That’s a Wrap, Jack!

Posted on April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 by Dusty Roads

That about sums up this trip to Las Vegas. Nothing too crazy but still fun and a nice break from reality. The rumor is that our next company convention in January will be in Vegas. I may just have to add a couple of days and stay at Polo Towers again. Maybe I’ll make it to Mandalay Bay and the Shark Tank!

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I think I forgot to mention that we did stop by the Bellagio so I could show Sandy the dancing fountains. I really think I got a better feel for Vegas this trip; traveled around more.

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So now what do I do and where do I go next?

My next scheduled time off is for a short trip in July to Maine but I think I need to find some things to share before then.

This weekend is supposed to be nice but my car is going in for “surgery”. Like me it needs a new “rear end”.

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They said to expect to have the car tied up all day but maybe I can squeeze in a short trip to the pond in Plymouth to see if there are any baby ducks or swans.

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Another project is to learn to shoot in “raw”. (That’s photography speak to anyone who isn’t into cameras.) Well, actually it’s not the photo taking that’s hard, it’s the editing. I’ll have to learn how to edit “raw” photos. That means new software etc. Kind of boring topic unless you’re a photography buff.

But I’m sure I can find something to babble mindlessly about until the next trip. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments. I love getting dialog going.

Saturday Night in Vegas

Posted on January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 by Dusty Roads

When you think about it, JR and I did an amazing job of coordinating our arrival and finding each other amid the lights, bells , whistles and people in the hotel and casino. As you can imagine after spending 3 days and nights on a greyhound bus, JR’s first priority was a shower and change of clothes. I was in better shape as I’d had a shower and fresh clothes before I left San Diego.

The Hotel we are staying in is the LINQ, a part of the Caesar’s Palace empire. The Hotel was billed as one of the newest jewels in the Caesar Crown and I fell for it. I paid the upgrade because I wanted JR to have a great time as it was his birthday gift. It was a rip off. The hotel room was very basic. It didn’t even have a dresser or a coffee pot. The closet door was a curtain. The bathroom door was a sliding “pocket door” and it was shower only, no tub. Our cruise ship cabin was almost as big!

About all I can say for it is that it was clean. The room was on the 18th floor but no balcony and security was tight. We had to show our room keys to a security guard whenever we went up in the elevator. At least that made me feel safe.

View From Our Window , 18th floor of the LINQ

We decided not to lug the cameras the first night and just roam around until dinner time. Anything interesting could be captured on the cell phone cameras and there was a lot of interest. One of my favorite things were the characters. It was almost like being in Disney.

There was Olaf, Mickey and Minnie but there was also Elvis and Darth Vader, Marilyn Monroe and on and on.

We enjoyed a very loud dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and wandered over to the Bellagio for the fountain show. Along the way we passed the Eiffel Tower and Paris and The Flamingo Hotel. For neon lovers, Vegas at night does not disappoint!

Yummy Pina Colada

On our return we stopped at the Linq Promenade for more colorful fountains and our first look at the High Roller, the biggest Ferris Wheel in the World! The pods make me think of Star Wars!

LINQ Promenade and High Roller

Back in the hotel it didn’t take long to hit the hay. I was asleep before JR turned off the TV. Tomorrow I have the obligatory presentation ( a 60 minute sales pitch) and then we’ll check out the mono rail and decide what we want to spend the day exploring.

What’s New in Vegas

Posted on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Like I said yesterday, I haven’t been to Vegas in a long time so I thought I’d poke around some of the web pages and see what’s been happening and what we might want to see.

First of all, I looked for FREE things to do. Free is always good! XD

I don’t believe the Silverton Hotel was there when I last visited. Certainly the Aquarium wasn’t. I wonder if this is one of the ATM Aquariums from the Animal Planet Show Tanked. ATM is based in Las Vegas and they installed a huge aquarium where they do a mermaid show.

And guess what! There’s a mermaid show at the Silverton Hotel’s Aquarium. We will just have to check that out! I have seen a mermaid show before in Florida at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

I think I need to compare the shows.

A little more poking around and sure enough, this Aquarium is the ATM aquarium featured in the Tanked series! The review I found was written by a big Fan of the show and she gave the aquarium rave reviews. and included pictures!. Now it’s definitely a must see…cameras at ready.

Up next in the Free department is the Bellagio Conservatory. The Bellagio was under construction when I was in Vegas last for more than a change of planes and that was back in 1998. I told you it had been awhile. Anyway, this looks amazing.

The exhibit in the conservatory changes according to the season. They even have live musical performances daily. I bet this would be even more amazing during the holidays!

Of course while we’re visiting the Bellagio we have to see the dancing fountains. That was actually what I thought the Bellagio was known for, not the Conservatory. The Bellagio fountains were designed to “romance” the senses.

In a show of water , music and light the fountains strive to mesmerize the views. This is the most ambitious, choreographically complex water feature ever conceived and it amazes against the beautiful backdrop of Las Vegas’ lavender sky. (My tripod is going on this trip for sure!)