A couple of weeks ago, Laura and I took a trip to Las Vegas. Neither of us had been there before, so we weren't totally sure what to expect. Turns out, Vegas is a fun city, and I'd definitely like to go back there soon.
We left the kids at home early on a Tuesday morning (thanks to my Dad and Martie for kid/puppy-sitting!), and headed to Heathrow. I'd cashed in a bunch of air miles, and we were lucky enough to be flying British Airways First Class to Los Angeles where we were going to pick up a car and drive the 280-odd miles across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas.
First Class was a fun experience. I am fortunate enough to be able to travel Business Class on some of my work trips, so I am a used to the larger seats and better food. For me, First didn't seem to warrant the large difference in price you would pay over traveling Business. For Laura, who doesn't regularly travel, I think the experience was a lot more exciting. Or perhaps that was just the champagne they *insisted* on making her drink, over and over again!
Our car ended up being a Ford Mustang convertible. Fun car. It was the cheapest deal they had for something that wasn't a 2-door compact, would you believe! The drive from LA to LV took a while - about 6 hours in all I think, with a stop at In and Out Burger and a car refueling break on the way. It was dark by the time we got out of Los Angeles, so there wasn't a lot to see along the way.
We stayed at the Wynn Hotel. I was surprised at how cheap the rooms were for a luxury hotel. I guess they make their money elsewhere - the shopping and gambling were both extravagant and ubiquitous. The opulent stage was set on first arrival with the Ferrari / Maserati garage at the hotel entrance and the shopping parade that included Dior, Vuitton and Rolex among its tenants. We had a "regular" room, which measured 640 square feet - that's huge for a hotel room in my experience - for a little over $200 a night. Having walked through many of the other hotels whilst we were there, I really came to like the vibe of the Wynn - it isn't really themed as such, and just has a mellow, luxurious quality to it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of visiting.
We took a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon which was fantastic. We used a very professional company called Maverick Helicopters, which again, I recommend highly. Taking off from the airport, we headed east over suburban Las Vegas, over Lake Mead, a quick view of the Hoover dam, then over to the Canyon. We landed deep in the Canyon at a spot perhaps 300ft above the Colorado river. It was a perfect day, visibility over 100 miles. It is hard to describe (or even capture with a photograph) how awe inspiring the views were. Wow.
Something else we'd never done before was to visit a shooting range. We both took turns using a 9mm pistol to shoot holes in paper targets. You see hand guns used in TV shows all the time, read about them in books. You can't get a feel for what it is really like until you've actually picked one up and pulled the trigger. Everyone should try it at least once. The place we went to was appropriately called The Gun Store. If you're feeling more adventurous, they offer machine gun rentals too...
Of course we spent time touring the Strip, checking out the various fun things each hotel had to offer. We rode rides (kudos to Laura for riding all three at the top of the Stratosphere - I only managed one of them), ate great food, watched shows, shopped. We really liked the steak restaurant Gallagher's at New York New York; the steaks are all dry aged on display in the window of the restaurant. The Bellagio fountains are very impressive even if their choice of accompanying music is sometimes a little on the lame side. The LE RÊVE show at the Wynn was incredible; the logistics of presenting a show that is predominantly in or under water fascinate me.
I'd foolishly decided up front that a 6 day trip to Vegas where the flights were virtually "free" would be a cheap holiday. Forget that. The food is fabulous, the shopping is great (especially with the £/$ conversion) and the gambling is a little too much fun. If you're going to go to Vegas, pack an extra wallet, and make sure it is full of cash.
All in all, a great time in a great city. I feel like we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. What would you recommend we see next time we go?