Las Vegas Is HOT!!!!
No, I’m not talking about the chicks, the shows, or the plethora of gambling casinos. I’m literally referring to the desert climate. The temperature sizzled at a scorching 117 degrees Fahrenheit as we entered the city limits and found our way on Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as “the Strip.” On days like these it makes me consider whether air conditioning was the greatest invention of the 20th century.
We entered Vegas without any accommodations but consulted our trusty guidebook, Let’s Go Roadtripping USA. This thick travel guide has never failed to steer us in the right direction and our stay in Vegas was no exception. Let’s Go recommended the Excalibur Hotel, one of the best-bargain mega-casino hotels on the Strip. We stayed there for $53 a night and it was easily our best room.
If you love to gamble, Vegas is your Mecca. But you probably knew that already. Vegas also has tons of shopping, dining, and of course is renowned for its shows. Las Vegas used to be known for the cheap buffet, but now world-class restaurants line the casino floor perimeters. World famous elite chefs own many restaurants in Vegas and it seemed like every hotel contained at least two eateries owned by Wolfgang Puck. Mario Batelli and a few others you might see on the Food Network also own restaurants in Vegas.
For our stay, we found this elegant Italian restaurant in the New York New York Casino. The food was yummy; Melissa claimed it was the best penne vodka she’s eaten. I had the cannelli con pollo (I think?) but it was a chicken dish with mushrooms and a creamy sauce. Yum. A bit pricey for our budget, but that’s Vegas. Pricing can vary: buffets cost between $20-30 per person and many restaurants price per entrée, but what’s slowly become common is one particular price point (say between $69 and $99, perhaps) for a three-course meal: that will get you one appetizer, one entrée, and one desert per person. We didn’t go that route because, again, that’s a little beyond our budget.
But we were able to get a taste of casinos’ different themes. New York New York, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, and the Venetian are all obvious. Shaped like a black glass pyramid, Luxor showcased their Ancient Egyptian theme. Excalibur had a medieval/fantasy castle theme to it. The Bellagio displayed a bit more elegance, though Vegas as a whole seems to be moving away from the sleaze and more towards refinery and, dare I say it, taste.
Vegas was fun, but I’d have to say I had enough. It’s all too easy to see that spending too much time in Sin City can warp your thinking, and not in a good way.
