My headline picture today is part of the skyline of Las Vegas, Nevada, from the 21st floor of the Mirage Hotel. The city sits in a big bowl at 2000 feet above sea level. You can see the mountains in the background. It is the gambling capital of the US. Yes, there are other cities, and towns in a lot of states with legal gambling, but this is the biggest. The saying goes, for visitors, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, because it is also known as Sin City (prostitution is legal and trucks with big billboards on them advertise, the girls come to you, though of course not everyone partakes of that activity.) When you look at a map of the city, there is a casino/hotel next door to another all down the “The Strip.” The best way to view them is to walk, but they are so massive, walking would be about a five mile distance.
Above is the Mirage. Our sleeping quarters for two nights. The beds were the best since Rolla, Missouri. We walked across the street for breakfast at Denny’s because the prices were reasonable and the service was just as good.
The picture below is one side of the outside of the Mirage. Every spot is decorated in a big way, is beautiful and expensive to build. Meals are double what I’m used to paying and drink prices are triple. A number of the hotels are built in a Y shape so most every room has a window with a view.
The next two pictures are the atrium inside the Mirage.
Below is the outside of a shopping mall next to the Mirage.
Below is just some of the decoration inside the mall. Massive and impressive. We went into one store to look at a beaded purse. It was $2555.00. Not in my price range. I thought back to the articles made by Native Americans we saw in Santa Fe and regretted not buying some hand made items from them.
It was 87 degrees and we had a very late breakfast so The Blue Hawaiian below was my lunch. It did have fruit. Bob had a beer and we sat on the open deck in the shade to drink them. The food and drink female servers wear halter top short dresses as their “uniform.” I hope they are wash and wear.
Bob was feeling lazy today so he went to the room for some quiet time and I went to the craps table. We had set a limit of $200 for me to gamble with. I played for two hours, sometimes the only one on the table, which I like, and got back to the room with $260 after tipping the crew of four it takes to run the table. I’ll leave it to you to Google what a craps table looks like. I hadn’t played the dice game in a while and the guys working taught me some more of the nuances. I quit so we could go to dinner and the Rat Pack Is Back show. Below is one of the tickets. Our dinner of Chicken Marsala was very good.
The Rat Pack actors. As you can see the guy playing Frank Sinatra could be his double and had a fantastic voice. “Dean” sounded like he should, but as you can see, didn’t quite look right. The guy playing Sammy Davis Jr, needs to be replaced for both looks and voice. Just my opinion. They did a lot of bawdy jokes and sang the songs we all know and love. The band was great.
Because I was still ahead money wise, I went back to the craps table when we got back to The Mirage. Bob stayed with me a while then went to have a beer and watch some sports at the bar. The table was busy, and the numbers were going against me, so I left with a $100 in my pocket. No sense giving it all to them.
It’s nice to be able to say I’ve fulfilled a bucket list of playing craps in Vegas, but now it’s done. The city is too big and too commercial to draw us back again
Below is a tip for couples who travel. You know you get to the hotel room with two suitcases and there is only one luggage rack. We have been utilizing the ironing board for a luggage rack and on occasion when the desk and chair don’t fit my body, I use the board as a desk. I can lower it to just the right height. This picture was taken over a week ago, now the cases are fuller. Good thing we can leave things in the car to get them home.
NOTE: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY, AND OUR BONUS DAUGHTER.
Sue Spitulnik 