You can find Part One here and Part Two here.
Las Vegas, Baby!!
I was going to start this post by saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” but that would mean you wouldn’t have anything to read about our night in Sin City and we can’t have that!
Viva Las Vegas
After touring Hoover Dam we went back to the campsite to have some lunch and grab a quick nap before driving 26 miles to Las Vegas. During the drive I played my three favorite versions of “Viva Las Vegas” much to Cindy’s disapproval. They were, in order of preference:
- Viva Las Vegas by ZZ Top
- Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley
- Viva Las Vegas by Richard Cheese & Allison Crowe from the “Army of the Dead” movie soundtrack
Let me know in the comments which version you like best or if you have a different version you prefer.
By the way, did you know that “Viva Las Vegas” was the most successful of the 31 films Elvis starred in, returning more than $5 million to MGM Studios on an investment of less than $1 million?
The first place we wanted to go was the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada sign for a photo. Dumbass GPS gave us wrong directions but we finally found it. We grabbed a parking spot nearby so we could get a photo of it and our selfie in front of it.
Then we drove down The Strip to the Bellagio where they offered the cheapest parking we could find; $24 for 24 hours (though we had no intention of being there for that long) in a gated garage. Voyager would be safe while we played.
Dinner at Holstein’s
The first thing we wanted to do was get some dinner. Our iPhone map said there was a Wahlburger (we’ve been wanting to try them) inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel…but there wasn’t. A very nice hotel employee was going to walk us down the block to where it actually was, but during the walk he sold us on going back inside The Cosmopolitan and having dinner (we wanted burgers) at their own Holstein’s. Listen, if a $25 hamburger isn’t going to be good, what is? Am I right?
Anyway, we had a wonderful server and she took good care of us. We enjoyed the burgers, fries and shake we had and the atmosphere was pure Vegas. You can’t beat it. Unfortunately Marriott just bought the hotel and they are saying they will be closing Holstein’s.
Losing All her Money
Aside from seeing the sights of Vegas at night, our main purpose was so Cindy could have fun gambling at the one-armed bandits she loves to play. We visited the casinos at Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and The Mirage where she judiciously used $20 at each stop to see if she could win a fortune. Lady Luck was NOT with her. At the first two hotels she lost her $20 pretty quick, even if they were penny machines that made you bet a minimum of 75 cents for each pull of the lever.
But she had her most fun at The Mirage (which will be closing in July to be remade as a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with a 700 foot long guitar) where I found her a Wicked Witch of the West slot machine to play. She lost some, won some, lost some, won some and finally lost it all. But the important thing was she had fun doing it and could now say she gambled on the Vegas Strip.
Sights of Las Vegas
We also had a great time seeing the sights. We played “Hooker, Not Hooker” (Thanks, Jeremy!) but Cindy made me say “H” instead. Still, we laughed and had a good time with our private jokes. At Caesar’s Palace we had to find the “David” statue so Cindy could stand underneath it at the suggestion of friends Tim and Alan. You know, dangly bits and all that, lol.
The fountain show at Bellagio was pretty gorgeous to watch. They time their music to the spurts of water better than I do on our YouTube videos.
Finally, around 11 pm we headed back to the garage to get Voyager and make the drive back to Boulder Beach Campground. We were two tired but happy people who had probably seen enough of Las Vegas to last the rest of our lives, but it was fun for one night.
Please join us for Part Four when we hike the Historic Railroad Trail and Bella finds a REAL rattlesnake!
Thanks for following The Wandering Wetheringtons.