Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
gilana and I just had a lovely mid-winter getaway to Las Vegas! She brought her camera (mine was at home recording daily_alice, which I’ll update soon, for all the baby-junkies out there who are jonesin’) and you can check out the full gallery here or click on any of the thumbnails below for larger versions of specific images.
We did so much every day that I think I’ll do this by category instead of chronology.
Transportation Our US Airways flights were full, but uneventful. They’re now nickel-and-diming ($15 for luggage, $2 for non-alcoholic drinks, $5-7 for food), but that seems almost par for the course these days. Our flight back was delayed almost an hour, but seemed relatively quick in the air. The only big hassle was getting a cab from the airport to our hotel-the taxi rank wrapped around an impressive maze of barriers and while it kept moving steadily, it still took us almost an hour to reach the head of the queue.
Anyone thinking of going to Vegas should remember to take extremely comfortable shoes. Next time I go, I’d like to take a pedometer with me, because it certainly seemed as though we walked about twenty miles a day. We really appreciated being in a hotel with a monorail stop and used that whenever convenient. The times we wanted to get from one end of the strip to the other under a time limit, we took cabs, which are plentiful and cost under $10 plus tip for that run.
Weather The weather was gorgeous and just about right for the two of us-highs of almost 70 every day, with lows in the 40s. Given that Gilly is a sun-worshipping Warm Weather Person and I’m a sweat-loathing Cool Weather Person, this allowed us to both be comfortable most of the time and still make a nice break from the New England Winter. We were very gratified that Boston did get some snow while we were gone. What good’s a winter getaway if you don’t get to gloat?
Hotel(s) We stayed at the MGM Grand, which was a good choice for us: our Big Foodie Dinner was in the hotel, one of our two shows was just across the street at New York, New York, it’s on the monorail, there were good options for quick food and a nice hot tub, and our room was lovely, once we got it-despite Gilly’s having called the day before to confirm that we needed two queens, they originally put us in a king room that was older, although more “modern” in its décor, and much more cramped. We were amused when they sent a bellhop up with new keys to move us…two doors down, but across the divide into the more recently renovated wing. The classic Hollywood photos in that room and scattered throughout the hotel were an added little treat, although I must admit I would have appreciate name plaques. One note for future reference: request a room near the elevators-it’s the largest hotel in the world and the hike down the hallway was significant after a long day of tramping around. While basking in the hot tub, I suddenly realized I was looking at the main hotel building what seemed about half a mile away-that’s how big this place is.
We visited many of the other hotel casinos on the Strip including Excalibur, The Tropicana, New York New York, Planet Hollywood, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Luxor, Harrah’s, Bally’s, and Caesars Palace.
The Bellagio, with its ceiling garden of Chihuly flowers and the stunning dancing fountains out front, is gorgeous, but if I go back, I will try hard to find a good deal at the Venetian, where even the bathrooms were stunning and the pool deck is a simply gorgeous space that really did remind me of Venice.
Shows There are currently six Cirque du Soleil shows running in Vegas (Mystere, O, Love, Zumanity, Ka, and BeLIEve) and we picked LOVE and Zumanity. One of the things I’ve realized, in conversation with other people, is that Cirque tries to maintain a standard of spectacle across their stationary and traveling shows. Since they can achieve a level of spectacle with their stages and sets in the stationary shows that is not possible with the traveling ones, those tend to get the more spectacular acts. I think it’s good to keep that in mind when judging the stationary ones.
