Las Vegas Tour

Las Vegas, the city of many sins.  What is a sin anyway?  Well it depends on how society perceives it as, according to their culture and acceptability.  That's why, if anything happens in Vegas stays there, because in Vegas it's a norm to commit these acts, so foreigners just has to get assimilated to it during their stay.  Let's also not forget about the food, can it be a sin?  Is it a sin to indulge yourself in Vegas style buffet like there's no tomorrow for everyday that you stay.  Or perhaps is just an amped up guilty pleasure? 

I chose to stay at a different hotel every night to get a taste of what each casino has to offer.  To list all, I stayed at The Wynn, Luxor, Imperial Palace and the Stratosphere.  I've also walked the whole strip in triple digit weather and enter every casino.  The Imperial Palace was okay and cheap if you want to stay in the middle of the strip and check out the Elvis museum.  The Luxor is a great place to experience it's unorthodox architectural design and it's Mayan theme resort.  It's also equipped with it's unique diagonal elevator that gives you the feeling of being in a glass elevator from, 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory'.  The most interesting resort for me is the Wynn and the Stratosphere.

The Wynn Resort and Casino is the most expensive and lavish on the strip.  Built by Steve Wynn himself, whom also owns a few other casinos,  everything has to be five star including the buffet.  Basically, compared to a small town buffet, it's usually ten times bigger and higher in quality.  The staff at each casino will tend to each individual dish like it's being prepared for a king.  I would assume every casino is tended with the same manner and care also.  Every dish I tried at the Wynn Resort was extraordinary and unbelievable.  They have every possible fresh seafood you could imagine.  If only I had four stomachs I would put Kobayashi to shame. 

The two story outdoor pool is like no other I've seen in my life.  You can see multiple Venice-like arched bridges stretching across the pool connecting the second level.  I happen to conveniently stumble upon a European section of the pool area.  It's located at the end of the half mile long, 20ft wide swimming pool.  Only a giant outdoor tiki bar separates the rated G version from the triple X version.  The minute you pass that adult zone, you feel like your in man heaven that had just transported you by imaginary angels, thus giving the cloud 9 sensation.

I can get into more details about the pool area but it would take all day so I'm going to name a few of the essentials.  Outdoor blackjack dealt by bikini attired women, DJs spinning their latest tunes, ice cold drinks in the pool and let's not forget the gorgeous topless women.  They even serve a great dish poolside called, " The heart of palm with ahi tuna sashimi".  Heart of palm is referring to the inside of an artichoke.  Now if all of the above doesn't lure you to sin city I don't know what will.

Walking from the Wynn to the stratosphere seems like a piece of cake.  With it being so tall it seems like it wasn't that far away from where I was, but in reality it's a scorching, balls sweating three mile hike.  Vegas does offer a free monorail ride back and forth throughout the strip.  I personally prefer to hike my way there just in case I spot something interesting.  Sure enough, I stumble upon the Bellagio water fountain show along the way. The water show would last about five minutes with a twenty-five minute break in between than starts all over again.  It was quite relaxing to rest and listen to classical music that gracefully synchronize to the water dance.  In the evening they add colorful lights to tango with the water but be weary of drunks crowding the walkways, because in Vegas you're allowed to scamper around like fool with a drink in hand.

When I arrived at the Stratosphere I settled in and quickly made way to the resort that had everything the Wynn has except the roof top pool, giving you a spectacular view of the whole city.  I kicked back and order an ice cold bloody mary and a Hawaiian hot dog that had the perfect snappy texture and savory sweetness from the pineapples.  It was merely enough to satisfy my hunger but just enough to energize me without bloating my stomach, bare in mind, I am lounging poolside with no shirt on.  After a few hours of playing I decide to check out the thrill rides they have atop the tower.  I used my hotel key to get a free ride up to the highest point in Vegas to test out all three rides they offer.  It cost about $15 a ride which is fairly cheap if you ask me, plus you get a great view of the whole city.

Here's a tip to save money on drinks before you hit the clubs, always play the quarter machines at the bar.  You can get free drinks as long as you tip at least a dollar per drink.  I personally would play a hand and mingle for a bit until I felt a little wuzzy.  So in other words I would spend only $20 to get as much drinks as I can handle and on top of that I would occasionally win some money in the process.  Remember, each casino has all the amenities, night clubs, shopping centers, restaurants and signature shows, so you won't have to go far to satisfy your needs.



peking duck



Lets not forget, this food blog is called bizarre dinning, so let's veer off the strip and head to Chinatown.  Lets also not forget, Vegas doesn't sleep, so if you want to find good eats at 4am there's a place call Pho Kim Long which specialize in pho.  Pho is a hot beef broth that is serve with rice noodles and vegetables with the meat of your choice.  Meat and vegetables can range from basil, lettuce, mint, bean sprout, pork, seafood and beef.  The waiter will also set up an array of condiments that you can dress the pho to your likings.  Condiments can range from fish sauce, chili garlic, lime, sugar, shrimp paste, beef paste and oyster sauce.  Pho, which originated from Vietnam is known to cure the most intense hangover.  Of course with being Vegas, does a hangover even exist?  

For those who like the crazier foods, also in Chinatown, you can venture into a Korean joint call Sam Woo BBQ. They offer a great selection on display for take out such as, pig intestines, peking duck, webbed duck feet, chicken feet, pork kidneys and liver, pork stomach and penis, whole rack of suckling pig ribs and many many more.  Of course knowing me, everything I tried there was spectacular.  If you do like a laid back trendy modern place head around the corner to Krueng Siam Thai Lounge for occasional showings of live band and karaoke.

I manage to squeeze in a trip to the Hoover Dam in Boulder City, NV, only a twenty minute drive from Vegas.  Hoover Dam is not as spectacular as everyone says it to be.  Looking much smaller in person, it's only good to visit just to say you've been there.  I did though enjoyed the outdoor cafe they offer there.  What's better than eating outside mountain top while gazing at the magnificent feat that took place many decades ago.  Even the massive under construction arch bridge, connecting Arizona and Nevada was overwhelming to take in all at once.

Vegas was a good experience for me, I can't say I would go there again unless it's an all expense paid for.  Don't forget to check out downtown Vegas and get the Fremont neon street light experience.  Also the newly constructed City Center near the middle of the Vegas strip is an awesome sight to take in.  City Center, consist of hotels and casinos resembling mini skyscrapers costing 11 billion dollars to construct.  To name a few, The Vdara, Aira, Veers Tower, Crystals, Harmon Hotel and The Mandarin Oriental. Below you can check videos of the Hoover Dam, Insanity/Sky Jump thrill ride, Bellgio Water show day/night and a slide show of my Vegas vacation with music by Katy Perry.