Lots of Slots and More

This is our third trip to Vegas. Obviously we like the place. This trip served as a decompression chamber between the slow pace and warm temperatures of Maui and the frantic normal pace of home and its snow and icy weather. We had three goals in Vegas, adjust to the time zone change, eat well and play the slots. With the prodding of my locally based nephew and the hotel concierge we managed to find a few other things to do, too. (For information about the foodie places check out my journal "Vegas Victuals".) We enjoy the glitz and large than life aspect of Vegas. What a contrast from the mellow Maui glow we had. And what a contrast from the Iowa landscape we would return to which was coated in whites and grays.

We relied on the nephew, taxi drivers and shuttles for transportation. Of course we hoofed it a little. Our timeshare was a short block from the Miracle Mile entrance to Planet Hollywood, an easy walk in 85-degree weather. That’s right they were having a November heat wave, so our plans to gradually adjust to temperature change from Maui to Iowa were dashed.

During our visit Las Vegas was suffering from a sudden halt to their building boom. The landscape was studded with construction cranes. Unfortunately a lot of them were inactive. It left a strange sci-fi ghost town feel to the city. Casinos suffered from a decline in tourism. We did notice that most of the gambling action was at the slots. Rows and rows of gaming tables sat empty. Things picked up a little on Friday, but the weekdays were dead. We were super cautious about spending this trip due to the recent upheavals in the economy. I did little shopping and we decided to not go to any shows. Ticket prices have gotten outrageous compared to similar shows at home. My apologies to Vegas for not single handedly spurring their economy. I know Vegas will adapt/survive and we look forward to a return visit.

The Carriage House at 105 E. Harmon is a quiet non-casino condo/hotel. This is our second stay as a timeshare exchange. This time we had a one-bedroom unit. It had a comfortable king-size bed with plenty of closet and drawer space. The living room was subdued, with good reading lights and an excellent TV. The dining table is a bit small for our needs since it had to double as a desk. The kitchen is huge. It had one big empty corner. Perhaps the addition of pantry shelves would be appropriate. Or better yet…donate that space to the bathroom, which is way too small. Actually the bathroom has a roomy walk-in shower, but the vanity is extremely small. We were on the west side of the building and with a wall-to-wall window in both the bedroom and living room we had a view of some of the Strip. Unfortunately since The Carriage House was built a lot more high-rise construction has gone on in the neighborhood. Three years ago, we could see the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. Now, you saw an odd shape apparently clinging to the side of another building that with the use of your imagination did look like the Eiffel Tower. The Carriage House has few amenities. One is a popular swimming pool. Tennis courts are above a parking area, but I never saw them in use. Another popular amenity is laundry facilities on each floor. I requested a room near them and that came in handy for between loads dashes back and forth. The staff was accommodating in other ways. Our arrival from the airport was hours before check-in time. The desk clerk checked our luggage into a locked room. The lobby was being refurbished and during our stay there was no furniture in place. That was a little awkward, as we had told friends to meet us in the lobby. A grocery shopping service is available, either shop for you or take you to a store. There were some vending machines off the lobby and on the back patio. We used the concierge service to book a tour. She was also available to help with show tickets. There is no pantry shop, but there is one in the neighboring Marriot Tower. Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile shopping are across the street and a block west. MGM Grand is a long block south out of the back door. If you don’t mind long walks you are close enough to The Strip to find plenty to do. We take taxis. The front desk clerk flips on street side call-light and within a few minutes a cab rolls in to pick you up. We did also use the airport shuttle service. If you drive into town, there are plenty of parking spots for no extra fee. On this trip we did notice the addition of a rent-a-cop that patrolled the grounds. I know there are many more luxurious and glitzy places to stay in Vegas. We find The Carriage House to be comfortable and the employees are accommodating. Just wish they had a coffee shop.

Time after time I hear people say they go to Vegas, but they don’t gamble. Ok for them…but that is not our story. We like the slot machines, not just any slot machines, but the ones with lots of graphics and bonus rounds. I guess it’s a carryover from computer games. Our favorites were All That Glitters and Da Vinci’s Diamonds which has great bonus round music. We set a budget per day, per person and stick with it. We are such amateurs; we stick with the penny machines and play 9-21 lines for more excitement. We each have a different technique. Bill finds a game he likes and stays with it. I bounce around, cashing out after a good bonus and moving on. This week my theory beat his and I took home enough to pay the co-pay on my knee surgery. How is that for a health care plan? (I don’t recommend this, stick with Blue Cross.) Win or loose, we enjoy playing the game and never spend more that what our ‘entertainment budget’ can tolerate. This trip we found the slots were tight at Paris, NYNY, and Luxor. They were loose at Bally’s, MGM, Mandalay Bay and Planet Hollywood.

