Bright
light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire. Got a whole lot of
money that's ready to burn. So get those stakes up higher, there's a thousand
pretty women waitin’ out there, and they're all livin’ devil may care. And I’m
just the devil with love to spare, Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas!
-
Elvis Presley
Vegas! There’s nowhere else like it in the
world…and probably for good reason.
I’m fortunate to have
some amazing friends. One, in particular, has bent over backwards on a few
occasions this trip to ensure we have enjoyed some awesome experiences – the
Flash Pass at Six Flags Magic Mountain, for example – but nothing has so far compared
to what he’s organised for us in Las Vegas.
The photo below is taken from the
fifty-fifth storey of the Hilton Grand Vacation Club-Elara overlooking Planet
Hollywood on The Strip. Normally, it runs for about $1400 a night. I’m here to
tell you two things: we’re not paying that price, and also that, if you were,
you’d certainly get your money’s worth.
It’s pretty awesome to
walk up the long corridor to the double doors and then realise that the double
doors lead to your accommodation. Even more awesome is the projector that said ‘Welcome
Andrew Kitchener’ when we first went into the room. The master bedroom includes
a spa overlooking The Strip and a shower with two heads facing one another, and
even a spot to sit down if, somehow, you get tired from being in the shower.
That’s never happened to be before. Ever. Then again, nor has lucking into such
an awesome penthouse.
We’ve had a really
great day. The drive from South Lake Tahoe back to Sacramento, the Californian
state capital, through the snow-covered, sun-drenched Sierra Nevada Mountains
was incredibly picturesque and we had a hassle-free security experience coming
through Sacramento Airport, which was about as quiet an airport as I’ve ever
seen. We flew Sacramento-Las Vegas via Los Angeles (about an hour’s layover)
and the final approach to Las Vegas is very spectacular: all the casinos along
The Strip, literally trillions of lights.
 |
| Room Service? Don't mind if I do! |
You know you’re in the
gambling capital of the world as soon as you emerge from the aerobridge into
the main terminal of McCarran International Airport because there are gambling
opportunities right there, so you can start losing money three miles before you
even get to The Strip. Welcome to Sin City! We were happy to get off the plane
just to leave the rowdy people behind who thought for some reason that it was
okay to shout to their friends halfway down the aisle. Not cool.
 |
| Gambling starts as soon as you get off the plane |
McCarran is one of the
few airports really close to the destination, so you can hop a cab cheaply to
any of the hotel/casinos on The Strip. It’s a spectacular sight, arriving on
the long road that is dotted every few yards with impressive resorts dedicated
to gambling and Las Vegas-style entertainment. Each hotel you see –
Stratosphere, Harrah’s, Hard Rock, Paris Las Vegas, the Bellagio, Wynn’s, MGM
Grand, Treasure Island – seems to be more impressive than the one which came
before. There’s nothing in the world like The Strip at Las Vegas.
Nathan and Trev are
staying down at Harrah’s, whilst Lauryn and I enjoy my Christmas present at the
Hilton Elara but we all hung out here on the fifty-fifth floor tonight,
enjoying some room service, including a nice bottle of Californian Korbel
champagne that went nicely with nachos and hotdogs. Also tried Bud Light
Platinum – a little higher alcohol content than Bud Light – and the Bud Light
Lime variety. Not bad, either of them.
Wow, what a strange
and exciting day – one of the best on the trip, for sure. We’re off to the
Grand Canyon tomorrow and are going to see Rock of Ages at The Venetian in the
evening.
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