Zumanity, at New York New York, is their R-rated show, with lots of T&A and a fair amount of beefcake, although the guy who got the most naked was probably the least attractive to either of us. It seemed as though the initial brainstorming session for the designers of the show included two major headings: “Common Fantasies” and “Transgressions” (a/k/a “Name Everything We Can’t Do in Other Shows”). They hit a lot of standard tropes: schoolgirl, cowboy, two girls in a hot tub, fighters/lovers, bondage, whips, animalism/primitivism, comic book characters (at least, we think that’s what she was), masks, androgeny, biker boys, tightie whities, midgets, fat chicks, etc. I loved the host-(s)he would ask each audience member “Where are you from? City X? You’re kidding! I have a lover in City X!” and signal applause by saying “Let’s give ‘em the clap!” They’ve done a nice job of sexualizing absolutely everything-the workers are all wearing “naked” shirts and dresses, the drinks have names like “Silky Panty” and “Horni Margarita,” and the seating options include two-person couches. We were in the front row, so we got to have nice eye-contact interactions with some of the performers and at one point the Satyr climbed halfway off the stage onto the arm of our couch and startled us by growling in my ear. Our seats were not in the best location, unfortunately, being halfway along the house left side of the thrust stage, so that we had to turn to see either the main act or the background performers and there were times that performers at the side of the stage blocked our view of the main act, which was annoying. The other thing that disappointed me was that the two fat chicks, unlike almost all the other women, never got topless-at the one point when they take off their tops, they’re wearing full flesh-colored body suits-but since there was at least one other woman who wore pasties, I’ve decided to believe that they couldn’t find large performers who were willing. The acts that stand out in my memory include the aerial pas de deux (always one of my favorites), the aerial auto-asphyxiation act-in which I really enjoyed the performer’s urgency and audible breathing and muttering of “tighter, tighter”-and the doubles pole act, which let my favorite performer, Fernando, prove that those muscles aren’t just for show. The two girls in a hot tub contortion act had a sweetness and innocence that was nice and we only got splashed a little. The two singers were good-one looked like Ann Wilson from Heart and the other was reminiscent of Tina Turner in Thunderdome. We also enjoyed the energy of the clowns-a couple of lounge lizards pulling various audience members into their horny schtick. As we discussed the show afterwards, both of us commented on the dedication to character that is one of the hallmarks of Cirque du Soleil and one that we really appreciate. This isn’t in my top five Cirque shows, but it was still fun with some quite impressive bits.
LOVE, on the other hand, was incredibly engaging and moving. Both of us cried at different points in the show and the combination of the Cirque aesthetic with the Beatles music was surprisingly affective and affecting. This show is more dance-centric than acrobatic, although there were almost always people up on various aerial contraptions. One of the most spectacular acts involved a male dancer interacting with four aerialist women. Another memorable performer was the male bellydancer, who achieved a level of isolation in his movements that I have never seen paralleled-and the gold dust on his spine was an oddly enduring image. Other moments that stick in my memory are the rainboots assemblage and the amazing bubbles and the deconstructed VW Beetle and arena-sized white parachute that billowed out to encompass the audience. There were many times during the show that there were so many things happening that we didn’t know where to look. Being in the front row-actually, being the front row, due to the wedge shape of the audience section-put the stage at eye-level, which meant that we were close enough to really engage with the performers, but also that I think we saw a very different show than we would have from further up. Hearing the voices and seeing the images of the Beatles themselves was very touching-I got choked up just describing it to Jason over dinner tonight-and I think the re-mixed music works very well in this context. These are not quite the songs you know so well, but the invitation to take another listen to the music makes it all seem fresh again. I have read reviews complaining about a lack of coherency, but I think if you approach this as a musical revue, it makes plenty of sense. Or, as Gilly put it: “I laughed, I cried, I would see it again and again!”
The other show we saw was The Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah’s. It made a nice break in the middle of a busy day of walking the Strip and he has an engaging personality and deft slight of hand. Gilly had a coupon for a free copy of his book, so don’t be surprised if she starts playing Tricks with Your Head.
Attractions In addition to the ticketed shows, we managed to catch a number of the other attractions. The most spectacular was the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island. They’ve sexed it up from the former pirate battle show and it now involves a boatload of beefy hunks taking on a shipful of sexy sirens, with lipsynched song & dance numbers, fireworks, high dives, and fireballs big enough to be uncomfortably searing across the lagoon. We were right behind the tech board for that show, which was fun for us theatre geeks.
We also made it out to the Fremont Street Experience-a music video shown on a gigantic screen arched overhead the length of two city blocks. It’s a shame it’s so brief-two minutes seems not enough to be worth the trip-but it was fun to check out that area that’s clearly revitalized by the attention. And Gilly even sprung for 99-cent margaritas at one of the casinos stretched along the mall. We also found a good cheap souvenir shop with a nice selection of postcards, which had been sorely lacking up on the Strip.
We missed the volcano at the Mirage (it competes with TI, which seems like a bad decision), but did catch the talking statues at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops-pretty cheesy and with bad sound-and the rainstorm in the center of the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. We visited the Grand Canal in the Venetian, although we declined to take a gondola ride through the mall, and saw most of two rounds of the dancing fountains at the Bellagio-one to Copeland and the other to Elvis. They really are beautiful and wonderful-the sound of the little fountains slapping down into the pool and the explosive bursts of the high leapers is wonderfully immediate, reminding me of the sounds of figure skaters’ skates when you’re actually in a rink.
