More Travels 4--Strip "Teasers"

Life with Strip "Teasers"

Every room at the Rio boasts a suite. We had two queen beds and a sectional pull-out sofa for $55. The views from the 21st floor were beautiful, even if we looked out the back over the dark swimming pool away from the Strip.
But Vegas has changed. The city remakes itself to keep up with society. On the Strip, cranes stretch high for new construction. A gigantic Ferris wheel behind the Flamingo will offer families new entertainment and breathtaking views. It won't be called a Ferris wheel, since the cars suspended on the outside of the wheel will carry more than 15 people each. It's a Wheel.

The new Ferris wheel, that is only called "The Wheel,"
rises high above the surrounding hotels.

And since we were here three years ago, brand new hotels have gone up and opened--the Quad, in particular. Those that have disappeared include the Sands, the Dunes, the Stardust, the Landmark, the Hacienda, the Desert Inn, the Sahara and the Imperial Palace.
The biggest difference we notice is in the food specials. There aren't any! Vegas used to be inexpensive with great eating--steak and egg breakfasts for $1.99, all-you-can-eat dinner buffets for $4.99. Now the breakfast buffets start around $18.99, and prices for a cup of Starbuck's coffee equal those in New York.

As clouds clear, the Las Vegas Strip basks in October sun

"I remember staying at the Dunes in the 1980's for $12 a night," said Andy, "and besides a nice room, we got two adult dinners, two adult breakfasts, two adult show tickets and kids ate free."
I reminded him that in 1976 we had visited Las Vegas during a trip out West and had gone to one of the extravaganza stage shows at night for $7.76 a ticket. Now the big name entertainers can command a couple hundred dollars a ticket. We chose performances that offered two-for-one-tickets. There weren't too many of them.
Some measurable rain last night cleared the air. By 7:30 a.m. we headed to Starbuck's for breakfast and to check out the town. A go-go girl in skimpy black lace already danced on her platform in the casino at the Rio. There wasn't a soul around to watch. An older man cleaned the ashtrays by the slot machines. We hurried by. The dancer and the custodian continued their jobs numbly without a glance or a smile. By 8:00 a.m. a different dancer in black lace bounced up and down on the platform. This one smiled as we headed out toward the Strip.
As we approached the overhead sidewalk to cross Flamingo Boulevard, a tall scruffy young man with dreadlocks scrounged in a trash can. Just as I passed, he straightened up, with his back to us, and held up an almost empty Corona bottle. The lime chunk clogged the neck of the bottle. "Can't get anything out!" he screamed. He lifted his arm and smashed the bottle against the walkway wall. Glass shattered everywhere. We moved fast.
"There's a man down there who needs help," Andy told a security officer when we reached the top of the escalator. "He really went off the deep end."
Three other homeless people begged at the top of the crossway: a young Mexican man with an "I need beer" sign and a huge sombrero; a middle-aged woman with a small dog; and an older man, head bent down, with a full beard and a wool cat.

The Talking Tree invites us to play at the Bellagio.

At Bally's we met a couple from Massachusetts, who confirmed that Jubilee was the best major floor show in Vegas. "You'll love it," they said when we bought our tickets.

A 16-foot whimsical
scarecrow made of hand-painted
burlap, rules the autumn display.

At the Bellagio the Talking
Tree greets hotel visitors.

We crossed the Strip to the Bellagio. Their autumn display in the Botanical Conservatory exploded in orange, yellow and red. A 16-foot scarecrow with a hand-painted burlap head, guarded the flowers. Whimsical talking trees 25-feet tall made of twisted willow "withers" greeted guests. Every turn gave us a different colorful, gorgeous picture. The autumn pumpkins, gourds and greens attracted wall-to-wall crowds.

Even twisted grotesque
vine shapes look beautiful
in the autumn colors.

Only a few milled around the fountain outside, but as the clouds moved out, a bright sun teased us with warming temperatures. I took off my jacket; Andy kept his sweatshirt on but loosened the tie.

From the Bellagio we had a lovely view of the skyline of
the Paris Casino across the street.

