Vegas – Classic Car Collection

After waking up early again, we had some breakfast at our buffet and went to the classic car collection right in our hotel.  After a tip on obtaining a coupon booklet (thanks mom), we were able to get in for free.  The car collection was jut astounding.  There were a ton of cars that just made your jaw drop.  Boy did they know how to make cars back then!

Vegas Baby!

Well what can I say… what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Just kidding haha. Day one: we did some errands which ate up most of the first part of the day. My mom got us a very good deal at the Imperial Palace, which is an Asian themed hotel right on the strip. We wanted to go see “O” by Circ de Soleil so as the show was sold out except for obstructed view tickets, we waited two hours on a “standby” line for a chance to buy tickets for seats that were canceled. Three quarters through the wait, Euge stepped away and brought us back some really overpriced noodles and chicken, which calmed the thunder in our stomachs. We were about 11 & 12 in line so we were able to get tickets after all, but we missed about 10 minutes of the show =/. The show itself was spectacular and well worth the astronomical prices of the tickets(as it turns out we also had really good seats) It was based on a water theme and the stage was actually a huge pool with an upward and downward moving platform which could turn the pool into a solid floor. The acrobats did various flips, holds, maneuvers and dives. The most impressive were the high dives and the cross dives.

After the show, we walked the strip and grabbed some food (nothing spectacular). Vegas is basically like broadway on steroids. Lots of lights, loud and huge crowds. We watched the Belaggio fountain show – also impressive.

On day two, we walked to the Rio to grab tickets for Penn & Teller. The walk was really long as Rio is far off the strip. It was about 113 that day. We got the tickets, walked back to our room at Imperial Palace, had a watermelon and relaxed for a bit. We did some more walking of the strip afterward, popping into different hotels and seeing the tigers at MGM grand. Then we took the recently discovered shuttle to Rio, grabbed some food at one the cafes there, and went to see the show.

While the audience was finding their seats before the show, there was a piano and Bass player entertaining us. Everyone had the chance to go up on stage and sign a manila envelope and also a wooden box which were going to be used on the show. After examining the box and determining it was solid, it was left on the stage for the start of the show. Mere seconds in, teller pops out of it, to our amazement. The show was really interesting, funny and informative. They explained and showed how to do some of their tricks. It was definitely a non standard show. At the end, they ran off from the stage and into the hallway, where they stood and shook hands and took photos with everyone.

Back on the strip we did some more walking and gambling and were back in our room at a fairly reasonable hour. In the end, Euge was up about $160 in blackjack winnings and I was down about $40 in bastard slot machine losses.

Hoover Dam

After getting up really early again, we arrived at the Hoover Dam at around 9am. The sun was shining yet again and there were few people around at this time. We parked our car and went for a stroll along the dam. Since I was last there (a long time ago) the water level definitely dropped. You could tell how high the water was before due to the discolored rocks. The dam is REALLY big and very impressive. There is also a point where you are standing in both Arizona & Nevada. Afterward, we set off for Vegas!