We also visited Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden to see the dolphins-including a baby dolphin!-and big cats- tigers, a very lazy lion, a pacing leopard and a sleeping leopard cub. It’s a wonderfully secluded space that makes a nice break from the noise and glitz of the Strip. I was particularly glad we got there, since the Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand was closed for maintenance both of the days we tried to visit it, although I did buy some lion-themed souvenirs for Alice at the gift shop.
While we were at the Luxor, we also saw Bodies: The Exhibition, since we had both missed it at the Museum of Science. It made me hurt just thinking about all the different muscles and joints, but Gilly just kept wanting to feel her parts to associate them with what she was seeing.
Shopping We tramped through miles of shopping malls associated with many of the hotels and often forming the connection between them. We ended up visiting the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace three separate times and highlights there included the Peter Max gallery of his artwork and the stunning photography of Peter Lik, as well as the Michal Negrin shop of Things Gilly Likes. The architecture there is pretty nifty, including spiral escalators and pretty ceilings.
We also spent quite a bit of time on two different days in the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. We originally went there to visit the Bettie Page shop, where Gilly got to try on clothes and there was lots of fun stuff. We also found a massage station-we got a neck and shoulders rub the first time and went back on our last day to treat our poor feet and legs-and got souvenir photos to commemorate our stint as showgirls.
Along the Strip, between Planet Hollywood and the MGM Grand is a row of shops that include the Harley Davidson Café, M&M World-where I got a t-shirt for Alice and some red, white & blue candies for Dad-and the Hawaiian Marketplace, where I found a CSI t-shirt for Jason. I kept flashing back to memories from the show throughout our stay in Vegas and wished that someone would do a tour of places they regularly show, although I can see why they wouldn’t want to highlight the less salubrious spots that are frequently featured.
Food We tried two of the famous buffets and they were adequate and certainly good value for money, but really not all that great in terms of the food. Not bad, just not really all that good. We also hit the “Farmer’s Market” food court-what a misnomer-at the MGM Grand for pizza and McD’s and ice cream at various intervals.
Then there were our four more special meals, in order of specialness:
- Dinner at Spago Gilly was rather disappointed in her “Grilled Rare Yellowfin Tuna with Artichokes Barigoule, Eggplant, Peppers, Confit Tomatoes, Niçoise Olives, Salsa Verde and 25 Year-Old Balsamic,” particularly in the complete unnoticeability of the latter ingredient. I made out rather better, starting with a half-dozen each of Hama Hama and Quilcene Bay oysters, especially since I had actually ordered a half-dozen total, so the extra six were on the house. I had never tried either of those and they were both very interesting, with the Quilcene Bays being the sweetest oysters-almost candied in flavor-that I have ever tasted. I followed that up with a BLT wedge salad that was an excellent exemplar of the type and a plate of Kobe beef carpaccio that was delicious and really highlighted the particular flavor of the meat. For dessert, Gilly had the crème brulée, a nicely substantial version, served out of its dish on a layer of puff pastry with fresh berries on the side. I couldn’t resist the 15-layer carrot cake (alternating thin layers of cake and cream cheese frosting) with candied walnuts and ginger ice cream, which could have done with more ginger. This was clearly a place to go on an expense account-lots of big tables full of men-and the décor was very minimalist and noisy.
- Dinner at Shibuya. Gilly was somewhat under the weather at that point, so she took it easy this time around.
We split an order of edamame, each had their plain miso soup (with neither mushrooms nor lobster) which was rich and delicious with especially good tofu, and shared pairs of kanpachi (young yellowtail) and hamachi (adult yellowtail) to compare. She also had a salmon avocado roll and a negitoro hand roll that she appeared to enjoy very much. I was unable to resist the Kobe beef tataki with the interesting addition of tarragon oil-mmn, raw Kobe-and also had the salmon avocado roll, a salmon skin roll, mackerel, two different kinds of tuna-I like the darker one better, but can’t remember if that was Big Eye or Blue Fin, although I think it’s the latter--and easily the best unagi I’ve ever tasted.
- Breakfast at Bouchon. This was both Gilly and my first experience of Thomas Keller and we came away very impressed. We each started with one of their excellent plain croissants with lily-gilding butter and apple jelly. She had Le Jardiniere-two eggs (over-easy in her case), brioche toast, Lyonnais potatoes, spinach sous-vide with garlic, and tropical fruit salad. I had the Oeuf en Gratin-baked eggs in mornay sauce with lardons of bacon, petite champignons and roasted tomatoes making each bite a delicious surprise.
