September 6 - 17, 2004
I'm not much of a gambler, but love to pack in as much else as
possible. I like the trip reports that are organized by category,
and am using that approach.
Hotel
Stayed at the Mirage, in a Tower Room with a
pool view. This is a regular room, but on the 24th floor, and
with a larger bath room. I like the Mirage. The room was
nothing special, but it's certainly nice enough. Things I like
about the hotel: check-in was a breeze, taking only about five minutes;
the casino has an airy feel, smells good (not smoky), and is reasonably
easy to navigate through; valet parking is good, but self parking is so
easy I usually chose that instead; I don't ask for much service, but
the little I requested was cheerful and prompt; the location is pretty
good, kind of north center strip.
View of Mirage pool from my room:
Activities
I like to do new things while on vacation. This was no
exception!
(1) Bungy jumping. I
went bungy jumping on my last trip, but wanted to do it
again. This time, I hoped to hit a pool of water at
the bottom.
AJ Hackett has several locations around the world. The Las Vegas
site is at a former observation tower near Circus Circus Hotel; seems
appropriate somehow. They claim they've never lost a client,
although mention was made of loss of various body fluids.
Hints: don't eat before jumping; DO use the bathroom. I recommend
this to everyone. I am (or was) somewhat afraid of heights,
but it's a great thrill the first time, and exciting the second
time as well.
(2) Sky diving. Wow! There are plenty of web sites that talk about sky diving, so I won't go into lots of details. I chose tandem diving, where you're strapped to an instructor. This requires very limited training, and seems a lot safer to me (as I told the instructor, "if I go, you go!"). Jumping (well, actually kind of leaning) out of the plane is plenty scary, but free falling in't scary at all, just a wild few seconds. Once the parachute opens, it takes about five minutes to land. Hints: if you're even slightly prone to motion sickness, take something beforehand; if you're not prone to motion sickness, choose the greatest altitude (around 15,000 feet), as that gives you the most free fall time. Link: http://www.skydivelasvegas.com/ .
(3) Rock climbing. I thought sky diving would be the highlight of my trip - or maybe bungy jumping. I was wrong. I'm not sure how to convey just how great this was. DO IT!!!!!!!!!! I chose a company called Sky's the Limit, taking the introduction to rock climbing. I've never done any rock climbing, either indoors or outdoors, and this is the course designed for such folk. It's a half day course in Red Rock Canyon. The majority involves a discussion of rock climbing techniques, practicing climbing techniques, and talks about safety. For the last bit, you get to try actual rock climbing. The company provides the proper gear (special climbing shoes; harness; helmet; rope; etc). My instructor chose an area that seemed to be straight up. I know, I know, it wasn't, but it was actually pretty close. It was 110 feet up, and while standing about five feet from the rock face, I could see my instructor the entire time he was climbing up the rock face. Then it was my turn. I was securely tied to a rope, so I couldn't fall more than a few inches, but it was up to me to use my hands and feet to climb this sucker. At the beginning I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do it. I won't go into details, but somehow I made it. This is SO much better than something like sky diving. Instead of just a few seconds of fright, followed by a passive experience, you get an incredible adrenaline rush that lasts and lasts, and it's dependent upon your own abilities the entire time. At the end, there's this great feeling of satisfaction was well. I can't say enough good things about Sky's the Limit, and my instructor Seth Dilles. He was interesting, patient, and gave a sense of security. It's expensive ($200) but worth it! As to physical ability: I'm in good physical shape for my age, but I'm also 51 years old, and could deal with it. Link: http://www.skysthelimit.com/ (look under "climbing instruction"). NOTE: this company is out of business. See my April/May 2005 trip report for another company.
(4) Horseback riding.
For people like me who have never ridden a horse, there are a
number of outfits that offer rides. I took one that was
about 5 hours from hotel to hotel - a little more than 2 hours in
the saddle. Surprisingly, it was not nearly as painful as I
had been led to expect. Not great, but fun to do.
Sage Brush Ranch - My horse Cadillac - giving his rider the once over:
(5) Hiking in Red Rock Canyon.
This was another experience that greatly exceeded my
expectations. I love to walk and walk and walk, but I
wouldn't call what I've done hiking. I have almost no
experience in figuring out paths, and have never hiked in the
desert. I decided to take a guided hike led by Neil Sobelson
(Hike This!). You talk to Neil, describe your abilities and
desires, and he'll select an appropriate half day hike. For
me, Neil chose White Rock, Willow Springs, and La Madre Trail -
about six miles. The scenery is dramatic, Neil is both
informative and fun, and it's peaceful and relaxing. Highly
recommended. Link: http://www.hikethislasvegas.com/
(6) Valley of Fire. This
is an area of dramatic rock, which looks especially red around
sunrise and sunset. It's about an hour or an hour and a half
from Las Vegas (depending upon whether you take the direct route,
or the scenic route). Most of the touring is done by car,
and there are some very short hikes (less than one mile) you can
take as well. I'm not sure why, but I found this only OK -
maybe because I was comparing it to the Red Rock hike I took
earlier.
Valley of Fire in the morning:
Food
As much as I like activities, I like to EAT. In no
particular order:
(1) Picasso. Wow!
This is frequently cited as one of the best, if not the best,
restaurant in Las Vegas. Based on where I've eaten, I
agree. The worst of my courses was good, and two of the
courses (roasted foie gras steak; warm chocolate fondant with
peanut brittle ice cream) were the best I can remember. It's not
just that each course is so good; each of the components of a
course is good. Add in the paintings, beautiful floral
displays, and the Bellagio fountains, and you've got a winner.
