Out on the Razzle in Las Vegas

For pure, indulgent fun there are few destinations that offer the rich variety of things to see and do that Las Vegas does! It's a treat for all of the senses. From the constant symphony of slot machine songs, to the dazzling flashes of multi-colored lights, to the smells and tastes of thousands of culinary delights, there is never a dull moment in this town.

A friend of mine and I ventured to Las Vegas for five days of self-indulgence, knowing not much more than "Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". Thankfully, the city is forgiving to the uninitiated - there are plenty of people willing to help you decide where to dine, shop, gamble, and be entertained. However, the flip side to that coin is that you can become very overwhelmed with the amount of choice you have for each decision you make - from the moment you wake to the moment your head hits the pillow.

Five days in Vegas. Five amazing dinners, lunches, and breakfasts. If only there were more meals in the day so that we could have explored more restaurants. Five action-packed days of sight-seeing and fun - not enough. Five days to see if Lady Luck was on our side...

Quick Tips:

My best advice is to constantly be aware of your budget and how much you've spent. With slot machines at every corner tempting you, it's easy to lose track of where you stand.

Another tip, don't be afraid to venture out from your base of operation. Whichever hotel you stay at is sure to have a variety of restaurants, shows, shops and games, and it would be easy for the whole trip to pass by without venturing outside your hotel's four walls. However, each hotel offers unique experiences that are worth exploring.

Take advantage of Player Cards! Every hotel chain offers membership to their player's club and it's well worth the five minutes it takes to sign up for an account. Some cards allow immediate discounts in addition to the points you accumulate while gambling. And, depending on how much you spend, you may just get "comped" a free dinner, a free night's hotel stay, or free show tickets. And, you'll be sent special offers in the mail long after your stay - so if you plan to return to Vegas again the card will definitely pay off in savings.

Best Way To Get Around:

We used a rental car to get around and driving from one hotel to the other down the Strip was for the most part painless. Many hotels offered free valet parking.

However, the monorail was also convenient for some jaunts, and we heard that commuting by taxi was relatively inexpensive and hassle-free as well.

We didn't choose Bally's per se, the accommodations were part of a package deal that we arranged. We chose the package based soley on price and the central location of Bally's on the Strip.

We had a spacious room with two queen sized beds, a couch, TV, dresser, end tables - the usual hotel amenities. The room was clean and well decorated, if not somewhat dated. Bally's is one of the older hotels on the strip and with new hotels going up and renovations happening everywhere, the rooms weren't the latest and greatest that Vegas had to offer at the time of our trip.

Like most hotels in Vegas, Bally's is a large property. Pay close attention to your surroundings because if you're inclined to have a drink or two you might find it a bit confusing finding your way back to your room at the end of the night.

The slot machines at this hotel weren't the "loosest" machines in town, but paid out at a reasonable rate. And while the waitresses would always bring a free drink upon request, unless you're a big tipper they didn't come back too frequently. The hotel staff were all friendly, accommodating and helpful.

The show Jubilee is the main attraction at Bally's and has been for several years. Although it didn't appeal to us, so we didn't bother going to see it. Judging from the advertisements throughout the hotel, it looked like the quintessential "show-girl" review.

If you're looking for comfortable, reasonably priced accommodations, and are more interested in venturing out than sticking around the hotel then Bally's is a decent choice. Especially for it's central location on the Strip.

My friend and I visited the Flamingo's Paradise Garden Buffet for breakfast/brunch at the recommendation of a friend and we were so impressed that we started every day of our trip there, fueling up for each day's adventures.

For about $15.95 the buffet offers a huge selection of delicious cuisine. For breakfast you can expect all of the regular breakfast fare, including a variety of styles of egg, pancakes, waffles, french toast, home fries, bacon, ham, etc. They also have healthier, lighter choices including a wide variety of fruits, garden salads, bagels, lox, cold pastas, and the like.

There were two chefs preparing eggs to order. If you prefer whites only, a particular style of egg, or an omelet made just to your liking then take the extra couple of minutes to have the chef prepare your eggs.

Maybe it's because this buffet is always packed (there is often a long line-up to get in, but it moves relatively quickly) but the food turnover is quick and the food always tasted fresh.

Many of the seats at the buffet overlooked the Flamingo's Wildlife Habitat. Just out the window you can watch a variety of ducks, flamingos, penguins, and other fowl.

The buffet at the Bellagio boasts more exotic, higher end selections. It had a wide variety of culinary styles to offer from Asian to Italian - all of which were hot and relatively tasty. The selection of desserts was more impressive than their entrées.

If you're a seafood lover, you could certainly get your fill having plate after plate of crab legs. That being said, the seating was a little cramped and our dirty dishes weren't removed from the table very efficiently.

Although we had heard great things about this Buffet, and we had a pretty good experience, I would rather try somewhere else next time instead of coming back to the buffet at Bellagio.

"1 Year, 1 Million Visitors - None Eaten... Yet" is what our ticket to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay boasted. Four years later, I'm sure a few million more have visited this attraction - hopefully all without having a bite taken out of them.

My friend and I took the monorail to Mandalay Bay for the sole purpose of visiting the Shark Reef. Once in the hotel, the Reef is tucked away in a far corner that takes quite a while to walk to. Upon arriving, there was a queue to get in, but finally we paid our $15 or so and were given our wands for the auditory commentary of the exhibits.

The aquarium exhibits weren't extraordinary - in fact they were a bit dull. After having visited the aquarium at Sydney Harbour though, most aquariums pale in comparison. However, the stand out point about the Shark Reef was their open pool where you could touch the dangerous creatures inside. The pool had baby sharks, sting rays and horseshoe crabs. It was amusing to see that many people there were afraid to actually touch the animals, but I figured it had to be safe or they wouldn't have been able to get liability insurance!

