Lotus Photos

Kathy took these shots of the car we rented to go out to Hoover Dam. It's a 2006 Lotus Elise. Even though the gearbox felt pretty chunky and it took me a long time to figure out how to put it in reverse (pull up on the ring on the shift lever), it was a fantastic ride. Enterprise in Las Vegas will let you take one of these out for about $120+taxes. That's not a bad price, and it's a far better company to deal with than some of the shady-looking "Fantasy Car" shops on the strip. Google around for some reviews and you'll see what I mean. You do need to provide your own insurance, so be sure to bring a proof card (or at least your account number) along on the trip.

This thing weighed next to nothing, and it showed. It's all engine. I got it up to 85 on the expressways with no real effort out of the engine, and without needing the 6th gear. (Of course, I was being blown by, even though I was going that fast. Ah, Vegas.) It is very low to the ground, and you feel every bump (or lane marker), but that's how these cars are.

I wish I had gotten it out onto some roads where I could test the handling. Cornering is this car's strength, and it's why it outperforms some supercars on a road course. As hard as I tried to push it, I never felt it get away from me.

One last downside. The size of the car meant it barely allowed for my camera bag, let alone luggage. When we left for the airport the next morning, Kathy took a cab with the large bags while I returned the car.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Hoff in Heels

 

We ate dinner at someplace,  a French bistro inside Paris. I had a tasty steak in Merlot butter sauce, which of course meant that I also had it on my shirt. (That stain is still there a couple of washes later.)  Kathy had a steak with gorgonzola. Both steaks were excellent, as was the baguette. The steak frites were disappointing. We were expecting moderately thick cut fries, like those shown on Cook's Tour in Les Halles. (Side note: Ernie lives near enough to a Les Halles to go when the mood strikes him. Jerk.) The fries we got were more reminiscent of onion strings. Small and generally chewy.

 

Across the hotel to the theater for the Producers. A hint to those going to this show: the theater entrance is not the double doors on the main thoroughfare, with the actors painted across the doors and a large marquee overhead. The theater entrance is on the other end of the adjacent lobby, past the hotel check-in desks. Odd.

 

So, every show in Vegas has the same disclaimers. No phones, no cameras, no videos, etc. This theater was the only one with the audacity to force people to check their cameras. Since Kathy and I both had our camera bags, including my bag complete with tripod, we had no real choice in the matter. They put our bags in a safe.

 

Our seats were good. The show was good, but there were obvious scenes and even story elements missing. Most of the supporting sequences showing Leo and Ulla falling for each other were gone. (I later confirmed that Vegas versions of Broadway shows are condensed to 90 minutes. It was not a good idea in this case.) The audio was also disappointing, as the vocals were definitely not above the music. David Hasselhoff headlined the show as Roger De Bris. He does a surprisingly effective middle-aged gay Broadway musical director! Unfortunately, his time on stage was quite limited. I didn't find the actor for Leo very effective, as it seemed like he wasn't sad enough in the early parts of the play. He had neither the nervous nebbish of Broderick nor the timid honesty of Wilder.

 

My plan had been to head up in the Eiffel Tower after the show ended, but apparently that was everyone else's plan too.  We decided to head back to our room instead. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

A quiet Easter

 

We took a cab over to the Bellagio. They had an Ansel Adams exhibit in their museum. His work is absolutely fascinating…a master of environment and contrast. It wasn't the first time I had seen his work, though only in ones and twos before. The Bellagio had 30-40 pieces, plus some of his camera equipment, his writing, etc.

 

Found a quiet piece of hallway, sat down, and called my parents. It was cold back home. They had already had dinner and were relaxing. During the call, a security guard came by and asked several people, me included, not to sit on the floor. The lack of seating in Vegas is quite noticeable.  I can understand the reasoning in the casino, since you'd rather have people sitting in front of the slots, but outside an art exhibit some chairs would be nice.

 

We spent some time in the gardens, experimenting with our cameras. There are lots of interesting arrangements, sculptures, topiaries, etc. to shoot there. Then we wandered past the fountains and across the street. We decided not to join the crush of people crowding the fountains and moved on. I got some great shots of the fountains near Paris and of the faux tower there.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits!

 

We decided that since it was Easter, we should go to church, even if we were in Vegas.  But rather than any normal service, we opted for the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues.

 

This was finally an excuse to pull out the suit that I had brought along.  Luckily it didn't need much ironing, as our room iron was out of commission. We walked through Mandalay Place and got in line. Turns out we didn't need to get there quite so early, since they didn't open the house until the ticket time. Our seats were family-style seats in the center of the house. (They have  private tables, but were out. We didn't get our tickets until we got to Vegas).

 

As we walked down into the concert area, the smell was wonderful. The ushers pointed out how things were arranged, then lead us to our seats. The main buffet consisted of sweet rolls and donuts, varieties of scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, biscuits and gravy, red beans and rice, baked bbq chicken, jambalaya, and a bunch of other goodies. There was a roast turkey and beef station, a waffle bar, fresh fruit, and a chocolate fountain.

