LISA & BOB:
Luxor, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon Travelogue
Friday, Oct 8
I was busy from 9am through 4pm but once I freed up, I went to find Bob and to make a plan. Some friends had discussed going over to see the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, so we went downstairs to wait for them. We were told (incorrectly) that they'd left already, so we decided to walk over there.
We began with the Excalibur, curious about the "fortune teller" robots - "Should I bet on red or black..." We then hit New York New York across the street, with its skyline and roller coaster. The entryway looked down on the red-jacketed waitresses, slot machines and bright, brassy look. We then crossed across to the MGM Grand which had Diana Ross style singers and a lion on a glass tunnel. We got lost in the MGM, finally emerging out the back door.
We found our way back to the strip, went past Bally's and into Paris - this was just opened and had a big hot-air-balloon sign out front, and the Eiffel tower with its legs down in the casino. It was dark, metallic, with those huge metal legs on the four sides. Very strange.
Next was the Venetian, much more open, gorgeous curved archways, light stonework, open stairways. There were costumed religious and singer types wandering around, and up on the second floor, a waterway with singing gondoliers. There were gorgeous shops, and a ceiling that cycled through day and night. Very, very pretty.
It was a long, long walk out to the Hilton. We were a bit tired when we hit there, with the glass chandeliers and elegance of the game areas. It then merged into a futuristic look with lasers and such, and we were at the Experience. There were timelines down the sides of the walkway, and costumes and props from the various shows. Very neat! Tribbles and tricorders, Vulcan outfits and the flute that Picard played.
The show itself was neat- you were "mistakenly" beamed to the future and Riker and Geordi talked to you from large viewscreens. There's a motion-ride thing involving flights over Las Vegas, and then you're "home again" in Quark's Bar.
In the bar, we hunt out with people in costume and I had "Klingon Blood" I believe which was just a Merlot. We didn't have time for the bizarre smoking drinks or foods, and decided to take the trolly back. Well, Bob decided this, I wanted to take the cab to get back in time for the evening wedding.
No such luck - our trolley stopped and we had to swap to another one, then a third trolley was hit and we had to pick up their people. We made it down to dinner an hour late, at 8pm. Ah well, we had the food and were fed. When we were through, we fell fast asleep.
Day 5 - Saturday
Day 1 - Tuesday