Classic Trip: Las Vegas, Nevada - 2002

NOTE: See video of our helicopter flying at the terminate of this report, below...

Sunday dawned together with after a delicious breakfast, nosotros continued on to Vegas.  Since nosotros were a chip early, a drive downward the strip to run across the casinos together with hotels was inwards fellowship for Tim.  Soon, the traffic proved to live on unbearable hence nosotros headed over to the Tropicana, our domicile for the adjacent distich of days.  Still early on for check-in, nosotros parked the automobile together with headed across the street to the New York, New York casino.

NYNY is elaborately themed.  There is a 300 pes replica of the Brooklyn Bridge y'all tin dismiss cross over to larn to the entrance.  The skyscrapers of New York...the Empire State Building together with the Chrysler Building with others...are reproduced inwards one-half scale equally is the Statue of Liberty out from.

The casino is themed to Central Park together with inwards the dorsum is a really prissy streets of New York department with many places to eat.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of attending to item went inwards hither downward to the steam ascent upwards through the manhole covers. 

We ended upwards at the Mango Hut, which is an homage to those groovy juice together with hot domestic dog places inwards New York such equally Gray's Papaya.

While ane hot domestic dog volition laid y'all dorsum 4 times equally much equally it would at Gray's, it's nevertheless a large beefy sausage together with it was delicious.

At 1:00pm, nosotros headed dorsum across the street to depository fiscal establishment stand upwards for inwards at the Tropicana.  We had planned on seeing their Birdman present at 2:00 but an hr afterwards I was simply reaching the counter to depository fiscal establishment stand upwards for in. 

As nosotros walked to our room inwards the parent tower, nosotros passed the aeroplane show.  It looked interesting but the location of it...a lounge that was basically a broad spot inwards the hall...was non also conducive to a show.

Our room was pretty nice.   Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Rex size bed for my married adult woman together with I, together with a total size sofa bed for Tim; lot's of room to maneuver; a groovy stance of the puddle surface area together with the strip; together with a large bath with a large bathtub.  I asked close the accessible rooms together with the solely divergence was select care of bars on the lavatory together with tub hence nosotros stuck with the normal room.  No roll-in showers here.

The Rick Thomas Magic present is also institute at the Trop together with nosotros were looking frontwards to its family-friendly reasonably priced entertainment, but Mr. Thomas was on opor-garai for a few to a greater extent than days.  Add this to the listing for things to make adjacent time.

With the afternoon magic showed cancelled, nosotros position on our swimwear together with headed downward to the pool.  The puddle hither at the Trop has got to live on inwards the top 3 or 4 of all Vegas hotel pools.  It's huge, has waterfalls, an island, a H2O volleyball court, an indoor section, and...in the summer...swim upwards blackjack!

Looking Across the Tropicana's Pool Toward NYNY together with the MGM Grand

There are also a distich of smaller pools nearby inwards this heavily landscaped area.  One for adults together with ane for kids.  Not to mention, a few spas hither together with there.

Lifeguards are on duty during puddle hours.  You tin dismiss rent a subway together with simply float roughly or larn a lounge chair together with soak upwards the rays.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 puddle side bar volition receive got aid of your thirst.  If y'all receive got coin to burn, 3 mortal puddle cabanas are available.

Tim together with I chose to float together with swim roughly inwards our inner tubes spell my married adult woman spent most of her fourth dimension working on the tan.

I had read on a Vegas spider web site that the San Remo had ane of the best inexpensive prime number rib specials inwards town.  Being really unopen to our room, nosotros walked over for dinner.  I don't know if that spider web author has been at that topographic point lately, but it was actually bad.  Bad food, bad service...but cheap...and to top it off, the safety guards started hassling Tim because he lingered a piffling also unopen to the slot machines spell I paid the dinner bill.  Not doing anything but waiting take away heed you, but given a difficult fourth dimension past times an unnecessarily rude guard.  When I complained, he said he was simply doing his project but I mean value y'all could enquire someone to deed a piffling nicer.

Across the street from the San Remo was a monorail station at the MGM Grand.  It's accessible but the elevators are non also slow to uncovering but at that topographic point are signs to grade the way.  This monorail (an quondam Disney World train) takes y'all a few blocks northward to the dorsum of Bally's hotel together with casino. 

