The first mishap of the trip happened last Sunday.
We were flying from Sam Francisco to Las Vegas on Sunday night at 7:20 pm. We got to the airport on time and waited for boarding call while having a quick bite.
We waited…and waited…and waited.
At 10:30 pm we approached the service desk and found our plane was stranded in Seattle due to a mechanical failure. We had two choices, either to stay at the airport and wait for plane (which may or may not arrive) or spend the night in a hotel and fly the next day.
We chose the second option.
We got to the hotel close to midnight. Had a good night’s sleep and the next morning went exploring the area around us.
We were right next to AstraZeneca (company that made the first COVID vaccine) lab in the Oyster Point at the heart of California’s biotech cluster. Next to us was a 400 mile Bay Trail, which goes around the whole of south San Francisco water front connecting the Oyster Point to Sierra Point in north.
Oyster Point was also the area for the mass production of cargo ships during WWII. Western Pipe and Steel Company got many contracts to produce ships after the destruction of British ships by German U-boats. They were producing ships here in record time using assembly line and fabrication techniques.
A new ship was launched every 30 days. Due to the narrow channel the ships were launched sideways rather than stern first. Altogether 48 ships were launched.
We got to the airport at mid-day and waited for our flight for another seven hours. Such delays are expected during travels. Rather than getting distressed by them, I take them as opportunities to read, write and sketch.
We arrived in Las Vegus on Monday night and were greeted by the 36C. The air was as hot as it was in San Francisco during the day, the only relief was the absence of sun.
We headed straight for our hotel. We had booked Paris which is right in the middle of the Strip. The entrance to the casino is through the Eiffel tower. But the taxi dropped us through the side which was equally impressive. We entered through the replica of the Arc De Triomphe.
Once inside, there was only one way to describe the atmosphere - electric. People everywhere. They were congregating at the gaming machines, in the bars, at the food outlets. Paris Casino has created a street scene complete street lights, alfresco dining and games and even the clear skies. Only in Vegus they can create a replica of sky. The reception area was straight from Versailles. Huge chandeliers, guided walls and impressionist paintings.
The next morning we went exploring the city. Everywhere roads were blocked to prepare the race track for the Formula 1 in November. A new stadium is being build too. A globe of the suzze of a sky scrapper is being build which has more LED lights than anywhere on the world. It will be used as a theatre when it is complete.
It was too hot to walk outside. So we stayed inside the Miracle Mile. In the evening we went to see a Cirque du Soleils she called KA. I was told it was the longest running show of Cirque do Soleil. Although spectacular in every sense it failed to impress us. I have seen better shows by Cirque du Soleils.
On the way back we went exploring other casinos.
Since we are neither gamblers not drinkers, we were more interested in decode. For which Bellagio took the top marks. I have stayed there in the previous visit to Vegus and remembered how impressive their lobby is with glass art work by artist Dale Chihuly.
Called “Fiori di Como,” it a stunning canopy of hand-blown glass flowers in different colors spanning 2,000 square feet on the ceiling.
But nothing prepared me for the indoor garden they have created based on world’s famous garden statues.
We watched Bellagio’s famous fountain show around midnight and called it a day.
The next day we started early and boarded the tour bus to the Grand Canyon.
“I have picked up no one from Las Vegas this morning.” announced the bus driver.
Everyone laughed.
“You guys are smart,” he said, “It took me six years to figure that out.”
Last time, I saw the Grand Canyon from the west side, this time I booked the tour to the south rim. We made three stops on the way. The most interesting one was in Sligman, a historic town on Route 66, that inspired Disney-Pixer movie Cars.
The town has many shops cum museums owned and operated by Route 66 enthusiast.
“Angel Delgadillo’s Barber Shop,” “The Rusty Bolt, Westside Lilo’s Cafe,” and “Delgadillo Snow Cap,” to name a few.
“Delgadillo Snow Cap,” is a colorful and rundown drive-in, where the sign - “Sorry we are open” – is evidence of the strange irony characterizing this place.
