SUNDAY:
Good omens abounded as the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 touched down at McCarron airport in Las Vegas on May 1. That was in stark contrast to the last few days before the trip, making me even more antsy than usual to get off the plane and get my vacation started. The first good omen came when my alarm went off at the ridiculously early hour of 4 a.m. We were taking an 8:40 a.m. flight out of Indianapolis, which meant we needed to leave by 4:45 or so to make the drive up to Indy, get through check-in and security and make it to the gate with minimal time stress.
I was going with good friends Steve and Jennifer and was happy when they showed up at my place early, when I was fresh out of the shower. I had packed the night before, so all I had to do was get my bathroom supplies together and I was ready to roll. We hit the road 15 minutes earlier than planned. I took that as Good Sign No. 1.
The drive up was rainy, as almost every day of the last three weeks had been in the flooded-out Ohio Valley, but it passed quickly. As we rode past fields that were normally dry but instead reflected the streetlights in inches of standing water, we talked about the upcoming weather in Vegas, which was set to be in the mid to upper eighties with zero chance of precipitation. That in and of itself seemed like paradise. Good Sign No. 2.
The good people of the TSA were good enough to give me my first full body scan (see? I told you all you have to do was tip the guy at the metal detector and they’d give you one). I had a feeling that after many rants about how unnecessary, intrusive and irritating airport security has become I’d be chosen to go through one of those big wastes of time. Sure enough, I was one of the lucky ones selected to step to the side, put my hands in the air and wave them like I just didn’t care (actually, they want you to stand still in that position, kind of making you feel like an unfortunate bank teller in a western movie). The scanner whirred around me, irradiating me with enough waves to make my fillings hurt (total exaggeration) and a few seconds later I was given the all-clear.
After parking we went through check-in. Flying Southwest is a little different with open seating. The airline divides the passengers up in groups A, B and C, then puts them in numerical order. Group A goes in first, followed by Group B then C, but you sit wherever there’s an open seat. Despite getting to the airport early, we found ourselves in Group C. By the time we got on the plane, the flight attendants told us only middle seats were available. Luckily I found two skinny people and plopped down between them.
Both of my row-mates were pleasant folks. The woman in the window seat worked with dogs who had been abused or used in science experiments, meaning they were skittish around people and had to be re-socialized. She had some interesting stories about her work, while the man in the aisle seat and I compared notes on our e-reader devices. I had my Nook on and ready to go, but as always I had a difficult time staying awake on the plane and napped most of the way out. We even got to Las Vegas 15 minutes early, bringing us Good Sign No. 3.
Landing in Vegas is exciting since the airport is so close to the strip. Taxiing to the terminal you can see Mandalay Bay, Luxor, the Tropicana and the MGM Grand out your window. I knew I was fired up and ready. We got our bags, took the tram over to the rental car building (it’s such a big business in Vegas the rental car companies have their own plaza complete with shops and a Starbucks) and got our Corolla for the week. Since it was only 10:00 or so local time at that point, we had a few hours to kill before our hotel was ready for us, so we did what any good tourists would do after falling out of the airport in a rental car: We drove the strip.
We also an In-N-Out Burger to see what all the west coast hype was about. After grabbing a cheeseburger and fries there, I see exactly why people from California miss that place. Excellent burger there.
After cruising and a food stop, we made our way to the hotel, stocked up on a few provisions for the week and headed out. That night we hit the Bellagio, my favorite resort on the strip for its elegance and class, and got a front-row spot for a nighttime dancing fountain show (still breathtaking).
We also walked through the conservatory. The theme of the conservatory changes each month and they build gorgeous sets of flowers and plants. We went at night so the pictures didn't turn out as well as they would have in the daytime, but they give you an idea of how elaborate their designs can be. They even included a glass house which held hundreds of live butterflies:
While I always find it tough to leave Bellagio, we had a lot to explore, so we headed out and checked out the Mirage as well as TI. Things got a lot less highbrow there. Only in Vegas can you go from the sophistication of the Bellagio to Bikini Bullriding at Gilley's in TI (voted top bikini bullriding spot on the strip according to the sign, so you know it's top-notch).
We had packed in quite a bit for a first day. We'd cruised the strip, had dinner at the Orleans, gambled some (I'll get into that tomorrow as it led to one of the absolute highlights of the week) and hit some of the nicest places in the city. While Vegas gives you energy to go for hours longer than you normally would, it was getting late, and it was downright early in the morning in our own time zone, so we were ready to sack out and hit town with a vengeance again the next day.
But I'd be remiss if I didn't end my entry for Sunday with this next picture, taken at about 2 a.m. Vegas time as we walked back to the parking garage to get back to the car. I don't know what was funnier, the fact that we crossed paths with these guys in front of the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace, or the fact that one of them high-fived me for wearing a Liverpool FC jersey:
You gotta love Vegas.
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