As for the rest of our time in Vegas, we made the usual rounds and took advantage of the free entertainment and attractions along The Strip – the pirate show at Treasure Island, the musical fountains of The Bellagio, the botanical garden also at The Bellagio, the Fountain of Trevi replica, the Atlantis Aquarium and the Atlantic animatronics show at Caesar’s Palace, the “Lake of Dreams” show at Wynn’s, the exploding volcano at The Mirage (which was sadly under repair at the time of our visit), the flamingos at Flamingo’s (of course), the mermaid aquarium at Silverton, the “Carnaval Court” at Harrah’s, the coral reef aquarium at The Mirage, the circus acts and rides at Circus Circus, the artwork at Cosmopolitan’s, the Venetian waterfalls at The Palazzo, the light show at Eiffel Tower Paris, the shark reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the Grand Canal at The Venetian with its gondolas and street performers, and the Las Vegas “Walk of Stars.” That was a mouthful…and as you can probably tell, it was, for us, a case of so many things in so little time.
The pirate show at Treasure Island had me fooled. I thought it was a wholesome buccaneer tale fit for our nine-year-old niece to watch. Turned out they retired this show in 2003 and replaced it with an adult-oriented tale of tempting sirens in skimpy outfits engaging in a battle with a band of renegade pirates. And to think we left our sumptuous buffet dinner in a hurry to make sure we got there early to secure a prized spot! It was a good thing that all the lighting, smoke, and pyrotechnic effects masked the spectacle of sensual dancing and seductive partying between the sirens and the pirates.
My brother told me that the old show, known as, “The Battle of Buccaneer Bay,” was more kid-friendly. The storyline focused on a raging battle between a pirate ship and a British ship in the artificial lagoon in front to the hotel. The spectacle was all about the stunts, the booming cannons, and the fighting between the two crews, which would be won by the pirates. The climax featured the sinking British ship with its Captain standing brave and proud as he met his watery grave.
The new one, called, “Sirens of Treasure Island,” revolved around how the sexy sirens lured the pirates to their island by singing and gyrating. After a battle scene characterized by acrobatics and sword play executed in a provocative fashion, the fiery clash turned into a modern, hip party with even more dancing. That was certainly not what I expected to see, nor wanted our niece to watch.
I guess, over the years, most Las Vegas attractions originally geared to attract families and kids have been revamped to cater to more mature audiences.
At least, the animatronics show at Caesar’s Palace remain wholesome and true to its mythical tale of Greek gods fighting over the control of Atlantis. As well, the “Lake of Dreams” show at Wynn’s, with it’s nature theme and cute puppets still endear children. I sure hope they remain that way, so our son can still see them when we take him to Las Vegas one day.
Las Vegas’ all-sensory extravaganza could be quite overwhelming. I couldn’t decide if I was going to love or hate all the brightness, the loudness, and the tackiness of it all. It was like a humongous adult playroom where cheap copies of classic places and objects were collected and dolled up. I joked with my husband that like its numerous dinner buffets in almost every hotel, Las Vegas is a city laid out with a smorgasbord of chintzy attractions that cater to every imaginable whim and flight of fantasy.
But it has its own charm and I won’t deny that I had a great time. And because this was a family-oriented trip, we enjoyed youthful jaunts in almost the same way as our niece did.
We had brunch at the Rainforest Café, the jungle-themed restaurant wildly popular in those days, especially among kids, because of its tropical rainforest setting, animatronic rainforest animals, and colourful fish tanks. The food was the typical American fare, but the draw here was not its culinary offerings, but the immersive experience. Where else can you dine amidst elephants trumpeting and flapping their ears, monkeys chattering playfully among the tree branches, an anaconda hissing while its slimy body is coiled around a tree trunk, an alligator jumping out of the marshes and threatening to snap your hand off, macaws squawking, tree frogs croaking while flashing their bright red eyes, fluttering butterflies, and a leopard roaring and wagging its tail. It’s all fake, of course, but nevertheless entertaining. And to cap it all, there was a periodic fake thunderstorm with all the special effects.
We skipped the “Sparkling Volcano,” which was their house special dessert. It’s a giant, rich, chocolate brownie cake stacked up high and served warm with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and topped with caramel and chocolate sauces. It was tempting, but a bit of an overkill, not only because of the sugar overload, but also its sheer size, which, like the rest of our orders, and as typical of American portions, was huge enough to feed at least ten people.
The restaurant also has a gift shop that sells jungle-themed merchandise, so we spent some time looking at animal souvenirs.
Another fun place we visited was the four-level M&M’s World Las Vegas, dedicated to this American candy classic. The store does not only sell the candies in all flavours and colours possible (that you won’t be able to find in regular M&M packages), but also M&M themed merchandise, from clothing and accessories, to toys and kitchenware. It also has interactive offerings, such as a short M&M movie in a mini-theatre, a replica of Kyle Busch’s 18 M&M-sponsored NASCAR that you can take a picture in (and of course, along with it, are tons of M&M-themed racing merchandise), a “Personalize It” section where you can customize M&M candy packages, and a photo corner with the M&M mascots. We bought some shirts and candies to take home to Vancouver and Montreal and some earrings for me.
My husband was keen on doing some hair-raising activity, so we went to the Stratosphere Skypod, where a revolving rooftop restaurant, an observation deck, and some thrilling rides are located. There are three rides available – the Big Shot, the Insanity, and the X-Scream.