We circled the Miracle Mile stores inside the mall twice. I doubt it was two miles, but the walk was a quick, long one in search of advertised shows at a fountain and a rain forest. "Loser," said Andy rather loudly, when we discovered the fountain was only a small indoor water drop with colored lights.
"Even bigger loser!" I said just as loudly, when water fell from the ceiling high overhead into a pool, lights flashed and a few drum rolls of thunder rumbled around us.
"Well, THAT was certainly disappointing," said Andy.

Opera singers perform in the
courtyard at the Miracle Mile stores

"Yeh," I agreed, "a Strip teaser."
The two free shows at Caesar's Palace were closed for renovation. We had raced there in order to meet the times posted on the printed Strip show list.
Wynn Casino also had gorgeous gardens inside--huge balls of mums and roses hanging like ornaments from the ceiling. We wondered how they stayed so fresh and lovely.

Mums and roses decorate
the mall at Wynn Casino.



 

Upscale and classy, the Venetian had block after block of exclusive stores. "How do they stay in business?" asked Andy. Very few of them had any customers inside, and the prices equaled New York City's costs.
Casino Royale had another teaser, a buy-a-beer-for-$1.00-and-get-one-free coupon. Yesterday Andy said, "Miller Lite, please." The bar tender handed him two bottles and charged us $3.50. It wasn't the "correct" coupon. Today Andy ordered again. "Two bottles of Bud Lite, please." The bar tender charged us $2.25. It wasn't the "correct" beer. Apparently, only Michelob is the $1.00 beer, but nowhere is that qualified except on a small sign outside the building.
We'll be back tomorrow.

Turf, Andy, Sue and Jeff Civillico pose after the show.

Jeff Civillico headlined at the 4:00 p.m. show at the Quad Casino. Comedy in Action was a fast-paced, audience-involved series of juggling skirts, balance acts and unicycle skills. Civillico kept the audience laughing and yelling out answers, as he tapped two men to come on stage to help him mount the ten-foot bike.The body contortionist and dancer Turf from America's Got Talent opened the show. Audience members gasped as he twisted his arms backwards and practically turned his body inside out.
After the show we picked up our free tee-shirts, had them signed in magic marker by the stars and posed for pictures like goober tourists.

From the Venetian Casino and Hotel
Las Vegas looks like a foreign wonderland.

"We have an hour and a half for diner before the next show," said Andy. "Where do you want to eat?"
"How about Denny's?" I suggested. "It's quick, it's close by and we get 20 percent off with the AARP card."
Nearby a middle-aged man begged for coins. His cardboard sign said, "Homeless truck driver, blind in left eye, so I can't drive a truck. Please help." Across the sidewalk a woman with a mangy golden retriever stroked the dog with one hand and hummed to herself. With her other hand she clinked a small metal cup of pennies, nickels and dimes. It's pitiful to see such poverty next to store after store of exclusive luxuries.
Slot machines don't clink an more. That used to be the fun of walking through a casino. Now people play with cards and tickets, and payoffs only click a few times. So much for bells and whistles. Casino Royale gave away free play coupons for $50 of play money on promotional machines. "Can you win on these?" asked one man with an English accent. He hit the SPIN button.
"Sure," we told him, "but your odds are one in a million. It's like winning the Lottery. You have a better chance of getting hit by lightening twice in the same day." He punched the SPIN button again.
"It's win or lose, and you need 4,000 points on 25 spins." I explained. "So basically, no. You can't win."
We played the promotional machines and drank our two-for-$1.00 Michelob Lights.
"My hand is getting tired," complained Andy.
"Can you get carpel tunnel from this?" asked our new friend next to him.
I had fun just watching the tumblers spin. I won extra spins--four 10-pointers and eight 2-pointers the first round; one 10-pointer and seven 2-pointers the second round. After that I didn't keep track. That must be what happens to real gamblers! It all amounted to nothing--just another Strip "teaser"!
Kevin Burke starred in Defending the Caveman at Harrah's at 7 p.m. The performance, a monologue about male-female relationships, was hysterical and insightful, well worth the two-for-one ticket price. This one wasn't a Strip teaser!