- And, finally, and most spectacularly, Dinner at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. This was our Big Foodie meal and it was everything we could have wished for. The chef was able to accommodate Gilly’s dietary restrictions and provide an entire eleven-course Discovery Menu within her guidelines that was just awesome.
Here’s the menu (o=standard menu (E), §=alternative(G)):
o L’Amuse Bouche: foie gras parfait with port wine and parmesan foam.
§ Millefeuille of zucchini, fresh mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato with “leaves” of basil pesto.
o Le Homard: lobster carpaccio with delicate aromatics and shellfish oil.
§ Salad of peeled asparagus, tomatoes, radishes, yellow peppers, avocado, cucumber and lettuces with a mince of peppers and Niçoise olives in a dressing of lemon, Marques de Valdueza olive oil, salt & pepper.
o Les Huitres: poached baby Kusshi oysters with French “Echiré” butter
§ White onion pancake topped with asparagus.
o La Saint-Jacques: seared fresh scallop on a bed of truffled macaroni.
§ Cod on tomato confit
o Le Foie Gras: caramelized duck foie gras and bacon with a chestnut and truffle veloute.
§ Chestnut truffle veloute.
o La Sole: Dover sole filet with zucchini, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes.
o La Caille: foie gras stuffed free-range quail with truffled mashed potatoes
§ Spaghetti with tomatoes, basil and shaved parmesan.
o L’Ananas: pineapple-infused Tahitian cheesecake.
o Le Parfait Arabica: light coffee cream served with coconut milk and Corsican lemon.
o Le Café: coffee (or espresso) with Valrhona Manjari truffles.
The stand-out course for me was the oysters-they were just spectacular, intense and yet full of subtle flavors. Everything else was wonderful and the chef’s use of herbs was particularly notable-the thyme served with the oysters and the mix of herbs with the quail both took their dishes to new heights. The sole was a revelation-I’ve never really understood what was so special about it, but with the tomatoes, especially, the delicate flavors were thrown into a stark contrast that brought out the subtle complexity of the fish. Gilly declared her spaghetti the best she’s ever had and was completely blown away by her salad-said she’d have been happy just to drink a glass of that olive oil, which the chef mentioned comes at $60 per bottle. The sweet courses were both very flavorful, but light, just right with all the light, subtle flavors of the savory courses. Gilly was very proud of herself for correctly identifying the truffles served with our coffee.
The service was also very good. We were seated at the counter, where we could see into the kitchen. It was arranged with shelving between us and the work surfaces, so we didn’t have as good a view as we might have wished, but it was still fun to have all that activity happening in front of us. Our main waiter was fine, but the guy actually bringing our food was wonderful-warm and friendly and responding to our enthusiasm. Gilly made a slightly apologetic comment about her restrictions and Sunday said “No, no-you are selective about your food and that is a beautiful thing!” He really made us feel cared for over the course of our meal. The chef came by to speak with us a couple of times, which was very nice.
I also had some nice conversation with the sommelier about the wines. They had the 2007 Chardonnay from ZD, one of Jason and my favorite California wineries, partly because their winemaker seems willing to have the character of his wines change drastically from year to year in response to the qualities of the particular grapes. The first one we ever had was huge and buttery, the next year’s was intensely citrusy, and this one-the first I’ve had in several years-had a lot of mineral notes, almost like a very rich sauvignon blanc. Later in the meal I switched to a Côtes du Rhone and found it a particularly dry one, so we joked about him liking them dry and his theory about those working best with Robuchon’s richly flavored foods, which they certainly do.
Overall This was a really nice trip. Gilly and I turn out to be good travel partners-we have similar interests, both are willing to take the lead and make decisions and roll with whatever actually happens, and we communicate well about what we need.
This was my first time away from Alice and it was strange not to see someone I’ve spent time with every day for the past two years, but at the same time nice to have a break and to know that I can go away if I need or want to. She asked about me and missed me and seemed very glad to have me back today, but never got upset about my being gone, which is excellent. Poor Jason was sick as a dog the whole time I was gone-shades of his trip to Toronto last year, when I got summer flu-but the family and muffyjo were happy to help him through, as they do me.
Vegas is a great place for a short trip. After a few days the constant stimulus begins to be wearing-if I stayed longer, I’d definitely spend a day out at the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, or just laze around the hotel pool for an afternoon-but it is a great place to be a tourist. There are so many nifty things and beautiful uses of glass and light and interesting architectural features and new uses of technology and outrageously tacky bits that just wandering around is an entertainment all by itself.
