Up In The Air

After the conference let out today, I had a three-part mission:

1. Buy some underwear.

2. Get a photograph of the Las Vegas skyline.

3. Make it to Mandalay Bay by 6:30 to pick up my Lion King tickets for the 7:30 show (tickets not picked up by 6:30 are forfeited).

So, I changed clothes and headed down the strip.

       

I took a photo of this sign, because apparently Bill’s steak and eggs are famous.  I actually heard a man walk up to another man on the street and ask where Bill’s was.  The second man said “Bill’s?”  The first man said “You know, where you get the steak & eggs.”  The second man said: “Oh!” and proceeded to give him directions.

The flamingos are real! 

 

I came upon the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel and bought two tour tickets; one to use in the day and one to use at night.  I had read on several tourism websites that it was worth it to see the view in the daylight and at night. I was actually surprised when I got to the top, because, due to all of the city congestion, it is easy to forget about the mountains in the background.  In fact, I hadn’t even realized they were there.  On top of the Tower, it is easier to see that Las Vegas is truly in the middle of the desert.

I loved the daytime view!

This picture is important, because it documents the very moment in time where I thought “Oh, Mandalay Bay isn’t that far away!  I can totally walk there in, like, 20 minutes!”  I had been planning to catch the bus, but from atop the Eiffel Tower I managed to convince myself that walking was a better idea. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn from the Stratosphere incident that tall things look closer than they really are.  Especially when you have a zoom lens on your camera.

 

So, I walked.  And actually, it turned out to be a good thing in many ways.  I got to see way more of the strip and I got to take a ton of pictures.  However, it was really, really hot, I was wearing flip-flops and a dress, and I completely underestimated the distance.  By the time I made it to Mandalay Bay, I was sweating, overheated, and the blisters on my feet were weeping, causing me to limp.  I picked up my ticket with 19 minutes to spare & ate some self-serve frozen yogurt for supper.  Woop woop!  When I picked up my ticket, the lady at will call said: “Only one?”  It made me feel kind of lame, but only for a second.

I LOVED The Lion King.  Oh, wow!  I got a great deal on my seat (free upgrade!) and ended up in row H (row A being the very front row). Best costumes + set design that I have ever seen; even better than Wicked.  I LOVE shows where the cast uses the aisles, and this was one of those.  The costumes were totally, unbelievably creative!  I was in awe!  What could have been really lame & cheesy (people dressed like animals) was the farthest thing from it. Plus, it is always nice to watch a show when you know (and like) the music.  If you haven’t seen The Lion King, you really should.   The opening number alone – ALONE – is well worth the price of admission.  And although all of the characters were great, Scar absolutely stole the show.  He was fantastic!  Second best was Timon.

So, in order of fantastic-ness, my favorite shows include:

1.  The Phantom of the Opera (which I saw last time in Vegas)

2.  Les Miserables

3. A tie between Wicked & The Lion King

4.  A tie between Mama Mia! & Grease

5.  All of the others (that I have seen)

Mama Mia!

Yesterday was girls’ day out in Huntsville. Initially, Rita and I planned to go to Huntsville to see Mama Mia!, and the outing grew from there to include the Space and Rocket Center, Melissa, barbeque, chocolate cake, Cajun food, and tons of pictures (although I do not have copies yet, as I was not the photographer).

Of course, my mishap-of-the-day was that I did not bring my debit card or checkbook and of course I did not (do not ever) have any cash. Also, as a student of Financial Peace University, I do not have any credit cards. So….no money. I was a total mooch all day. Thanks, Dave.

It was an all day thing. We left my house at 7 a.m. and got to Huntsville around 9:30, including stopping in B’ham to pick Rita up. The Space and Rocket Center was the first stop and it was pretty fun. Honestly, I wasn’t in “learning mode” yesterday, but still found it interesting. I remember so clearly the day the the Challenger exploded – I’m not sure if it was because Christa McAuliffe was on board and she was a teacher and Mama is a teacher, or what. Anyway, space science/travel/exploration has just never really interested me that much, but the museum is actually really nice and educational. And of course, we rode the rides. (I will NEVER get back on the “Space Shot” or anything that looks like a remotely similar experience. It is NOT a kiddie ride.)

We couldn’t really find anywhere to eat lunch, so we stopped at this barbeque place named Little Paul’s we passed on the way, near Huntsville hospital. It was great! Very Alabama with the vinegar based sauce and the white sauce.

After lunch, we headed to the Von Braun Center for the show. Mama Mia! was WONDERFUL!!! This was the first time I had seen it and knew nothing about the story line or characters. All day long I have been singing Dancing Queen. Wicked is probably my all-time favorite show, but Mama Mia! ties with Phantom of the Opera for second place . I even bought the movie at Target today because Rita and Melissa both said that it was great. The theater was almost entirely full and we sat in the second-to-last row (didn’t get tickets until Thursday afternoon). I will definitely see this one again, the next time I get the chance!

We stopped at Cajun Steamer on our way back through Birmingham. I had never been, and it was good. Very, very spicy. For an appetizer we shared the fried dill pickle chips (my first time – great!) and I had the Tilapia and Shrimp Rockefeller dish. It was good, but very spicy and very heavy. I could only finish half. We shared a slice of chocolate cake for dessert.

And the day can be summed up with Melissa’s Facebook status update:

Mama Mia! and chocolate cake….a perfect day.

Grease is the Word

I have recently decided that I need more theater in my life. Luckily I have friends, as Brent was not too thrilled with the idea.

On Tuesday, I saw Grease at the BJCC with Melisa, Elizabeth, and Rita. It was great! Taylor Hicks was Teen Angel, and he was great, so I succumbed to peer pressure and impulsively bought his CD + stood in line to get his autograph, even though I really care nothing about things like that.