Starting a new chapter .. click here for 2004-2011.
October 25-26 2017
Paul was using his Las Vegas time share week and invited me to join him. So yay the timing worked out and I went for a couple of days. Unfortunately Gretchen wasn’t able to make it this year, but she was there in spirit.
Day one we enjoyed an afternoon-evening around the Strip.
October 24-26 Viva Las Vegas!
Dancing Waters at the Bellagio. More pictures of 36 hours in Las Vegas with Paul.
…and speaking of reflections, we visited a few art galleries and enjoyed these particular reflections too.
Back to Bellagio to see the ‘Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ always dressed up for the season.
…and my favorite seat in Vegas, lounging with a beverage and a snack at the Bellagio piano bar with the Chihuly ceiling chucked in there for color.
We also had a snack at Paris, and a spicy bowl of dinner at The Orleans.
The next morning we took the hotel bus out to Red Rock, and a very fine outing it was.
First stop, the Visitor’s Center.
That’s Paul looking for the desert tortoises but no, they’re all in winter mode and not available for sightseeing.
Next stop, the stand-on-a-rock place. This is Paul standing on one rock…
…and this is me standing on another rock. My rock was so tall that guy in the lower right was kind enough to give me a boost so I could make it up there.
pb.
There are many miles of trails but we didn’t have time to do much and anyway even though the weather was fantastic, cool and bright, it was still hot walking in the full-on sun.
Our fourth and last stop, The Lucky Tree.
The driver took a picture of everyone who wanted one standing beside The Lucky Tree. I took this one for luck!
The we spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and then I went home. It was lovely, thank you Paul!
September 24-26
Click here for some Viva! Las Vegas! and a few days with Paul and Gretchen.
…and a couple of fun-packed days with Paul and Gretchen, here at the observation deck of Stratosphere.
We took the shuttle tour from our accommodation at the Tahiti Resort to Red Rock Canyon.
Air, Fire, Water, Earth – the Visitors Center has displays on all these topics and additionally…
…and more.
Looks good, but you can’t feel it from the picture. It was 100 degrees under blazing sun.
We had an evening out mostly at Bellagio. This is just the intro to Dancing Waters, So Cool!
The next morning we took the long ride down the strip from MGM (photos from the shaded bus window), past City Center…
…all the way to Startosphere. We took the ride up to the viewing deck where the views were good but that’s not why most people come.
They come to JUMP OFF.
That’s right, they jump off the top. We didn’t.
Then we went back to the Tahiti and I left shortly thereafter.
I took Virgin America both ways and it was very good. I would choose them again and that’s saying a lot.
March 15 2013
On the road to Viva! Las Vegas!! We made it all the way to Duarte before Richard ran out of musical versions of Viva! Las Vegas to play, and that’s a lot of versions of Viva! Las Vegas.
(Out the car window.)
Richard, Carl, and Ben on our first pit stop. Oh look! In ‘n Out Burger. Let’s eat.
Back on the road again. You know you do need some serious power to run all those video poker machines and pumpin’ a/c.
(Out the car window.)
We enjoyed the amenities at Bellagio including a stroll around the fountains, the piano bar, and some amazing décor in the atrium, and the views of Gay Paree.
From Vdara, the view out the bedroom windows facing North away from the strip.
After our allll you can eat breakfast buffet we decided to take a spin out to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for some fresh air and exercise.
This is Carl’s shot just outside the car doors. Wow.
cl.
It’s so beautiful, so fresh and natural and not a power line in sight, and just 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip.
Mmmm, nice.
How did it get like this? I remember not one single fact from geology class. Fortunately I have Ms Wiki to remember for me.
Did we do the .7 mile walk or the 1.2 mile walk? Not so far in either case but excellent, good air and a good stretch.
There were many of these bikers out for some hill climbing and we appreciated their youth and vigor.
First stop, dinner at Firefly Tapas with an added attraction of Suzanne, the woman who will be running the writing program Les designed and built and worked on for 15 years at MIT. After dinner Suzanne had to catch her flight home which was too bad because everyone was enjoying her company.
We ate plate after plate after plate of delicious tapas. And drank a couple pitchers of pomegranate mojitos. Olé!
Back to the hotel in preparation for an evening out, and Carl was with us, and, well, you know.
Let’s go to a casino! We had moved in the morning from Vdara to where Les was staying at the Hilton Grand Vacation Suites way down at the far north end of the strip next door to Circus Circus and across from The Riviera.
We spent most of our time at Encore, a Wynn hotel famous for Surrender, a nightclub that draws the most stupendous crowds.
The guys gambled some, yes, but mostly they were standing around slack-jawed watching the parade of a thousand curvaceous young women dressed in identical five inch heels and five inch skirts. You would not believe.
March 17
We had a big (big!) Las Vegas breakfast at the Omelet House and then drove back to LA in five easy hours.
Happy Birthday Les, and Congratulations, here’s to a retirement that continues as it began.
