Desert Sunrise

Yesterday morning I woke up to a gorgeous desert sunrise….it was yellow & blue and I could barely see it from my hotel room window.  So I woke myself up extra early today to get some pictures of the sunrise before the conference.  My first stop was the shop downstairs, where I purchased some band-aids for my pitiful feet.

I expected the streets to be empty, but actually, in Las Vegas, the party is still going at 6 a.m.

   

So, I didn’t actually get a good shot of the sunrise, because all of the buildings were in the way.  But it was so pretty!  After the photos, I headed back for one more 1/2 day at the conference and then back to Alabama.  What a whirlwind trip, but even ~ 48 hours in Vegas is enough for me.  Exhausted!

Sin City Lights

After The Lion King (~10 pm), I started the long & dreaded hike back to the Eiffel Tower.  I actually stumbled upon (as usual) a free (!) shuttle to The Excalibur, which was very much appreciated, because my poor, defenseless feet were protesting every.single.step.  I have to stop wearing flip flops when I am going to be walking long distances.

 

In order of spectacular-ness & photograph-ability, I am going to go out on a limb and say that New York, New York is the winner of the Las Vegas Strip.  I know, I know: Caesar's Palace & the Venetian are much nicer/more impressive, but New York, New York has a certain aesthetic character that the others do not have.    Maybe if Caesar’s didn’t look so much like the Venetian & the Bellagio I would feel differently.  Also, I haven’t actually seen inside of the NY, NY.  Caesar’s is definitely impressive on the inside.

The night view from the Eiffel Tower was amazing.

 

I did witness a woman having a panic attack on the observation deck.  Actually, she was right behind me when it hit. Bless it.  I was afraid she was going to hyperventilate, pass out, and/or arrest and began to wonder if anyone else up there was CPR certified and started sweating bullets, afraid that I was going to have to provide medical intervention.  But we all made it down to the ground with all bodily systems fully functioning.  Thank goodness.

At which time I limped to my room, caught a glimpse of my haggard appearance in the mirror, and washed my panties in the sink before going to bed.  Clearly, Las Vegas is just too much for me to handle.

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)