Viva Las Vegas!

Nov 26 - Dec 3, 2021

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? If you have, you know that it’s very “extra” — the city buzzes with extra lights, extra decor, extra people, extra energy.

Quite a contrast to our stripped-down life in Big Blue — which is quiet, minimal, and almost solitary. No wonder our heads spun when we arrived in Las Vegas!

And that was before a problem popped up. Or you might say, popped off.

Why We Chose Las Vegas

Last spring we sat through a timeshare presentation at Colonial Williamsburg. Our reward was a timeshare week to be used anywhere at all, for free. (Fine print: Anywhere listed on a certain website. Free meaning free except for resort fees.) The fine print was not a problem — we’ve done this before and knew what to expect.

Months ago as we made plans to spend a year in Big Blue, we knew we’d enjoy cashing in this freebie, perhaps as a way to celebrate a special occasion or holiday.

If you’ve followed our trip from the beginning, you might recall that we began on Oct 1, just as Doug was celebrating his 63rd birthday. My birthday falls two months after Doug’s, in early December. What a perfect target date for a change of pace and bit of luxury!

We anticipated being somewhere “out West” then, since our plans are to celebrate Christmas with Doug’s mom in Reno. When we went online to search timeshare options in Utah in December, very few popped up, and all of them were ski resorts. (Unfortunately, we don’t ski.) So we broadened our search to Nevada, which brought up a handful of choices in Las Vegas. Voila!

A Brontosaurus

Riding Big Blue is a bit like riding a brontosaurus. It doesn’t seamlessly slip into a stream of traffic. It doesn’t glide from lane to lane. And when it’s time to park, it doesn’t tuck easily into an out-of-the-way corner.

Honestly, Big Blue’s size is why we avoid cities.

Arriving in Las Vegas was exciting and hairy and exhausting. Navigating through traffic to the resort. Waiting in a long line to get registered. Figuring out parking alternatives (the garage was too short for Big Blue). Packing up everything we’d need for a week and schlepping it up an elevator to the room.

No, not a room, a whole apartment! How lovely to be in so much space! The bathroom alone was larger than our camper. We could actually be out of each other’s sight and earshot!

We felt very pleased with ourselves as we watched the sunset from our balcony.

Then we started the laundry. Egads!

Other “life maintenance” activities needed attention, too. For instance we were overdue to sort through our pantry items. When we outfitted Big Blue we basically created a fantasy — every trip begins as a fantasy of some kind.

After two months we were ready to let go of our fantasy trip and embrace the trip we were actually taking.

One of Doug’s priorities was to arrange for us to get our booster shots. It took some doing, but he made it happen at a Walmart, which took most of a day.

One morning we gave each other haircuts.

Every day we soaked in the resort pool and hot tubs, which was the best part of the whole week. 

And yes, we did sit through another timeshare presentation — to earn a $100 gift card. Perhaps not worth two hours for the two of us. But we couldn’t resist the opportunity to earn a tank of gas for Big Blue.

The Sights of Las Vegas

On this trip so far we’ve spent lots of energy sighting wildlife — buffalo, mule deer and coyotes. The sights of the Las Vegas strip are an entirely different kind of wildlife.

We walked up and down the strip, which extends for miles. We stopped to listen to live outdoor music.

We enjoyed the holiday decorations outside and inside the casinos. This colorful Chihluly glass sculpture is overhead in the Bellagio lobby.

Outside the Bellagio are the famous fountains, with jets of water timed to music. We watched and listened as Celine Dion belted out “My Heart Will Go On” from the Titanic!

As we walked the strip I wanted to flow along like water, but I did not feel that Zen! After nearly two years of pandemic isolation, I found it disconcerting to be in a throng of people.

But it’s also true that Las Vegas is not my kind of place. The sex for sale upsets me — not purely because I’m prudish (which I am), but also because it’s unclear to me that everyone participating in the sex industry is doing it of their own free will. I’ve written about sexual abuse, it’s not something I can, or want to, ignore.

Meals in Las Vegas

We enjoyed a number of meals out. On Saturday night we ate at Il Fornaio Canaletto, in the Venetian. We were serenaded as we feasted on thin crust pizza, gnocchi, and pasta, all house-made, along with lovely cocktails.

Afterward we watched the indoor gondolas — as the gondoliers propelled their boats and sang.

During our week in Las Vegas we also had two lunches at Ocean One Grill, which is justly famous for its fabulous prices.

Ocean One is located in “Miracle Mile” which, like other Las Vegas landmarks, is painted to look like the outdoors.

A Conversation with a Stranger

After our Ocean One lunch, we allowed ourselves to be lured into a store, where a sales clerk tried to sell me a beauty product. He said it was designed to tighten my under-eye bags. I had never thought of myself as having under-eye bags, but I said I’d try it. What the heck.

While he slathered my under-eye area with goop, I asked him where he was from. He said “Haifa” and I said, “I love Haifa!” Then we had a lovely chat about Israel, and how he ended up in Las Vegas.

When he told me the product cost only $200 — for a year’s supply! — I laughed as I told him no. Although I did realize, with some consternation, and for the very first time, that there’s a bit of looseness in my under-eye area.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm sixty-four.

Thanks — or maybe no thanks! — to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who’ve had us questioning this birthday for decades!

Also, as we walked away, I couldn’t help but notice that no one had tried to sell Doug any products for his face. (He’s a year younger but that’s not the reason.)

Then Things Went Wrong

On our second-to-last night in Las Vegas, Doug wanted to cook a special meal for my birthday. The timeshare provides grills, so he bought my favorite, ribeye steaks, along with side dishes.

As he took the elevator down to the grill area, the lid to a baking dish slipped off and shattered across the lobby floor.

Worse, when the meal was ready and Doug took his first bite — into a twice-baked potato — the crown came off his front tooth!

Which meant we needed to find a dentist on an emergency basis.

The next day we succeeded in finding a dentist, and arranging an appointment. After a lot of logistics, he succeeded in getting the crown reattached.

Only to have it come off again, at the very next meal.

Which meant that on our final evening in Las Vegas, when we went to the Paris Casino to eat at Mon Ami Gabi, he was missing a tooth. Look at him gamely smiling with pursed lips!

It made for a memorable birthday meal, if not exactly what we had in mind!

The next morning, our last day in Las Vegas, he got the crown fixed again, but was told it was temporary. He needed more extensive work done — probably a root canal and/or an implant. Either way, the work would take a number of weeks. We needed to make a plan. Not easy when you’re on the road.

Have you been to Las Vegas? Tell us about it in the comments.

Next time: Valley of Fire SP and a different kind of wildlife.