But without doubt the most interesting and most photographed one is “Historic Seligman Sundries.”Full of vintage cars, this gourmet-museum-warehouse-cafeteria is one of the town’s longest-running businesses.
I talked to the owner and she told me they don't think if it as a business. This is their passion. Their life. Their place was the inspiration behind the movie Cars and also features in the movie.
We made two stops at the Grand Canyon. The first one was at Mather’s point. The vast expense of the Canyon was amazing. Layers of sediment were visible from miles away.
277 miles long, 10 miles wide and nearly a mile deep, all cut by the Colorado river over millions of years. No wonder it is considered as one of seven natural wonders of the world.
We took photos and walked as much as we could in 38C heat.
The next stop was at Verkamp Visitor Centre where one of the Klob Brother’s shop and studio is. Kolb brothers were pioneer photographers who turned the Grand Canyon into the famous tourist destination it is today with their amazing photography.
In 1911, Kolb brothers made a thousand-mile trip down the Colorado River and made the first motion picture of it the world had ever seen.
It took us five hours to get back to Las Vegas. On the way back we made a short stop at the Hoover Dam. We also took photographs of the famous Las Vegus sign.
On the last Day in Las Vegas we were going to go on a tour of two more National Parks - Bryce and Zion, but decided against them. It was too hot to spend another day outdoors.
Instead we decided to soak in the Las Vegas. First we went for buffet breakfast at Bellagio. I wanted to recreate the experience of eating there on my previous trip to Vegas.
The buffet was as magnificent and sumptuous as I remembered. We decided to try things we don't normally try. The cake sticks (I have never seen those anywhere before) melted in mouth. Sesame balls ( again never seen or tasted those anywhere before) were something to die for.
From there we took a Tram to The Shops at Crystal. A part of the ARIA Casino, the Shops at Crystals is a collection of 50 of the finest luxury brands in the world. I saw and touch $7000 handbags at Fendi and tried $38,000 necklace at Tiffany, for free. 😊
My research showed that most of the casinos in Vegas are owned by two groups - MGM Resorts and Ceaser Entertainment.
Ceaser Palace, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Horseshoe, Cromwell, Flamingo, LINQ, and Harrah are owned by Ceaser Entertainment.
Bellagio, Aria, Mandala Bay, Luxor, Excalibar, New York New York, Vadara, Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand and Park MGM are owned by MGM group. They run a free tram between their.
We explored Aria, Cosmopolitan, MGM Park and Ceasar Palace. I was really impressed with their decode.
Although all the casino were buzzing with activity there were not that many people gambling. Many tables were empty and I didn't see anyone in the the high limit rooms in any if the casino I visited.
An insider told us that the younger generation was not interested in gambling. They were more into “experiences.” That’s the reason many casinos are coming up with alternate ways for making money.
Shows are one way to attract the younger generation. All the shows were mostly sellouts. Tickets range from $89 to $500. Adele’s concert, which is not until August, is already sold out, and it's starting prize is $700.
We decided to watch a magic show on our last night in Vegas.
We tossed between David Copperfield and Chris Angel’s Mindfreak. Reviews for Copperfield show were not that good so we picked Mindfreak and we were delighted to find out that we made the right choice.
The show was mindblowing, energetic and engaging. Mind freak is voted number one show for six years, in a row. Chris Angel is funny, magnetic and compassionate. He runs a non-profit charity to help kids with cancer because his own son had cancer when he was just ten months old.
This is a sober account of my visit to Las Vegas. People come here to do crazy things.
What crazy things you or someone you know have done in Vegas? Share some stories with me in comments.
For the next seven weeks, I am on holiday in US and Canada. This means you will hear about my adventures, on and off, when I get time to write them and have a Wifi connection to post them.
You can get my new book here.
That’s all from me this week.
Neera Mahajan
Whenever you are ready, there are three ways I can help you.
Thanks for sharing your travelogue with us! Your summer itinerary is mighty impressive. I hope you get to see Bryce Canyon and Zion someday when it’s cool--2 of my favorites!