The Big Shot traps you on a wall and shoots you up 160 feet in the air at 45 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, all the way to the tower’s mast, and all the while overlooking the majestic Las Vegas Valley. The Insanity is like a giant mechanical arm, extending 64 feet over the edge of the Skypod, where riders dangle and spin in the open air at speeds of up to three Gs while being propelled up to an angle of 70 degrees. The X-Scream is like a mini-roller coaster that teeter-totters riders over the edge of the Skypod from 866 feet high, propelling you head first 27 feet over the edge before dangling you weightlessly above the city, after which, you are pulled back and propelled again.
We watched a group of daredevils as they tried the rides one by one. Then my husband asked who wanted to do it with him. None of us said yes. I guess, because he didn’t want to go alone and because there were some crazy line-ups for each, he decided not to go. We just enjoyed the view and posed for a souvenir photo that came with a Stratosphere picture frame.
But one thing he didn’t want to miss was the New York, New York Roller Coaster. So desperate was he that we took a taxi from one end of the Strip to the other just to make it on time, for when he realized he wanted to go, it was almost the ride’s closing time. He mad-dashed to the ticket booth as soon as we arrived at the hotel and dragged me to the line-up. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece, who wanted nothing to do with rollercoasters, waited for us at the lobby.
I wanted nothing to do with rollercoasters as well, but during the whirlwind of rushing to get the tickets, I somehow ended up following my husband. When he finally calmed down half-way through the line, he paused, looked at me, and said, “Wait. You are here lining up with me.” And I said, “Yes, I’m here. You bought two tickets, right?” And then he realized the mistake and asked me if I had really wanted to be there. He knew I hate rollercoaster rides.
But we also found out that it was too late to back out. The ride was laid out in such as way as that the only way out after purchasing the ticket is to actually go through the ride till the finish line. He started to panic. “Are you sure you want to do this? Because if not, maybe I can talk to someone to let you out.” I was too tired to think, so I just said, “Don’t worry. I am sure I can manage. It's a relatively short ride. It can’t be that bad.” Well, that was a guess, because I did not really read or ask about this rollercoaster. And boy, was that ever a wrong guess!
The deadly baby was supposedly the first coaster to feature a 180-degree “heartline” twist and dive spiral, then a half-loop maneuver. In fact, if we are going to be strict about it, this machine should be called a hyper-coaster because of its height. It reaches 203 feet and drops off at 144 feet at the dizzying speed of 67 miles per hour. The last part of the ride is executed on the roof of the hotel casino and features small hills and a “helix” into the brakes. But I did not know that yet as I admired the waiting room's design that was patterned after a New York City subway station, complete with a faux NYC skyline. I had no idea what I had signed up for.
I should have taken a hint from the adrenaline junkies behind us who couldn’t conceal their excitement as they hollered every time we advanced a step closer. Each time they bellowed like some wild animals, my husband would look at me and ask, “Are you still okay?” and I’d just absent-mindedly nod. It only dawned on me that this could be my last day on this planet when the operators seated us and helped us with our harnesses and head restraints on both sides of the head. Why so much “protection?” What is this monster going to do to us? Still, I remained silent. My husband asked again, “How are you? Are you scared? Do you still want to do this?” And I looked at him and said, “Like I still have a choice…”
And before he could reply, we started our ascent, and then all hell broke loose. From a composed lady, I morphed into a shrieking witch, screaming my lungs out as if there was no tomorrow. I felt like a human pinball being propelled to the furthest ends of the universe. If I remember it right, the moment we spun upside down, I squealed like a mad cow in labour and repeatedly said, “My goshhh, the world is upsidedooowwwnnn!” while my husband held me tight and I recall him saying something like, “It will be over soon, don’t worry!” It was the longest two minutes and forty seconds of my life.
When we disembarked, the teenagers behind us eyed me strangely as if trying to understand how those ear-piercing and eardrum-shattering screams could have come out from the seemingly mild-mannered lady they saw awhile ago.
When we met my brother and his family at the lobby, the first thing my sister-in-law asked was, “Do you need a drink?” Hahaha! My husband kept apologizing, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. I told him that this was the first and last time he’d trick me into boarding any of these monsters again.
I didn’t really have a drink, but we had a relaxing drive in downtown Las Vegas which calmed my nerves. We didn’t spend much time there as it was already getting late. We just went to see the Viva Vision Light Show, which is another Vegas must-see. Five city blocks are covered with a canopy that features a spectacular show of lights, sounds, and special effects.
My brother said that there are a lot of interesting attractions on Fremont Street and around downtown Las Vegas. It’s just that most tourists flock to The Strip first, especially first-timers. Well, we were indeed first-timers that time, and we had a grand time at The Strip. We hope to return and explore Fremont and the other off-beaten paths in “the city that never sleeps.”
I guess that’s the reason why people keep going back there. It offers endless possibilities, countless of things to do, and plenty of sights to see. There’s more to it than just the casinos, parties, shows, concerts, lights, sounds, fashion, food, and drinks.
Maybe I’ll add this city to my bucket list after all.
Photo Credits:
reviewjournal.com, lasvegasshowto.com, Bernard Wee, prnewswire.com, Wade Vandervort, Mulf, caesars.com, pixabay.com, vitalvegas.com, mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com, opentable.com, travelpulse.com, viator.com, trivago.ca, cashmanphoto.com, roig61 (Flicker), vegasexperience.com, travelnevada.com
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