The menu is fixed price: either $85 or $95 for the meal. Add
in wine pairings (which I'd recommend) and tip, and it will cost
about $150 - 175 per person. To read my journal notes written the
same evening, click
here.
(2) Hyakumi (Caesars
Palace). My favorite sushi bar in Vegas. I've been there
four times in two trips, and it never disappoints. Their
sushi is the freshest and most flavorful, and their chefs are
friendly and fun to talk to. Warning: it's extremely
expensive if you order a lot of sushi.
(3) Michael Mina
(Bellagio). This is the place that used to be called
Aqua. I was dining solo, and ate at the bar. Excellent foie
gras (not quite as good as at Picasso, but close), lobster pot
pie, and ice cream for dessert.
(4) Commander's Palace
(Aladdin). New Orleans style food. Very good. They
usually have a special of grilled escolar (a kind of very rich
fish); get it! Also good is their turtle soup, gumbo, and
don't forget to get a complimentary praline as you walk out the
door.
(5) Bradley Ogden. This
new American restaurant has gotten all sorts of awards.
Based on my sole experience, I'm not sure I agree. The Blue
Cheese Souffle appetizer was excellent, but the crispy sea bass
was merely good, as was the apple sampling for dessert. Not
worth prices that are as high as Picasso's.
(6) 8-0-8 (Caesars
Palace). Upscale Hawaiian. Food is good, and served in
large portions. Not quite as good as Bradley Ogden, but
considerably cheaper.
(7) Luv-It Frozen Custard.
I had heard so much about this place, I guess I shouldn't be
surprised that I was disappointed. It's good, but I've had
better custard before. Go there if it's convenient, but it's
not worth a special trip.
(8) Chocolate Swan (Mandalay
Place Mall). Another disappointment, perhaps another case of
overly high expectations. This is a dessert place. Their
truffles are good, and some of their pastries are good - but not
great.
(9) Lenotre (Paris). A
branch of a famous Parisian store, serving absolutely beautiful
pastries and chocolate. Based on my single visit, their
pastries taste as good as they look. Great for breakfast!
(10) Cafe Gelato
(Bellagio). Located near the pool, this is the hotel's ice
cream store, and also sells other desserts. I was kind of
disappointed in Las Vegas, finding good ice cream and gelato,
but nothing
truly memorable. Cafe Gelato's was the best I tried.
(11) Isla Mexican (TI).
Went there once for lunch. Pretty good tortilla soup and
pretty good chicken mole poblano.
(12) Tsunami (Venetian).
Sometimes described as new wave sushi, it seemed pretty pedestrian
to me. Their sushi is OK, but nothing stands out.
(13) Nobu (Hard Rock
Hotel). I found Nobu's sushi highly variable. The overall
quality was OK, but some items (e.g., uni) were poor while others
(e.g., ankimo) were good. Orange and honey flavored sake is
interesting but probably not worth repeating.
(14) Shintaro (Bellagio).
So many of Bellagio's restaurants are good, and I had high hopes
for the sushi bar. It was disappointing. The atmosphere is
excellent, with three colored jellyfish tanks behind
the bar.
However, the sushi is merely good - not nearly as good as
Hyakumi. Given the prices, not worth it.
(15) Aloha Kitchen. This
is a hole-in-the-wall Hawaiian place located in the general
direction of UNLV. I had never had a loco moco before, and
decided to give it a try. Loco Moco is a bowl of steamed
rice, with a fried hamburger patty on top, followed by a generous
portion of brown gravy, and a couple of suuny side up eggs.
Once is enough! Some of the other food looked good, though.
(16) Mirage Breakfast Buffet.
The Mirage's new buffet, at least for breakfast, is OK but nothing
special. If you're really hungry it may be cheaper than
other choices at the hotel.
(17) Canter's Deli (TI).
A branch of the LA deli, it serves huge sandwiches, along with
other typical deli fare. The warm pastrami is very good, the
chopped liver is fair, and the cheese blintzes are fair.
Shows
(1) Mystere (TI).
This was the first Cirque de Soleil show in Vegas. It's basically
a circus, with lots of acrobatics and humor. I'm not sure
how to describe it, but it's fun. However, I preferred O when
I saw it a few years back.
(2) Shock! Man sticks
skewers through his cheek, mouth, and arm; lies on bed of nails,
eats glass. The old circus sideshow. This would be
fun, if there were an audience of 100 or more people.
Unfortunately,
it's recently moved to the Greek Isles Hotel (on Convention Center
Drive just off the strip), and didn't attract more than 20 people
the night I went. Kind of sad.
(3) Rita Rudner (NYNY).
Probably good - "probably" because I enjoyed the first hour, but
started to fall asleep during the last 30 minutes. Perhaps the
show was too long, or perhaps I was just tired from rock climbing
earlier that day. The only thing that kept me awake was fear.
I was front row center and Ms. Rudner has the habit of
addressing audience members by name. On quite a few
occasions, she said "Larry, do you...." and I really didn't want
to
be caught snoring.
(4) Las Vegas Bikefest.
This is an annual motorcycle show. I happened to be there
for the very beginning only, but it was fun to wander through the
vendor booths. Managed to get some t-shirts that weren't too
offensive.
(5) World Music Awards.
This is an annual show that was on CBS on Sept 15, with
performances by Usher, Hoobastank, Kanye West, Celine
Dion, Whitney
Houston, and a bunch of other folks. It was fun to see
what happens
behind the scenes.
(6) Ronn Lucas (Rio
Hotel). A ventriloquist whose puppets are described as
maladjusted, e.g., Scorch the teen age dragon. I didn't expect
much, but was pleasantly surprised. This is an inexpensive
daytime show - look for discount tickets.