It's quite possible to zoom through the exhibit in about 10 minutes, however if you take your time and listen to the auditory component of the exhibit you can stretch it to 30-45 minutes. If you've yet to see a shark exhibit, this would be a good starting point. If you've visited aquariums at Sea World in various other cities though, you might find this one boring.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at the Shark Reef and found that it was a worthwhile way to spend a bit of your vacation time. I would recommended it to those who haven't been. Definitely not somewhere I would go back to on return trips to Vegas.

Although I was dragged to this attraction by a die-hard Trek fan, I must admit is was a fun afternoon excursion. The Star Trek Experience was a total-immersion experience into the world that Gene Roddenberry created in the '60s.

At the time of our visit, there was only one ride at Star Trek: The Experience, and this was the Klingon Encounter. Upon entering the site you are wound through a path filled on either side by Star Trek memorabilia from both the movies and the various television series.

From there, you are beamed aboard the bridge of the Enterprise. There is some interaction with crew members and then you are taken on a shuttle ride. Those with heart conditions or other health concerns are warned to not partake in the shuttle ride and have an alternative exit if required. For those that remain, the shuttle ride is an plunge into the world of Star Trek with jolts and surges and excitement all lead by Lieutenant Commander LaForge and Commander Riker

After the ride you are lead out to a shopping area, 'the promenade', that boasts a wide variety of collectibles for purchase. You can also grab a drink at Quark's Bar and Restaurant.

On the drive home from the Hoover Dam my friend and I happened upon a small helicopter tour company that was offering 20 minute rides over Lake Mead. It didn't take us long to figure out that the $40-$50 ticket would be worth much more than 20 minutes or less in front of a slot machine so we opted to take a ride.

We arrived there late in the afternoon and there was another gentleman waiting to take a ride as well. The tour operator wanted to wait awhile to see if more people would show up, and after 10-15 minutes decided he'd kept us waiting long enough and prepared us for the ride. I'm sure they try to fill the helicopter to capacity for each run so be prepared for wait times unless you're in an appropriately sized group.

We were up in the air quickly and soon flying over the deep blue waters of the lake. From our vantage point we could see some of the lake activities going on - like boating and jet skiing. There were some properties in view, but mostly it was a striking contrast between blue waters and rugged earth.

The ride sadly felt shorter than it was. If it were my choice I could have stayed up there for hours. However, we were brought back to the ground and given some exiting instructions. "Don't turn to the left on exiting" - which evidently would lead you to danger and dismemberment. Naturally I found myself turning left despite the instruction as the ride was a little bit disorienting, however a staff member of the tour company was there to turn me around and keep me safe.

There is nothing like seeing the wonders of mother nature from the sky. While we really enjoyed our ride over Lake Mead, we thought about how much more thrilling a ride over the Grand Canyon would be and plan to do that instead next time. But, considering the whole experience was made on a whim by a simple turn off the road, we were very happy with our decision to go.

The Grand Canyon is a 6 hour road trip from the Las Vegas Strip. We elected to take the historic Route 66 to get to this natural wonder. Unfortunately though, there were no kicks on Route 66. It only added travel time to an already long journey. My recommendation would be to take the faster highway instead and spend more time at the Canyon.

Once at the Grand Canyon it took awhile to find parking and get ourselves oriented. It was, however, well worth the travel time and parking hassles. The view was spectacular and we were fortunate to be there on a comfortable, clear day.

I would strongly recommend purchasing the special panoramic style disposable cameras to capture the sights. It's hard to take in the majestic views with a traditional camera. Better yet - capture the experience with a camcorder. I really wish I had one with me.

Oh, to have had the money to take a helicopter flight over the canyon - or a hike down into the canyon, or a trail ride through its depths... Will have to plan that for next time!

We made the relatively short road trip from the Las Vegas Strip to the Hoover Dam at the Nevada-Arizona border on a sunny, warm, summer day. We arrived mid-afternoon and elected for the "Hard Hat" tour for $25. It was preferable for us because you got to see more of the inner-workings of the dam and received a souvenir hard hat to take home with you.

The tour was quite long and well worth the entrance fee. Our knowledgeable tour guide left no question unanswered as he lead us up, down and all around the Dam, constantly reminding us to have a swig of water so as not to dehydrate. He was also patient, letting us stop and take pictures.

Viewing the almost 730 vertical feet of concrete was awe-inspiring. Just thinking of the work force it took to create this man-made wonder was mind-boggling - especially since it was constructed during the Great Depression era.

Our guide assured us that contrary to popular myth, there were no bodies buried in the structure, although there were deaths attributed to the construction. In addition to that, he had a wealth of statistics for us ranging from volumes of materials used, dimensions, timeframes, etc. It was a true spectacle of human ingenuity. Especially next to the majestic natural beauty of the Colorado River.

We took pictures at every turn of the renowned art deco architecture of the site as well as the cliff faces, river and the Dam itself. However, you'll find later that it's hard to capture a unique photograph of the site. When comparing photos later at home, my friend and I quickly saw that we had all the same shots.

Crossing over the Nevada-Arizona border by foot at the top of the Dam, it was fun to think that with one step you were in a different time zone.

Sadly, I'm told that they no longer offer the "Hard Hat" tour due to potential security risks since 9/11. However, I'm sure that the new, less expensive, less extensive tour is still worth the trip to the Hoover Dam. The Dam is open for tours from about 9am to 6pm.