Oh, right! Gambling. Gilly lost a dollar at the slots in memory of her grandmother, choosing the Wizard of Oz machine because of family connections. I let that be enough for both of us.
We did so much every day that I think I’ll do this by category instead of chronology.
Transportation Our US Airways flights were full, but uneventful. They’re now nickel-and-diming ($15 for luggage, $2 for non-alcoholic drinks, $5-7 for food), but that seems almost par for the course these days. Our flight back was delayed almost an hour, but seemed relatively quick in the air. The only big hassle was getting a cab from the airport to our hotel-the taxi rank wrapped around an impressive maze of barriers and while it kept moving steadily, it still took us almost an hour to reach the head of the queue.
Anyone thinking of going to Vegas should remember to take extremely comfortable shoes. Next time I go, I’d like to take a pedometer with me, because it certainly seemed as though we walked about twenty miles a day. We really appreciated being in a hotel with a monorail stop and used that whenever convenient. The times we wanted to get from one end of the strip to the other under a time limit, we took cabs, which are plentiful and cost under $10 plus tip for that run.
Weather The weather was gorgeous and just about right for the two of us-highs of almost 70 every day, with lows in the 40s. Given that Gilly is a sun-worshipping Warm Weather Person and I’m a sweat-loathing Cool Weather Person, this allowed us to both be comfortable most of the time and still make a nice break from the New England Winter. We were very gratified that Boston did get some snow while we were gone. What good’s a winter getaway if you don’t get to gloat?
Hotel(s) We stayed at the MGM Grand, which was a good choice for us: our Big Foodie Dinner was in the hotel, one of our two shows was just across the street at New York, New York, it’s on the monorail, there were good options for quick food and a nice hot tub, and our room was lovely, once we got it-despite Gilly’s having called the day before to confirm that we needed two queens, they originally put us in a king room that was older, although more “modern” in its décor, and much more cramped. We were amused when they sent a bellhop up with new keys to move us…two doors down, but across the divide into the more recently renovated wing. The classic Hollywood photos in that room and scattered throughout the hotel were an added little treat, although I must admit I would have appreciate name plaques. One note for future reference: request a room near the elevators-it’s the largest hotel in the world and the hike down the hallway was significant after a long day of tramping around. While basking in the hot tub, I suddenly realized I was looking at the main hotel building what seemed about half a mile away-that’s how big this place is.
We visited many of the other hotel casinos on the Strip including Excalibur, The Tropicana, New York New York, Planet Hollywood, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Luxor, Harrah’s, Bally’s, and Caesars Palace.
The Bellagio, with its ceiling garden of Chihuly flowers and the stunning dancing fountains out front, is gorgeous, but if I go back, I will try hard to find a good deal at the Venetian, where even the bathrooms were stunning and the pool deck is a simply gorgeous space that really did remind me of Venice.
Shows There are currently six Cirque du Soleil shows running in Vegas (Mystere, O, Love, Zumanity, Ka, and BeLIEve) and we picked LOVE and Zumanity. One of the things I’ve realized, in conversation with other people, is that Cirque tries to maintain a standard of spectacle across their stationary and traveling shows. Since they can achieve a level of spectacle with their stages and sets in the stationary shows that is not possible with the traveling ones, those tend to get the more spectacular acts. I think it’s good to keep that in mind when judging the stationary ones.
Zumanity, at New York New York, is their R-rated show, with lots of T&A and a fair amount of beefcake, although the guy who got the most naked was probably the least attractive to either of us. It seemed as though the initial brainstorming session for the designers of the show included two major headings: “Common Fantasies” and “Transgressions” (a/k/a “Name Everything We Can’t Do in Other Shows”). They hit a lot of standard tropes: schoolgirl, cowboy, two girls in a hot tub, fighters/lovers, bondage, whips, animalism/primitivism, comic book characters (at least, we think that’s what she was), masks, androgeny, biker boys, tightie whities, midgets, fat chicks, etc. I loved the host-(s)he would ask each audience member “Where are you from? City X? You’re kidding! I have a lover in City X!” and signal applause by saying “Let’s give ‘em the clap!” They’ve done a nice job of sexualizing absolutely everything-the workers are all wearing “naked” shirts and dresses, the drinks have names like “Silky Panty” and “Horni Margarita,” and the seating options include two-person couches. We were in the front row, so we got to have nice eye-contact interactions with some of the performers and at one point the Satyr climbed halfway off the stage onto the arm of our couch and startled us by growling in my ear. Our seats were not in the best location, unfortunately, being halfway along the house left side of the thrust stage, so that we had to turn to see either the main act or the background performers and there were times that performers at the side of the stage blocked our view of the main act, which was annoying. The other thing that disappointed me was that the two fat chicks, unlike almost all the other women, never got topless-at the one point when they take off their tops, they’re wearing full flesh-colored body suits-but since there was at least one other woman who wore pasties, I’ve decided to believe that they couldn’t find large performers who were willing. The acts that stand out in my memory include the aerial pas de deux (always one of my favorites), the aerial auto-asphyxiation act-in which I really enjoyed the performer’s urgency and audible breathing and muttering of “tighter, tighter”-and the doubles pole act, which let my favorite performer, Fernando, prove that those muscles aren’t just for show. The two girls in a hot tub contortion act had a sweetness and innocence that was nice and we only got splashed a little. The two singers were good-one looked like Ann Wilson from Heart and the other was reminiscent of Tina Turner in Thunderdome. We also enjoyed the energy of the clowns-a couple of lounge lizards pulling various audience members into their horny schtick. As we discussed the show afterwards, both of us commented on the dedication to character that is one of the hallmarks of Cirque du Soleil and one that we really appreciate. This isn’t in my top five Cirque shows, but it was still fun with some quite impressive bits.
LOVE, on the other hand, was incredibly engaging and moving. Both of us cried at different points in the show and the combination of the Cirque aesthetic with the Beatles music was surprisingly affective and affecting. This show is more dance-centric than acrobatic, although there were almost always people up on various aerial contraptions. One of the most spectacular acts involved a male dancer interacting with four aerialist women. Another memorable performer was the male bellydancer, who achieved a level of isolation in his movements that I have never seen paralleled-and the gold dust on his spine was an oddly enduring image. Other moments that stick in my memory are the rainboots assemblage and the amazing bubbles and the deconstructed VW Beetle and arena-sized white parachute that billowed out to encompass the audience. There were many times during the show that there were so many things happening that we didn’t know where to look. Being in the front row-actually, being the front row, due to the wedge shape of the audience section-put the stage at eye-level, which meant that we were close enough to really engage with the performers, but also that I think we saw a very different show than we would have from further up. Hearing the voices and seeing the images of the Beatles themselves was very touching-I got choked up just describing it to Jason over dinner tonight-and I think the re-mixed music works very well in this context. These are not quite the songs you know so well, but the invitation to take another listen to the music makes it all seem fresh again. I have read reviews complaining about a lack of coherency, but I think if you approach this as a musical revue, it makes plenty of sense. Or, as Gilly put it: “I laughed, I cried, I would see it again and again!”
The other show we saw was The Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah’s. It made a nice break in the middle of a busy day of walking the Strip and he has an engaging personality and deft slight of hand. Gilly had a coupon for a free copy of his book, so don’t be surprised if she starts playing Tricks with Your Head.
Attractions In addition to the ticketed shows, we managed to catch a number of the other attractions. The most spectacular was the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island. They’ve sexed it up from the former pirate battle show and it now involves a boatload of beefy hunks taking on a shipful of sexy sirens, with lipsynched song & dance numbers, fireworks, high dives, and fireballs big enough to be uncomfortably searing across the lagoon. We were right behind the tech board for that show, which was fun for us theatre geeks.
We also made it out to the Fremont Street Experience-a music video shown on a gigantic screen arched overhead the length of two city blocks. It’s a shame it’s so brief-two minutes seems not enough to be worth the trip-but it was fun to check out that area that’s clearly revitalized by the attention. And Gilly even sprung for 99-cent margaritas at one of the casinos stretched along the mall. We also found a good cheap souvenir shop with a nice selection of postcards, which had been sorely lacking up on the Strip.
We missed the volcano at the Mirage (it competes with TI, which seems like a bad decision), but did catch the talking statues at the Caesars Palace Forum Shops-pretty cheesy and with bad sound-and the rainstorm in the center of the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. We visited the Grand Canal in the Venetian, although we declined to take a gondola ride through the mall, and saw most of two rounds of the dancing fountains at the Bellagio-one to Copeland and the other to Elvis. They really are beautiful and wonderful-the sound of the little fountains slapping down into the pool and the explosive bursts of the high leapers is wonderfully immediate, reminding me of the sounds of figure skaters’ skates when you’re actually in a rink.
We also visited Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden to see the dolphins-including a baby dolphin!-and big cats- tigers, a very lazy lion, a pacing leopard and a sleeping leopard cub. It’s a wonderfully secluded space that makes a nice break from the noise and glitz of the Strip. I was particularly glad we got there, since the Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand was closed for maintenance both of the days we tried to visit it, although I did buy some lion-themed souvenirs for Alice at the gift shop.
While we were at the Luxor, we also saw Bodies: The Exhibition, since we had both missed it at the Museum of Science. It made me hurt just thinking about all the different muscles and joints, but Gilly just kept wanting to feel her parts to associate them with what she was seeing.
Shopping We tramped through miles of shopping malls associated with many of the hotels and often forming the connection between them. We ended up visiting the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace three separate times and highlights there included the Peter Max gallery of his artwork and the stunning photography of Peter Lik, as well as the Michal Negrin shop of Things Gilly Likes. The architecture there is pretty nifty, including spiral escalators and pretty ceilings.
We also spent quite a bit of time on two different days in the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. We originally went there to visit the Bettie Page shop, where Gilly got to try on clothes and there was lots of fun stuff. We also found a massage station-we got a neck and shoulders rub the first time and went back on our last day to treat our poor feet and legs-and got souvenir photos to commemorate our stint as showgirls.
Along the Strip, between Planet Hollywood and the MGM Grand is a row of shops that include the Harley Davidson Café, M&M World-where I got a t-shirt for Alice and some red, white & blue candies for Dad-and the Hawaiian Marketplace, where I found a CSI t-shirt for Jason. I kept flashing back to memories from the show throughout our stay in Vegas and wished that someone would do a tour of places they regularly show, although I can see why they wouldn’t want to highlight the less salubrious spots that are frequently featured.
Food We tried two of the famous buffets and they were adequate and certainly good value for money, but really not all that great in terms of the food. Not bad, just not really all that good. We also hit the “Farmer’s Market” food court-what a misnomer-at the MGM Grand for pizza and McD’s and ice cream at various intervals.
Then there were our four more special meals, in order of specialness:
- Dinner at Spago Gilly was rather disappointed in her “Grilled Rare Yellowfin Tuna with Artichokes Barigoule, Eggplant, Peppers, Confit Tomatoes, Niçoise Olives, Salsa Verde and 25 Year-Old Balsamic,” particularly in the complete unnoticeability of the latter ingredient. I made out rather better, starting with a half-dozen each of Hama Hama and Quilcene Bay oysters, especially since I had actually ordered a half-dozen total, so the extra six were on the house. I had never tried either of those and they were both very interesting, with the Quilcene Bays being the sweetest oysters-almost candied in flavor-that I have ever tasted. I followed that up with a BLT wedge salad that was an excellent exemplar of the type and a plate of Kobe beef carpaccio that was delicious and really highlighted the particular flavor of the meat. For dessert, Gilly had the crème brulée, a nicely substantial version, served out of its dish on a layer of puff pastry with fresh berries on the side. I couldn’t resist the 15-layer carrot cake (alternating thin layers of cake and cream cheese frosting) with candied walnuts and ginger ice cream, which could have done with more ginger. This was clearly a place to go on an expense account-lots of big tables full of men-and the décor was very minimalist and noisy.
- Dinner at Shibuya. Gilly was somewhat under the weather at that point, so she took it easy this time around.
We split an order of edamame, each had their plain miso soup (with neither mushrooms nor lobster) which was rich and delicious with especially good tofu, and shared pairs of kanpachi (young yellowtail) and hamachi (adult yellowtail) to compare. She also had a salmon avocado roll and a negitoro hand roll that she appeared to enjoy very much. I was unable to resist the Kobe beef tataki with the interesting addition of tarragon oil-mmn, raw Kobe-and also had the salmon avocado roll, a salmon skin roll, mackerel, two different kinds of tuna-I like the darker one better, but can’t remember if that was Big Eye or Blue Fin, although I think it’s the latter--and easily the best unagi I’ve ever tasted.
- Breakfast at Bouchon. This was both Gilly and my first experience of Thomas Keller and we came away very impressed. We each started with one of their excellent plain croissants with lily-gilding butter and apple jelly. She had Le Jardiniere-two eggs (over-easy in her case), brioche toast, Lyonnais potatoes, spinach sous-vide with garlic, and tropical fruit salad. I had the Oeuf en Gratin-baked eggs in mornay sauce with lardons of bacon, petite champignons and roasted tomatoes making each bite a delicious surprise.
- And, finally, and most spectacularly, Dinner at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. This was our Big Foodie meal and it was everything we could have wished for. The chef was able to accommodate Gilly’s dietary restrictions and provide an entire eleven-course Discovery Menu within her guidelines that was just awesome.
Here’s the menu (o=standard menu (E), §=alternative(G)):
o L’Amuse Bouche: foie gras parfait with port wine and parmesan foam.
§ Millefeuille of zucchini, fresh mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato with “leaves” of basil pesto.
o Le Homard: lobster carpaccio with delicate aromatics and shellfish oil.
§ Salad of peeled asparagus, tomatoes, radishes, yellow peppers, avocado, cucumber and lettuces with a mince of peppers and Niçoise olives in a dressing of lemon, Marques de Valdueza olive oil, salt & pepper.
o Les Huitres: poached baby Kusshi oysters with French “Echiré” butter
§ White onion pancake topped with asparagus.
o La Saint-Jacques: seared fresh scallop on a bed of truffled macaroni.
§ Cod on tomato confit
o Le Foie Gras: caramelized duck foie gras and bacon with a chestnut and truffle veloute.
§ Chestnut truffle veloute.
o La Sole: Dover sole filet with zucchini, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes.
o La Caille: foie gras stuffed free-range quail with truffled mashed potatoes
§ Spaghetti with tomatoes, basil and shaved parmesan.
o L’Ananas: pineapple-infused Tahitian cheesecake.
o Le Parfait Arabica: light coffee cream served with coconut milk and Corsican lemon.
o Le Café: coffee (or espresso) with Valrhona Manjari truffles.
The stand-out course for me was the oysters-they were just spectacular, intense and yet full of subtle flavors. Everything else was wonderful and the chef’s use of herbs was particularly notable-the thyme served with the oysters and the mix of herbs with the quail both took their dishes to new heights. The sole was a revelation-I’ve never really understood what was so special about it, but with the tomatoes, especially, the delicate flavors were thrown into a stark contrast that brought out the subtle complexity of the fish. Gilly declared her spaghetti the best she’s ever had and was completely blown away by her salad-said she’d have been happy just to drink a glass of that olive oil, which the chef mentioned comes at $60 per bottle. The sweet courses were both very flavorful, but light, just right with all the light, subtle flavors of the savory courses. Gilly was very proud of herself for correctly identifying the truffles served with our coffee.
The service was also very good. We were seated at the counter, where we could see into the kitchen. It was arranged with shelving between us and the work surfaces, so we didn’t have as good a view as we might have wished, but it was still fun to have all that activity happening in front of us. Our main waiter was fine, but the guy actually bringing our food was wonderful-warm and friendly and responding to our enthusiasm. Gilly made a slightly apologetic comment about her restrictions and Sunday said “No, no-you are selective about your food and that is a beautiful thing!” He really made us feel cared for over the course of our meal. The chef came by to speak with us a couple of times, which was very nice.
I also had some nice conversation with the sommelier about the wines. They had the 2007 Chardonnay from ZD, one of Jason and my favorite California wineries, partly because their winemaker seems willing to have the character of his wines change drastically from year to year in response to the qualities of the particular grapes. The first one we ever had was huge and buttery, the next year’s was intensely citrusy, and this one-the first I’ve had in several years-had a lot of mineral notes, almost like a very rich sauvignon blanc. Later in the meal I switched to a Côtes du Rhone and found it a particularly dry one, so we joked about him liking them dry and his theory about those working best with Robuchon’s richly flavored foods, which they certainly do.
Overall This was a really nice trip. Gilly and I turn out to be good travel partners-we have similar interests, both are willing to take the lead and make decisions and roll with whatever actually happens, and we communicate well about what we need.
This was my first time away from Alice and it was strange not to see someone I’ve spent time with every day for the past two years, but at the same time nice to have a break and to know that I can go away if I need or want to. She asked about me and missed me and seemed very glad to have me back today, but never got upset about my being gone, which is excellent. Poor Jason was sick as a dog the whole time I was gone-shades of his trip to Toronto last year, when I got summer flu-but the family and muffyjo were happy to help him through, as they do me.
Vegas is a great place for a short trip. After a few days the constant stimulus begins to be wearing-if I stayed longer, I’d definitely spend a day out at the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, or just laze around the hotel pool for an afternoon-but it is a great place to be a tourist. There are so many nifty things and beautiful uses of glass and light and interesting architectural features and new uses of technology and outrageously tacky bits that just wandering around is an entertainment all by itself.
Oh, right! Gambling. Gilly lost a dollar at the slots in memory of her grandmother, choosing the Wizard of Oz machine because of family connections. I let that be enough for both of us.