We loved the atmosphere at Paris, with the painted sky ceilings and streetlights and the streets of Paris theme. Great food here, too. Luxor was very confusing as they were in a stage of renovation. We had agreed to meet at Starbucks on the atrium level, but had a hard time finding a functioning escalator. I do love the Egyptian theme; they have done a consistent laudable job of decorating. New York, New York had been my favorite casino on our last trip due to the atmosphere. I was greatly disappointed to find they had done away with the trees and bridge that represented Central Park. They still have a great bakery, so all is forgiven. Planet Hollywood had also been renovated from the former Aladdin Casino. To be frank about it except for a gigantic color changing light ball, there is nothing to say about the décor here. They do have a good variety of slots and with the adjacent Miracle Mile they have a winning combination of food and shops. Bally’s is vast and is decorated like a casino, what can I say, kind of ordinary. Then you step out to the corridor connecting Bally’s to Paris and are treated to one of the most beautiful leaded glass domes I have ever seen. MGM is another huge casino with a minimalist-decorating theme. For excitement if you run out of gambling money you could count the lion logos. We did get to see the lion show at the Lion Habitat this trip. There were two lion handlers and two lions on display. One lion handler was carrying around a well-chewed green plastic ball, not much of a defense, but perhaps a distraction. Bill saw the other lion handler get swiped at by one of the beasts. My favorite casino this trip was Mandalay Bay. We had never been there before. I was impressed with the acres of machines, multiple restaurant choices and Southeastern Asian plantation style décor. I was not favorably impressed with the high cost of touring their Shark Reef tank. We had just come from Maui and the Maui Ocean Center was a much better deal.

We used the free monorail between Mandalay Bay and Luxor, the skywalk between MGM and NYNY. I went out by myself one day and walked from MGM to the Showcase Mall in search of Ethel M chocolates. Three stories of M&M products dwarfed the Ethel M display. I was the only person looking at them and I observed the boxes were dusty. (Who knows how old they were?) The clerk told me I could buy a better variety at the airport, and that’s what I did. Yum…Ethel M’s lemon centers are the best. I also walked down to the Hawaiian Market and I can find nothing good to say about this place. Cheap, tacky, junky junk. Well, I guess I found something to say about it.

What I like about the casinos in Vegas is the variety. We have many more to try-out. I see a return trip in the future.

Step back in time and see what originally attracted life to this part of the desert. It was a natural spring that first encouraged the growth of plants; they together attracted animals and then man. Man was followed by developers and neon sign salesmen and chorus girls.

This is a wonderful museum with many hands-on features, demonstrations, docents to answer questions, hiking trails and a garden of native delights. The purpose of the museum is to reveal the natural history of the desert and to encourage the use of native materials, plants and ‘green’ energy sources. My nephew, a Las Vegas resident insisted we take the time away from the casinos to visit Springs Preserve. I was impressed immediately with the architecture and the beautiful nature inspired sculptures. First we watched an orientation film at the ORI-Gen Experience. Next we entered the geological and biological history exhibit. Besides learning about the critters that inhabit this unfriendly environment, we witnessed the power of a flash flood. Moving outdoors we saw how Native Americans lived in the area. Moving back indoors we learned about the arrival in earnest of settlers, railroads and developers. In the section called New Frontiers we had the chance to play games that taught us about conservation. We happen to hit a day with few other visitors, but I can imagine how this area would delight school kids and their parents/chaperones.

There were more buildings and education areas in the Desert Living Center. We stopped at the Nature Exchange and learned how that works. Kids (of all ages) are encouraged to bring in their nature finds and exchange them for points to be used toward taking home another treasure. For example: trade in seedpods from a native plant and pick up a seashell from the "bank" of treasures. Nifty idea.

Next we moved on to the Gardens. I was reminded of our visit to Ethel M Factory and Garden. Both gardens have outstanding collections of cacti. This garden also has workshops, lectures and an on site docent. The docent, a Master Gardener, was willing to help you learn how to establish native plants in your own yard/garden. He would be available for follow up.