From at that topographic point it is a really long walk through the casino out to the Strip.  Wheelchairs receive got the added bonus of taking several elevators to navigate upwards together with downward levels along the way.

Out on the Strip, nosotros are deposited straight inwards front end of the Bellagio hotel.  Here, nosotros are able to lookout the huge outpouring present on the lake inwards front end of the building.  It's actually spectacular (someone said it's a quarter mile trouble of fountains) together with best of all, free.

Our plans had included taking inwards the pirate battle at the Treasure Island together with the Volcano at the Mirage, together with seeing the shops at Paris together with Caesar's Palace but my married adult woman was worn out together with had dorsum hurting from all the walking hence nosotros headed dorsum to the monorail to supply to the hotel.

The adjacent morn nosotros had breakfast at the Trop's java shop, Calypso's.  It was really expert but a chip on the expensive side ($8.50 for what was essentially a Grand Slam without the bacon).  In comparison, dorsum at Buffalo Bill's, a New York steak & eggs breakfast was solely $2.95.  Delicious too!

After breaking our fast, nosotros headed over to the MGM where at that topographic point is a Coca-Cola store together with M&M World (basically anything together with everything you'd desire to purchase - summation to a greater extent than - adorned with Coke & M&M logos).  The 75 cent Cokes inwards the old-fashioned bottles striking the spot together with my married adult woman loaded upwards on some pretty cool Coke souvenirs.  We didn't purchase a matter at the M&M store.

In Front of the Luxor...Notice the Monorail Track

Catty corner to the Trop is Excalibur where some other accessible monorail whisked us downward the route to Mandalay Bay.  My married adult woman bought some shoes inwards the store at that topographic point together with nosotros hence boarded some other develop to receive got us to the Luxor adjacent door where nosotros gaulked at the re-created Egyptian monuments.  Be aware that the monorail dorsum to Excalibur is designed with making y'all walk through some other large casino earlier y'all exit.

Back at the Trop, nosotros spent the balance of the afternoon inwards that actually lovely pool.  Ahhh, I larn a warm feeling simply thinking close it...and that's non simply the 8-year quondam who simply swam by!

Another View of the Great Pool at the Tropicana

Just earlier dinner, nosotros caput dorsum to NYNY together with purchase tickets for the Manhattan Express roller coaster.  This is a steel coaster themed to New York taxicabs that takes y'all on a 3 infinitesimal excursion roughly the Statue of Liberty together with the buildings.  There are 2 inversions...a tear-drop loop together with a heart-line gyre into a half-loop.  It's fun, expensive ($10), together with very, really bumpy.  Be prepared to receive got a headache when it's over. 

The large amusement surface area where the coaster station is located is themed to Coney Island together with it fifty-fifty smells the same! 

Dinner was at Il Fornaio within NYNY.  We got a groovy tabular array adjacent to a pond together with span (supposedly Central Park).  I jurist this house is supposed to remind y'all of Tavern on the Green.  Doesn't really, but it's nevertheless a really prissy house with really expert food.  Not inexpensive though, but after the debacle of San Remo, a really prissy sit down downward repast was simply what the physician ordered.

After the Sun went down, nosotros called on Maverick Helicopters to give us a lift.  We headed downward to their component division on the outskirts of McCarran Airport.  After plying us with a drinking glass of champagne, nosotros were ushered into ane of their ASTAR helicopters.  Since Tim couldn't brand it on his own, the airplane pilot unopen downward the engines earlier helping us larn him inwards the arts and crafts making it safer, easier, together with less noisy than with them on.

Watch the Video!

Once aboard together with with the engines up, nosotros donned our headsets spell our pilot, Darren, whisked us upwards together with away.   We flew at a chiliad feet together with a hundred miles an hr upwards the strip, passing past times the observation deck of the Stratosphere, over the Fremont Street Experience, together with headed dorsum to the south.  Darren flew us threw the ultra-bright spotlight emanating from the top of Luxor's pyramid together with nosotros hovered over the endless expanse of the Mandalay Bay's puddle surface area (the really best hotel puddle inwards Vegas) earlier landing dorsum at Maverick's offices.

It was over with all also quick, but was worth every penny together with turned out to live on the highlight of the trip.

Darryl
Copyright 2002 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved