Viva Las Vegas and Fried Bits

I was so moved by the mini-Vegas Strip replica at LegoLand, as well as the various cheap flight deals whizzing about the web, that I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Sin City....here are some pics...Narrative below.
Tuesday, August 28: It. Is. Hot. Bloody bloody hell, it's hot. 105 degrees or so. We pant our way to our hotel, the old shcool, identity-conflicted (Am I Chinese-themed? Japanese? Polynesian? Or the all-inclusive Asian?) Imperial Palace (IP), only to be told a room will not be available for a couple hours. OK guys, your loss. We promptly hit the buffet. Oh, here's a tip - if you go at the end of breakfast service, you can get the breakfast price, but still have access to the lunch items. Lovely! I had fried chicken and waffles, pancakes and meatloaf. Wonderful. So after we ate our way through the IP buffet, we waddled back down to the registration lobby, only to be told our room would be ready in another 30minutes. Grrr. So we catch a show by the "Dealertainers" of IP (Celebrity lookalikes who sing at the top of the hour, and deal tables the rest of the time), give a few bucks to some friendly penny slots, then finally get a room. For $48 a night, whadya expect?! It was serviceable. Definitely a long way from the Wynn, which is where I stayed my last trip to Vegas. We amble down the strip towards a box office, in the schweltering heat, pausing to visit a couple of casinos along the way, before finally purchasing tix to see Folies Bergere at the Tropicana. Old school Vegas showgirls...kinda cool. The topless thing was tastefully done. The only time it felt "off" was during a ballet bit, but other than that, quite a lovely throwback to days past. After the show, we hopped on the Deuce, a 24 hour bus that takes you up and down the strip, as well as to Downtown. Our target was Downtown. Can you believe it took an hour?! The traffic was insane. We got there in time to see the final Fremont Street Experience light show, which was very cool, a huge three-block long video canopy that showed arresting images set to pulsing beats. It was quite dramatic, since the whole sky was lit. Minutes before the show, the bright lights from the casino dimmed, and we were all awash in darkness...then LIGHT. Very cool. Now aside from the light show, I highly recommend a visit to Downtown. I love Downtown! Maybe it was the nostalgia from watching the old school showgirl Folies, but I was enamored with the "classic Vegas" feel of Downtown. This is what it must have before Vegas became themey! (Not that I don't love the themey...it was just nice to get another "theme" - the "Old School Vegas" theme!) The casinos were smaller, grouped together, had manageable tables and machines, and featured wonderful, cheap food deals...we had huge steak and egg meals at midnight for $4! And shrimp cocktails for $1. You can't beat that...

Wednesday, August 29: The heat, the heat. 90 degrees at 5am?! No way, man. A morning trek to pay homage to Bellagio (the lake and the Botanical Garden) as well as to Paris, where we embraced the "Player's Club" exchange of info for schwag....the schwag in this case being free tickets up the Eiffel Tower....that was fun; it would have been more stunning (and crowded) at night, though. It was still lovely to see during the day. After that, it was back onto the Deuce to make our way Downtown, where we continued our love affair with the food deals...this time, Prime Rib for $7! I heart you, Downtown. After that red meat celebration, we played a bit of slots at the Downtown casinos (Fitzgerald's, Golden Nugget, Fremont, Vegas Club), and then I partook in some of the most wonderful things in the world: $0.99 Fried Twinkies, Fried Oreos, and Pina Coladas. Oh my goodness, I was in heaven. While I have had fried Twinkies in the past (as the base for a decadent sundae at Mel's in Berkeley), the Fried Oreo was a revelation. Oooey, gooey chocolately creaminess, wrapped in crispy golden batter. Yum. My heart beats erratically for you, fried goddess. The fried Twinkie was the bomb, of course, super soft and oozy and a contrast in textures. My heart is still beating erratically, my love. Sheet. What are the signs of a heart attack? Never mind. So after prying my powdered sugar and fried food genuflecting arse from the Mermaids Casino, where the Fried Mecca was located, we made our way back to the Strip, to the Wynn, to be exact, just in time to see Spamelot. GENIUS! Loved it. So silly, so funny, so joyful, so witty. Highly recommended. And if you can swing it, buy seat D101. You'll get a lovely surprise. The Grail Theatre at the Wynn is very intimate (I saw Avenue Q there a couple years back), and there is really no bad seat. I was close enough to see the actors' faces, and that of course, enhanced the show...seeing John O'Hurley make wacky faces, and being able to see details in costumes, etc. Lovely. I broke my resolve and bought a Killer Bunny Puppet after the show. I had to, man, it spoke to me and made me. After that, slots at the Wynn. Thanks Mr. Wynn for buying us a late night dinner at Harrah's! Then a meandering around the Venetian, where we admired the piazzas, the Sistine Chapel ceiling replicas, and then one final Player's Club whoring of info...and all we got was a lousy card...with cool Eurotrash gold chain, but still...where's my free t-shirt? My free slot play?

Thursday, August 30: Before dashing off to the airport, we decide to hit the tables. One great thing about the older casinos is the low table minimums. We played Pai Gow Poker for a little while, and for the most part, managed not to lose too much. And then, it was time to bid adieu to my beloved Vegas...until we meet again, my love...your golden fried bosom and neon-laced curves will forever call to me....