After a morning of learning and walking we were ready for a break. Springs Preserve thought of that, too. Wolfgang Puck has a café here that showcases organic ingredients from regional growers. We ate indoors, but there was a deck overlooking the complex that was available for a taste of fresh desert air. In the same building is a gift shop with a wide range of items. They appeal to kids and adults, casual shoppers and serious art collectors or decorators. Nevada residents get a price break on the entrance fee. For the rest of us Adults = $19, Seniors = $17, Students 18+ = $17, Children 5-17 = $11, Children under 5 are no charge. The Springs Preserve is located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd, Las Vegas, NV. Plan on spending half a day here.

On our last trip this large shopping area was called the Spice Market and carried out the theme of the adjoining casino/hotel The Aladdin. Now the casino/hotel has been transformed into Planet Hollywood. The formerly Arabic Moorish style décor has given way to undulating metal panels and bold colors and simple geometric shapes. (I fail to see how that reflects Hollywood, but they didn’t hire me as the decorator). Consequently Miracle Mile is now a very strange combination of the two styles. During our visit we were well aware of the transition in progress as most of the restrooms were closed for remodeling. Awkward…very awkward. They have retained some of the Spice Market draws such as the indoor rainstorm that occurs every half hour on the weekends and hourly during the week. We also saw that they haven’t tampered with Merchant Harbor Coffee House.

Moving on to what is good about the Miracle Mile…the shops and restaurants. My very favorite store is the Sur La Table. Bill’s very favorite store was the Nestle Toll House Café. In between the two are a lot of clothing stores, jewelry stores and specialty gift shops. It is fun to browse. The one store I had visited on a previous trip and couldn’t find this time was The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store. That could have been an oversight on my part. I could have missed it during our furtive search for the relocated restrooms. And back to that subject, we found the easiest rest rooms to find were in the casino. They are always operational because management prefers you don’t leave the casino!

There are dozens of food opportunities at the Miracle Mile. They range from Trader Vic’s and Pampas Churrascaria to Sbarro and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. The hours vary, as do the prices. (We like Cheeseburger Las Vegas and The Earl of Sandwich.) And if that isn’t enough to chose from try the casino’s Planet dailies.

Stores are open Sunday - Thursday 10am –11pm, Friday –Saturday 10am – 12midnight. There is complimentary valet parking. Miracle Mile is also home to several shows and entertainments.

In the early 1950s I was first introduced to Liberace by way of a 15 minute television show (an experimental format that didn’t last long). Even in black and white, with a subdued setting, "Lee’s" charm and his mysteriously silent brother George fascinated me. Besides, my grandma was also a native of West Allis, Wisconsin…practically neighbors of the Liberace family…so his TV show was required viewing. Walter Valentino (Lee) Liberace went on to become a celebrated musician and spectacular showman. Each appearance he made was a challenge to outdo the last. I always looked forward to his Tonight Show appearances where Johnny Carson would play to his humorous side. He was a natural for Las Vegas.

Our hotel concierge arranged for us to tour the Liberace Museum. A free (tips graciously accepted) shuttle bus picked us up at our hotel. Luckily for us we were the last place to be picked up and the first place to return. At the museum we toured one building at our own pace before the guide gathered us together for the official tour. Our guide described herself as being ‘really hyped-up’ for the day. She talked a lot, told us very involved stories about his cars, pianos and peculiarities. Liberace’s family story was interesting and you could see how it shaped his entire life. It was a very musical family. His father played French horn in the John Phillip Sousa Marching Band. His mother was the strongest personality in his life. After he became a permanent fixture in Las Vegas, Mama would spend her time at the slot machines. Lee even bought her three slot machines that were kept at his home. The guide led us to a second building that was at one time the rehearsal hall for some of Las Vegas’s biggest stars. Owned by Liberace, it was rented out to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and also to Elvis Presley. Now this hall is the climate-controlled showroom for Liberace’s most audacious costumes, jewelry and furniture. Some of his costumes were so heavily jeweled they weighed over 200lbs and had to be supported by flying harnesses. Bill was not impressed with the car collection because they were either elaborate kit cars or junked up good cars. But honestly that was Liberace, all that glitter and fluff was a big joke…and he laughed all the way to the bank! I thought it was fun place and it was really interesting to see the difference in sparkle between a mirror coated car and a Swarovski crystal coated car.

Before leaving the museum you can stop at the snack bar and gift shop. Some days you can go into a small auditorium to hear a concert. If you have a car, the museum is easy to find at 1775 East Tropicana Street. There is a large parking lot between the two buildings. It is open M-S 10am-50m and Sundays 1am-5pm. We paid just $10 a piece for our tour. That is a bargain in this town.