AP's Too-Young-To-Gamble Vegas Vacation
Part Deux
Spent the bulk of the third day in Gameworks, the largest arcade in the world, and designed by Steven Spielberg to boot. We took a break from zombie-killing and street racing to watch Fantastic Four next door. I found it to be very average; not good, but not bad. I really liked the guys playing Human Torch and The Thing, but I couldn't help pulling for something horrible to happen to Mr. Fantastic. He was such a dork. And honestly, who trusts a guy named Victor von Doom? We returned to Gameworks, and had dinner at the Aladdin. I also bought a bunch of stuff, notably a LoveSac and some new shirts. Comparisons of a LoveSac to a beanbag are inevitable, but that's like comparing Sir Laurence Olivier to Keanu Reeves, or a Pinto to a Ferrari, or Lacuna Coil to Evanescence; they're kind of the same, but it insults the integrity of the LoveSac to liken them. I've wanted a LoveSac for quite some time, but they have always been far too expensive. I managed to catch them hugely on sale this time, and got one that ordinarily costs $229 for $110. And please disregard the fact the Britney Spears apparently also owns one.
Allison and I both bought shirts at Neighborhoodies, the customized clothing store that made my "Good Eye, Sniper" hoodie. Allison's comes from a quote by Mother Teresa that goes "Love until it hurts, then there will be no hurt, only love." If you knew Allison, I think you would agree that it is exactly the kind of thing she needs on a t-shirt.
Also got a shirt made for Lauren, that says "You have to be the cutest gravedigger I've ever seen." Amanda and Nicole, the Neighborhoodies girls, were particularly proud of that one.
Day Four was spent mostly in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace.
A gallery by a photographer named Peter Lik was of particular interest. All of his photos were surreally beautiful images of North American landscape (and a bit of Australian), but the picture that caught my eye most of all stood out because it seemed familiar. It was of a seaside lighthouse shooting a green beam across smooth, grey rocks.
As I had suspected, it was taken at Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia, where Allison and I had visited the summer before. One of my photographs of the Peggy's Cove lighthouse:
After Caesar's, we hit the famous art museum at the Bellagio, which was showcasing the rise and fall of impressionism. Lots of Van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet, Renoir, and their ilk, but my favorites were by Corot, an early impressionist of whom I had never heard. We saw the newest hotel in Vegas, the Wynn, the most expensive hotel ever built. Colossally average, if you ask me. It was very classy and elegant, but so are the Bellagio and the Venetian, and they let us stay there for free because my Grandma is a compulsive gambler (and a damn good one at that). It also has a Ferrari dealership with a gift shop that sold t-shirts for $95. We also ate at the caf and paid $12 for a crummy club sandwich. Those bastards. We journeyed back up to the Venetian, showered, and prepared for our next show, Cirque du Soleil's Ka. It would do the performance no justice for me to attempt to describe it here. You're better off with the official website than with my limited storytelling abilities.
Mostly took it easy on our final day. Saw the Mirage (as if we hadn't been seeing heat-induced mirages the entire trip...) and finished our exploration of the Venetian.
Got some rather delectable gelato as well. Flew out at 2:30 Vegas time, landed in Raleigh around 11:00 NC time, took Allison home, reached Albemarle around 3, and crashed. Hell of a trip. Due to some communication issues, I wasn't able to meet up with BrightEye or Lyric, but hey, we live in the same state. I think it's probably more appropriate we meet on our home turf instead of the other side of the country.
Part Deux
Spent the bulk of the third day in Gameworks, the largest arcade in the world, and designed by Steven Spielberg to boot. We took a break from zombie-killing and street racing to watch Fantastic Four next door. I found it to be very average; not good, but not bad. I really liked the guys playing Human Torch and The Thing, but I couldn't help pulling for something horrible to happen to Mr. Fantastic. He was such a dork. And honestly, who trusts a guy named Victor von Doom? We returned to Gameworks, and had dinner at the Aladdin. I also bought a bunch of stuff, notably a LoveSac and some new shirts. Comparisons of a LoveSac to a beanbag are inevitable, but that's like comparing Sir Laurence Olivier to Keanu Reeves, or a Pinto to a Ferrari, or Lacuna Coil to Evanescence; they're kind of the same, but it insults the integrity of the LoveSac to liken them. I've wanted a LoveSac for quite some time, but they have always been far too expensive. I managed to catch them hugely on sale this time, and got one that ordinarily costs $229 for $110. And please disregard the fact the Britney Spears apparently also owns one.
Allison and I both bought shirts at Neighborhoodies, the customized clothing store that made my "Good Eye, Sniper" hoodie. Allison's comes from a quote by Mother Teresa that goes "Love until it hurts, then there will be no hurt, only love." If you knew Allison, I think you would agree that it is exactly the kind of thing she needs on a t-shirt.
Also got a shirt made for Lauren, that says "You have to be the cutest gravedigger I've ever seen." Amanda and Nicole, the Neighborhoodies girls, were particularly proud of that one.
Day Four was spent mostly in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace.
A gallery by a photographer named Peter Lik was of particular interest. All of his photos were surreally beautiful images of North American landscape (and a bit of Australian), but the picture that caught my eye most of all stood out because it seemed familiar. It was of a seaside lighthouse shooting a green beam across smooth, grey rocks.
As I had suspected, it was taken at Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia, where Allison and I had visited the summer before. One of my photographs of the Peggy's Cove lighthouse:
After Caesar's, we hit the famous art museum at the Bellagio, which was showcasing the rise and fall of impressionism. Lots of Van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet, Renoir, and their ilk, but my favorites were by Corot, an early impressionist of whom I had never heard. We saw the newest hotel in Vegas, the Wynn, the most expensive hotel ever built. Colossally average, if you ask me. It was very classy and elegant, but so are the Bellagio and the Venetian, and they let us stay there for free because my Grandma is a compulsive gambler (and a damn good one at that). It also has a Ferrari dealership with a gift shop that sold t-shirts for $95. We also ate at the caf and paid $12 for a crummy club sandwich. Those bastards. We journeyed back up to the Venetian, showered, and prepared for our next show, Cirque du Soleil's Ka. It would do the performance no justice for me to attempt to describe it here. You're better off with the official website than with my limited storytelling abilities.
Mostly took it easy on our final day. Saw the Mirage (as if we hadn't been seeing heat-induced mirages the entire trip...) and finished our exploration of the Venetian.
Got some rather delectable gelato as well. Flew out at 2:30 Vegas time, landed in Raleigh around 11:00 NC time, took Allison home, reached Albemarle around 3, and crashed. Hell of a trip. Due to some communication issues, I wasn't able to meet up with BrightEye or Lyric, but hey, we live in the same state. I think it's probably more appropriate we meet on our home turf instead of the other side of the country.
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Here's what makes it even better... I commute from Raleigh.