 

The show started surprisingly soon after we started eating, likely as soon as everyone was inside the venue. The act that morning was the Las Vegas Mass Choir. There were excellent, but I wish they had realized that we were still eating and didn't want to clap and sing along quite yet. Gospel music is definitely not my cup of tea, but I can respect an energetic performance.

 

One hilarious part was when the lead singer tried to organize the audience into a choir, breaking us into three part harmony. Given the overwhelming  whiteness of this particular audience, the effects were amusingly off key and on-the-downbeat. 

 

I did later realize that the show was rushed by adding a 3rd performance on Easter Sunday, compressing their schedule. Ah well. It was a good time and a good meal. As I understand it, the Gospel Brunch is found at many House of Blues venues, and it's worth seeking out.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Under the Sea

We trekked out to the Shark Reef, passing half a dozen brides along the way. We were both decked out with camera gear, but after buying the tickets and getting in line, we realize we had forgotten the film bag.

After the long round trip to the room and back, we waited for about 10 minutes to get in. They were doing the 'Can we take you picture? No obligation to buy!' scam.

As we wandered in, the humidity hit us. The skylights plus the water made it feel like an Indiana summer.

We both got some great shots, but it was crowded in there. And it was too dark in the shark area to get much. I do feel sorry for the poor workers tending to the ray tank. Every two minutes: "One finger only, don't touch the eyes", etc.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

On the Border

Had lunch at Border Grill in Mandalay Bay. Started with some plantain empanadas. I had lamb tacos with peppers and pickled onions, while Kathy had the chicken chilaquiles, which was a sort of mexican lasagna, but with a crema sauce and tortillas. The lamb was tasty, but it sat in my stomach like a rock. Kathy's dish was tasty, but a bit sweet for her taste.

We had some of their dessert, too. It was wonderful, but too rich. That along with the lamb left me full until the next day.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Sharp Pointy Teeth

Grabbed a cab over to the Wynn. Had a fantastic snack at Sugar and Ice, sitting near a waterfall. Steve Wynn is the master of extravagance. His casinos are also much easier to get around. Big aisles and clear signs. Oh, and a Ferrari collection (with paid admission…got a glimpse through the door and it looked impressive).

Grabbed our tickets and met up with Andrew and Jennifer. Good seats, second row back on the left. The show, Spamalot, was great fun. Even though we wished we could have seen it when Tim Curry was still playing Arthur, Dan O'Hurley did a good job. I did notice a few songs missing off the soundtrack.

After the show, we headed out to Sushi Avenue. It's a little sushi and teppanyaki place that our friends frequent. Apparently, there's a complex, Japanese toilet/bidet in the ladies room. Kathy thought the "read the instructions before operating" label was great.

We hung out with Andrew and Jennifer at their place, watching some Discovery HD (shiny!). It's strange to think that people actually live in Vegas, but they do, and more than 3000 families move in each month.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Return to Caesar

I'd been to the shops at Caesar's Palace before. It's a fancy, well decorated, well maintained mall.

Kathy grabbed a souvenir bear at FAO Schwartz (now named Teller), and some bath soap to go with our in-room tub. I wanted to stop at Vosges, a chocolate shop I had seen on Food Network at some point. Any place that puts chiles in chocolate gets a vote from me.

We opted to pass on the opportunity to meet Pete Rose at a collectibles shop. He looked bored anyway.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Get Off the Bus

Vegas has a bus system. We tried it. We were not impressed.

First, if you're down at the south end of the strip, and you see the cute little loop at the end, don't be deceived. If you go that way, you'll have to get off the bus and 'transfer' to another one. In our case, this meant a 10 minute wait in the sun, just to get back on the same bus with the same driver.

And there always has to be someone with a scooter. Now, I have nothing against these things in general, but it seems like people who have them in Vegas lose their hearing somewhere along the way. Both times I saw someone attempt to get one of these on the bus, it was a ten minute affair of the driver screaming at the person driving the scooter. Ugh.

Traffic going back up the strip was really bad. For the Vegas Grand Prix, the strip was closed between the north end and downtown, so traffic would back up. On this day, it was backed up to Planet Hollywood, which is most of the way back down the strip.

Besides our microscopic pace, our driver continued to cram people on the bus. It was very crowded, and difficult to get off. We got out a couple of stops early, just because we couldn't take the crush.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Dug Up Some Food

We got a late start. Since we knew we were meeting Andrew for a late dinner, we opted to wander down to the buffet. The buffet at the Luxor is decorated to look like an archaeological dig. It's not a bad effect, though it's getting worn around the edges. For example, some places where they used concrete to simulate large sandy areas have started to crack and pull back from the edges.

Seating is handled by a group of women in suits with earpieces, directing traffic around the room. (Khakis and pith helmets would have fit the theme better…) Once you're shown your seat, a waitress takes your drink order and you're free to roam the room.

The food was decent, and much of it was on the bland side. This is not the Bellagio (which was amazing when I went back in 2001), but at $15 a person it was a good deal (on a Vegas scale). They had a variety of Americanized ethnic food, but Kathy and I stuck primarily with the salad bar. A little vegetation was welcome at this point, though the selection could have been better. Desserts were good.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend