Gonna set my soul on fire.
Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher.
There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there,
And they're all livin' devil may care
And I'm just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, viva Las Vegas!
Back to Las Vegas and the beautiful Bellagio. How can a town with a nickname of "Sin City" not be a compelling place to visit? This, by the way, was the view from our room on the 24th floor.
One can go to the observation deck at the top of the Eiffel Tower and look out over the city. Always wanted to do that.
The Bellagio is a classy hotel and has these magnificent glass flowers on the ceiling in the lobby that were done by the artist Chihuly. He has a gallery in Palm Springs with dozens of other glass designs. The Bellagio changes the lobby design often, especially when the seasons change, but it never changes the ceiling.
The rooms are big and upscale. Ours had -- get this -- his and her remotes for the TV. The beds are huge (King size) and come with 14,000 pillows, most of which you just throw onto the floor.
The popular Bellagio fountains water show (check out the video and music of the show) roars every half hour and could be easily viewed, and heard from our window. After five days, it makes you want to throw a chair through the window or blow your brains out or both.
Only one way to deal with that annoying situation: order up some Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Of course the strawberries have to come in an edible bowl of white chocolate. Nice, huh? After that, it's time to head for the pool.
(Sigh) Why does life have to be so unfair and cruel? After waiting a long time, I finally realized that my wish for "Opposite Day" was not going to come true.
Wishes aside, I decide to hang with my very cute nephew William. "Let's see...set the aperture, adjust the shutter speed, check the ISO, and oh yeah, SMILE."Chip off his ol' uncle's block, eh?
At night, the city really lights up and comes alive. This is the time that a zillion visiting tourists decide that they should all walk around. The streets were packed.
We head for the Orleans Hotel to see The Beach Boys! Currently there are nine -- yes nine -- guys in the band, two of whom were "originals." Mike Love and Bruce Johnston were still having Fun Fun Fun, but had clearly lost the punch their voices once had. The other seven guys fill in pretty well and were probably thrilled to be called a Beach Boy.
I especially liked the lead guitarist guy whose name was, uh...the lead guitarist guy. You fellow guitarist will recognize this chord as a D7 minor capo-ed up to a C6 with a B flat twice removed.
The next morning, I have a "Bellagio Breakfast." The best part is that it actually contains all five major food groups.
Later that night, after several of those "breakfast specials", I look out the hotel window. "Hey Mellissa! Come quick!! You ain't gonna believe this S#$&!"
Here is one of the best shows in Vegas. I've seen many good shows, but I don't recall ever laughing as hard as I did seeing Monty Python's Spamalot. I am not a big Python fan, but this was a wonderfully funny musical.
On our last day, we went to the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef.
This is North America's only predator-based aquarium and exhibit. It boasts sharks of all kinds, along with sawfish, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles, piranha, moon jellies and the rare golden crocodiles. In all, there are over 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater.
The hype is more than you actually see, but it is pretty good. It goes by faster than we expected and actually seems too short. You do get to see the fish up close like Mr. Grumpy Lionfish here, once you fight you way through the crowds of kids.
What do fish eat? That's right, Zucchini on a string!
This Spotted Eel was not happy about the Puffer coming too close to his space. The menacing "mouth open" technique worked well to move the Puffer along.
Another Lionfish. These guys have venemous spines that produce a very painful reaction when grabbed or stepped upon. I used to have a Lionfish in a saltwater home aquarium. We fed it live goldfish. Quite a show.
This Blacktip Shark is unhappy about the popularity of Shark-Fin Soup. Yes, this is the guy that ends up on the menu at many Chinese resturants.
The rare Golden Crocodile is none too happy either about belts, purses, or shoes. Cute face; this is how I usually look in the morning.
After five days, it's time to fly home and take a break from all the recent travel. Viva Las Vegas and Elvis has left the building.
