need to leave your hotel as every resort is designed like a city of it's own with a lot of entertainment, shops, and restaurants. So let's take a look at what was my impression on those.
The best part: Entertainment. You have to give Vegas an A-plus for that. We have seen two shows. Cirque de Soleil's "O" and the charismatic, yet ageing David Copperfield. Both were stunning in their own way. "O" being my personal favourite with a plethora of performers putting together a show that consists of perfect control of their bodies and the use of a huge pool that can be opened and closed as well as made deeper and more shallow, even allowing them to dissappear under water, stay on oxygen tanks there just to reappear minutes later. I was never a fan of synchronised swimming, but in this form, I find it more than impressive. Maybe not as impressive as the mechanics behind the pool itself, but still. I feel like you can spend weeks seeing a great show every day before it becomes repetitive in Vegas.
Regarding shops, Vegas hits top marks too - whatever you will need, and mostly stuff that you do not need, but will be made believe that you do, you will get it there. Either in the stunning malls or in outlet centers - so if you prefer losing money on luxury brands rather than on the poker table, Vegas has got you covered there.
Now for my personal low light: Dining! The multitude of fine dining restaurants in Vegas is endless, with new ones opening literally every day. Every American and international chef from Michael Mina to Wolfgang Puck sells his name for restaurants here - some of them even for multiple ones. And we wanted to try some of Vegas' culinary pearls. To make it short: None of them impressed us. The service was mostly overwhelmingly eager, but underwhelming at making you feel like more than just a number. The food was decent, but nothing that showed a lot of creativity. And the prices were not justified by neither service nor food. Only upside: The restaurant designs are a real highlight and left my father with a lot of ideas for new venues. Plus I got Bavarian specialties (Obatzder) at the Las Vegas version of the Hofbräuhaus!
The nightclubs... I won't even get started here as I have probably been boring you enough already.
The best thing we did in Vegas: Take a helicopter out of town and fly to the Grand Canyon. It is a truly stunning site and makes all the resorts at the strip look small and insignificant. This was my personal highlight: A natural, rather than a man-made one, and I hope that I managed to capture some of it's magic in one of my pictures.
So let's finish off with my father's unusual Vegas losing streak, before I give you some pictures. On our last day in Vegas - his phone was gone and left us with a treasure hunt for the afternoon retracing our steps. He was lucky he had left it in a taxi. But after getting his things back two times (and no, he doesn't lose stuff that often usually), it finally happened. After our flight back to San Francisco was delayed, he had no chance but leaving his luggage and checking in without it. Even my marathon-worthy run from the baggage claim in one terminal to the check-in in another one did not help.
So remember: You don't need to buy a scrap card at one of those Ryanair flights to feel like every flight is a gamble. :) And even if it sounded differently: I am sure I will take another chance on Vegas sometime.
Casino at the Bellagio
Cirque de Soleil - O (no pictures in show)
Bellagio Lobby
Aria Waterfalls
Lion Cub at the MGM
Bellagio Fountains from our room
On the Strip
Fake Trevi Fountain at Ceasar's Palace
The Sky is always blue
Volcano Show at the Mirage
Volcano Show at the Mirage II
Las Vegas Collage
Freefall on Stratosphere Tower
Vegas at Night from Vdara
Good Morning, Las Vegas
Helicopters
Hoover Dam from the Heli
Me and the Canyon
Grand Canyon I
Grand Canyon II
Grand Canyon III
Grand Canyon IV
Our Helicopter
Finally I can wear my Aviator Glasses in Style
Stratosphere Tower
Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur from the air
Las Vegas Classic Games: Escort Flyer Memory
My Dad digging for some gold
Jellyfish at Mandalay Bay Aquarium
Big Fish
Feels like home
