Wednesday 29 July
Landed in Las Vegas early evening & met up with Darren & Paula for drinks at our resort, Wyndham Grand Desert.
Photo from plane of Hoover Dam just before we landed.
There are slot machines at Vegas airport!!!
View of the Vegas Strip at night from our window on the 15th floor of the Wyndham Grand Desert Hotel.
Weather forecast for our time in Vegas! It was hot & dry but not as sweaty as the humidity in New Orleans or Thailand.
Thursday
Amazing brunch at MGM Hotel (photo taken in the foyer).
Photos taken en route to the Titanic Artefacts Exhibition. It was superbly done, with the corridors between the exhibition rooms exact recreations of the gangways on the original ship (with appropriate sound effects!) There were also replicas of a 1st & 3rd class cabin, the Promenade Deck & the magnificent wooden stairway that swept through the centre of the ship. One room had an "iceberg" & was set at approximately the temperature that night would have been (ie freezing!!!) It was pretty moving to see not only personal items retrieved, but also parts of the actual ship.
The Luxor Hotel & Casino which housed the exhibition..
The biggest piece of the ship that was salvaged from its resting place two & a half miles deep.
I the evening we watched the impressive Bellagio fountain display before the show which runs to a different song every 15 minutes.
Cirque du Soleil O - an awesome show that featured aspects of olden day circuses - clowns, the high wire, acrobatics, "animals", but so much more. The diving was to me the most impressive part of a hugely spectacular show.
Friday
Lazy morning followed by a Wyndham promotional lunch with gift vouchers & then went for a walk around the opulent Caesar's Palace Hotel in the afternoon, where the house white wine was $15 a glass!
In the evening we went to The Rat Pack show, which was very entertaining, especially Dean Martin. Tried our hand at some gambling, but with very small stakes.
Saturday
Picked up a hire car & drove to Hoover Dam, which is a miracle of engineering.
We were all so impressed by the enormity of the Grand Canyon. Check out the posers below!
We went to two lookouts & a Wild West town.
In the evening we had dinner at Tony Roma's in the Old Las Vegas strip, which was very vibrant & festive. A beer & hotdog $2 to encourage you to gamble as well as all the dancing girls on tables. Even have a zip line running across the 3 blocks as well as a few bands playing in the strip.
Sunday
Girls went shopping at Fashion Show while the boys went to the hotel gym & then a few beers at the pool & spa. View from the lift of the hotel looking at the other wing with the airport close behind.
Met up with an old Miltonian, Pierre Joubert, for a great lunch at a Cuban restaurant.
Watched latest Mission Impossible movie, Rogue Nation, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Monday
Another sad day, saying goodbye to Darren & Paula. Dropped off hire car & flew Virgin America to San Francisco.
Special thanks to Darren & Paula for such a fun & memorable few days in Vegas.
