Lee’s World
Las Vegas 2004
In the first week of December, the rodeo championships hit Las Vegas, and so did I - not for the rodeo, but rather to celebrate my birthday.
I
flew in via Los Angeles, and missed my connecting flight, so the week
started off well! However, I stayed at the luxurious - and highly camp -
Luxor Hotel, which was an absolute
bargain. Look for mid-week rates, out of season, for some amazing deals - my
room rate was only $69, which included a variety of offers including
admission to the spa, museum, shopping discounts etc.
The hotel was
amazing - I had a room in the pyramid. Initially I was disappointed that I
wasn't high up in the pyramid as I couldn't see anything out of the window,
but when I opened the curtains in the morning, I was greeted with the most
fabulous view across the pool, surrounded by Egyptian statues, with the
mountains of Red Rock Canyon in the distance. I'm told that the rooms in the
towers are bigger than those in the pyramid, so don't be disappointed if
you're not housed in the what is the largest atrium in the World.
As this was my third trip to Vegas (and second in 2004), I concentrated on seeing a little more of the city, than simply the hotel casinos, but as I was there for only four nights, this was going to be limited.
Instead of hiring a car, I used the public bus service - for $5 you can get a 24 hour bus pass to get all over the city (obtainable on the bus). I used it not only to visit the Premium Shopping Outlets, well off the Strip to the North, but also to visit the stores used by ordinary Americans in their everyday life on Maryland Parkway, as well as for getting up and down the Strip.
I
think during the course of the five days, I managed to fit in a visit to
every shopping mall in town! Of the best have to be the Forum Shops, Caesars
Palace, which seems to open a new wing every time I go there, the very
impressive Fashion Mall (next to Treasure Island), and the Grand Canal
Shoppes, in the Venetian Hotel. I have to confess that the Premium Outlets
were nothing compared with the same Outlets in Cabazon, near Palm Springs. I
did manage to get a few bargains there though. All of the shopping malls
though seem to issue coupon booklets if you have downloaded the voucher, or
are a member of the AAA, at their customer service desks. Alright for some
of them you need to spend $500 to get the discount (I think this was at
Versace!), but for some you can easily obtain a discount - 12% at Macys in
the Fashion Mall, for example. To download a voucher, visit the
Vegas Freedom site.
During the
evenings, when I wasn't relaxing in the hotel spa - highly recommended - I
went to see a couple of shows on the Strip. On my birthday, I
went to see the the heavily contrived "Mamma Mia" at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
The night previously, though, I had seen the most fabulous new show just off
the Strip at the Westin Hotel, Flamingo Road, from the team who brought
"Forbidden Broadway" to New York - "Forbidden
Vegas". And if you see on the opening pages, a quote from "Lee, London
UK" praising the show - yes, it's from me! I loved the show! Go and see it,
but make certain you know what else is playing on the Strip, and some of the
hotels first, to get the full benefit. Above all, though, go and see it - I
will be seeing it again next time I'm over there.
During the visit, I got to know a bit more of Vegas other than the casinos - and it is worth visiting. There are some terribly tacky bits of Vegas - such as the Luxor's terrible "museum" recreating "King Tut's" tomb - but there are some amazing sights, great shows to see, and plenty to see and do.
And with Barry Manilow playing the Las Vegas Hilton ... I'll be back!