April 18th - Update in the Life of a HOAG
04/18/2006
Today is April 18, 2006. It is time I sat down and jotted a few notes as to what is going on in my life since I last posted an entry to this site. So, here it is.
A few things have passed since my last entry. I, along with some of my most favorite people on the planet, made a trip to Las Vegas, the land of glitter and silicone, lost souls and people that wish they were as happy as they wish you to think they are. We arrived in Las Vegas at about 7pm on April 7th. About an hour and half later, we arrived at Bally’s, about two miles from the airport. The seventh being a Friday night in Las Vegas – as well as the rest of the world – had the streets filled with vehicles of every make and size. We moved at the speed of snail for almost the entire trip from airport to hotel. I, of course, kept my cool. My intrepid mate did not, but stuck by her assessment it was me and not her who harbored the issue of frustration at the amount of time we were sitting still in the traffic.
Alas! We made it to the hotel, managed to get into a room, albeit one with a Murphy bed (the kind that folds up into the wall), as opposed to the king-bed room we paid for. This room was tagged as a “mini-suite” and it was, but being as one rarely stays in the room the “mini” was lost on us. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the stature of the suite and most certainly the view from the twenty-fourth floor.
Las Vegas is one of those places everyone needs to visit. I believe you either love the place or could simply walk away from it and not miss it. I am of the latter group. Other than the fact that I was there with my favorite person in world and a daughter and son-in-law, I could have not gone and been happy sucking down a brewski or two in beautiful downtown Berkeley Springs, WV, population 711. The highlight of the trip for me was that I got to see the “Ka” version of the Cirque du Soleil. That was outstandingly awesome and I will pass it along as highly recommended.
This is a town for all people. I caught glimpse of the beautiful people, as well as the not so beautiful. I saw the thin, the fat, the young and the old, people of every ethnicity, color and religion. I heard many foreign accents and domestic dialects. I stared at hundreds of beautiful woman and handsome men. This is the ultimate people watching venue.
I passed by a couple in deep conversation in the lobby of the hotel on Sunday morning. As I walked passed them I overheard the guy saying, “I would love for you to go to my room, but I am not going to pay you.” About ten minutes later, as I waited for the valet to bring my car, she pranced out of the hotel and hailed a cab. Such is life, I suppose, in Las Vegas. The residents are trying to make a living and the visitors are trying to score a win.
This boy walked away breaking even. I bet nothing, put no money in any of the ten thousand slot machines parked in every nook and cranny in Clark County, Nevada, and managed not to call any of the hundreds of “escort services” available to tourists, as advertised on handouts passed out by men and women looking very much, a nasty judgment on my part, like the now controversial “illegals” that permeate the nightly news shows.
All in all, Las Vegas was okay. Highlights included, besides the Cirque du Soleil, a theme park type ride at the top of the Stratosphere Tower that had us hanging over the side of the tower and looking down at the ground 810 feet below, great beer at the Big Dog, walking through and gawking at the opulence of the mega-hotels (gamblers wonder who is paying for them, since they always leave with more than they brought). I would go back, perhaps not any time soon, but I could go there again. If that should eventuate, my sole purpose would be to see the other Cirque du Soleil shows and maybe grab a couple more beers at Big Dogs.
Sorry to hear that your trip to Vegas wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’ve been twice and I plan to go back again Sept. 11th (yes, on 911). I stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel. I lived at the Lazy River Pool where the bartender hooked us up on Pina Coladas and Bloody Ceasars. This is where I meet some really nice New Yorkers and we still keep in touch. I also meet a couple from England who are in their late 70’s and would you believe they attended a rock concert with us (Air Supply). We correspond by mail (they don’t have email). Wolf Gang Puck’s restaurant at the MGM was the bomb! I ate a meal there everyday. Their clam chowder is the best I’ve ever had. The manager was from “Richmond, VA” and recognized our southern accent. The bartenders/waitstaff remembered us from the year before, because we ate there so often, and started giving us free drinks and one night they brought us out 4 different desserts to try, on the house! We took limos to breakfast. We were living large. I enjoyed Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Didn’t like Coyote Ugly’s at the New York, New York. It was “ugly.” However, we did meet a group of guys from Australia at the blackjack table. They were a hoot. And Frank, the dealer, kept taking my money and saying “Oh, me so sorry.” But, he was a lot of fun. I remember one night we got all dressed up to hit the clubs, Studio 54, Tabu, Tetro and ended up at the casinos in New York, New York. We walked in there at about 10:00 pm and when we walked out of there the sun was up and it was daylight. We never made it to the clubs that night. But we did go the next night. Studio 54 was pretty wild. There was a lady dancing with a cobra snake. People hanging from flying trapizes. It was an interesting time at the Tetro. It turned out to be a gay bar. There was a group of people sitting next to us and I was told that one of the guys played on a soap opera. He was getting a hand job right there in public. I couldn’t belive it!!
The sunrises and sunsets over the mountains were beautiful. And the flight over the Grand Canyon was amazing. I never made it to any of the shows but I plan to see one or two this year. And I will be back for another Swedish massage.
When we went to Vegas last year we wound up being witnesses, at a friend of a friends wedding. We had a couple of beers with them at 8:00 am and they were married at 9:30 am. They said that they have been to Vegas 12 times.
I must say that all in all the Vegas vacations have been the most relaxing times I’ve had. The only thing I don’t like about the trip is the 5 hour plan ride. I did notice that most of the people walk around with smiles on their faces and I figured out why . . . you can walk the streets with your alcoholic beverages. You’d never see that in Richmond.