California Dreaming: Las Vegas

Leg 3: Viva Las Vegas

After being mesmerized by Tahoe, it was with much reluctance that we packed our bags and took the longest drive of our lives to Vegas. It was over 10 hours of empty desert land on a single-laned road, flying along at 110 mph. Occasionally, a trailer would pass by on the other side and the car would shake so violently we had to grab the steering so tight till our knuckles turned white. It was also somewhere in the Nevada desert that I got chased down by a sneaky highway patrol trooper and slapped with a speeding ticket for $120. Nice. I attempted to charm my way out of it but the trooper looked kinda like this and I think he was unfazed.

Driving into the city of blinding lights late at night was pretty awesome. Everything was screaming for attention. With the neon lights so bright it leaves your head spinning for days, it was the city that never sleeps. At close to midnight, the Strip was alive with a flurry of activity and the rush of adrenaline was enough to draw our exhausted, beaten bodies out for a quick stroll. There was so much excitement in the air that it was hard to be tired in Vegas.

We got a comped upgrade to the honeymoon suite at the Renaissance (thanks to some eyelid-batting and a twenty), which was absolutely magnificent. The room totally speaks for itself. We were so torn between wanting to camp out in the room for the 3 days and devouring every inch Vegas. We ended up choosing the latter, but the room put up a a tough fight, I tell you.

Exploring the strip took us an entire day. We walked all the way from Mandalay Bay to Circus Circus and back again, soaking in the sights and sounds. It was a non-stop visual spectacle and we felt like we had taken a trip around the world in 12 hours. There was the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Sphinx, Safari, Pirates, Caesar and my personal favorite, the Bellagio fountains. In true touristy fashion, we stood outside the fountains in rapt amazement for a full 30 minutes as it danced to Andrea Bocelli.

We couldn’t leave Vegas without watching a production and it was a toss up between Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, Elton John and David Copperfield. According to the husband, we could catch concerts anytime back home, so we shelled out $300 for a pair of Copperfield tics. I hate to say this, but the king of magic was way past his prime. It was a painful 90 minutes watching the poor guy rehash old tricks, trying to recapture his former glory while Elton John was singing his heart out a few doors down. I caught the concert on Star World after we came back and it was superb. Indulgent, no doubt, but plenty of sing-along fun.

On our last night, we wrapped up Vegas with a comedy show at the Riviera Hotel Comedy Club. It looked a little dingy, so we didn’t know what to expect, but all 3 stand up comedians brought their A game and we were in stitches the entire time.

I wouldn’t say Vegas is the most romantic place in the world. A little too in-your-face for my liking, but it was fun while it lasted. We contemplated getting married again in one of the chapels just for kicks so I could tell my grandkids we eloped and got married dressed up like Elvis. It would totally up our coolness factor, or make us look like complete idiots. Either way, it’s the stuff stories are made of.