Sue Funke's Vegas "Vacation"
On Sunday I woke up hung over and unable to sleep. I got up, drank the Vitamin Water I procured for a measily $3(!) from the vending machine at 5:30 am, and proceeded to haphazardly fumble through my room packing my possesions.
Around 10:30ish I walked to Gina's room, which was now my room as well. The work part of our vacation was completely over. We're paying for this night's stay. We have the day to do whatever we want in Las Vegas.
We walk to the pool. Gina in her oversized glasses. Me with the glasses I got from Duane Reade one night because I thought they were super cool, only to go home and find they were High School Musical 2 brand sunglasses. Apparently my style is in the same target demographic as my niece, and I'm getting off subject...
En route to poolside we receive a message from our fellow co-workers Madeleine and Elana. They're up, and they've got confirmation - we can get tickets to see The Beatles LOVE Cirque-de-Soleil for a great discount.
We change route and meet them at the concierge desk where we quickly purchase the last 5 discounted seats - the extra ticket for co-worker Dennis.
That night walking into the show I'm bouncing. Already I'm wide eyed and feel happiness head-to-toe like a 5 year old about to get birthday cake.
The show did not disappoint.
Ok, so you really have to see it to get it, I'll never do it justice but here are my highlights
(Note: I was not under the influence of anything at the time of viewing this show, scout's honor, cross my heart, etc.)
-They play the song Octopus's Garden and the entire theater begins to feel as though you really are underwater floating with an octopus in his garden, in the shade.
-For Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds there are strands of lights lowered which flicker along to the beat of the song - sparkling as if they're diamonds scattered across the sky.
-The benefit of Mr. Kite was acted out in a manner that was amazingly fitting to the spectacle put forth in the song's lyrics.
-At the end, I teared up seeing the images of the Beatles flashed upon the large scrims.
After this purely magical experience, we went to Ceaser's Palace with another fellow co-worker (we all seriously do get along quite well) LL and her boyfriend Andrew. There we ate a lovely Italian meal under a faux sky by the Fountain of the Gods.
There was even a fake sunset.
After dinner we walked over to the Belagio to see the beautiful glass ceiling installation we had heard a lot about.
In order to get to the Lobby though we had to cross, you guesses it - a GIANT casino.
At the point I was surpassing sensory overload and was about to go into total bitch face if I had to stand by one more machine flashing lights at me. I had enough. I wanted to see art.
I walked off towards the lobby with the agreement that we'd all loop back there in twenty minutes. As I was crossing through I saw signs for many things, but the one that seemed like utopia calling to me was the art gallery they had on premises. There were signs boasting modern art from artists I genuinely enjoy and walked even faster through in hopes that in this city that really doesn't sleep, the art would be open late.
Sadly, it closes at 10pm, not 12:30am as I was hoping as I stood by the ropes at 12:15.
I walked to the lobby and to this fall installation walk-through. It was anti-climatic, but better than a casino.
Then, I heard the song Piano Man, and looked over to see a piano bar with an actual piano man singing the song. It was an ironic sight for my Long Island eyes to see, but felt like a little piece of home was in Vegas at that moment.
Not too long after that Gina and Dennis came to the lobby to inform me that everyone had caught gambling fever, but Gina. So, my roomie, Miss Gina, and I walked along the Belagio lake (sans fountains which end at midnight on Sundays) and over towards our hotel when we ran into what can only be summed up as the completion of my Vegas experience -
BOTH a Marilyn Monroe AND an Elvis Presley impersonators. Gina took my photo with them, which they promptly asked to get tipped for, they also then wanted to chit-chat with us, which got a little tiresome cause we were both exhausted and didn't really intend to spend the rest of our night discussing the weather in New York.
We truthfully just wanted to sleep, because the night couldn't have been any better than if we had asked for the best. As we prepared to crash in our seperate cloud-like queen beds Gina turned to me and said - the biggest loss of this trip is if we didn'tt spent our money the way we did that night.
Sure, I had to make every meal ahead of time for the week with every spare second I had this weekend. But all that money spent is worth the wonderful time I had.
Would I go back to Vegas?
I hope never to have to again.
I did all I needed to do there, thank you very much.
Around 10:30ish I walked to Gina's room, which was now my room as well. The work part of our vacation was completely over. We're paying for this night's stay. We have the day to do whatever we want in Las Vegas.
We walk to the pool. Gina in her oversized glasses. Me with the glasses I got from Duane Reade one night because I thought they were super cool, only to go home and find they were High School Musical 2 brand sunglasses. Apparently my style is in the same target demographic as my niece, and I'm getting off subject...
En route to poolside we receive a message from our fellow co-workers Madeleine and Elana. They're up, and they've got confirmation - we can get tickets to see The Beatles LOVE Cirque-de-Soleil for a great discount.
We change route and meet them at the concierge desk where we quickly purchase the last 5 discounted seats - the extra ticket for co-worker Dennis.
That night walking into the show I'm bouncing. Already I'm wide eyed and feel happiness head-to-toe like a 5 year old about to get birthday cake.
The show did not disappoint.
Ok, so you really have to see it to get it, I'll never do it justice but here are my highlights
(Note: I was not under the influence of anything at the time of viewing this show, scout's honor, cross my heart, etc.)
-They play the song Octopus's Garden and the entire theater begins to feel as though you really are underwater floating with an octopus in his garden, in the shade.
-For Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds there are strands of lights lowered which flicker along to the beat of the song - sparkling as if they're diamonds scattered across the sky.
-The benefit of Mr. Kite was acted out in a manner that was amazingly fitting to the spectacle put forth in the song's lyrics.
-At the end, I teared up seeing the images of the Beatles flashed upon the large scrims.
After this purely magical experience, we went to Ceaser's Palace with another fellow co-worker (we all seriously do get along quite well) LL and her boyfriend Andrew. There we ate a lovely Italian meal under a faux sky by the Fountain of the Gods.
There was even a fake sunset.
After dinner we walked over to the Belagio to see the beautiful glass ceiling installation we had heard a lot about.
In order to get to the Lobby though we had to cross, you guesses it - a GIANT casino.
At the point I was surpassing sensory overload and was about to go into total bitch face if I had to stand by one more machine flashing lights at me. I had enough. I wanted to see art.
I walked off towards the lobby with the agreement that we'd all loop back there in twenty minutes. As I was crossing through I saw signs for many things, but the one that seemed like utopia calling to me was the art gallery they had on premises. There were signs boasting modern art from artists I genuinely enjoy and walked even faster through in hopes that in this city that really doesn't sleep, the art would be open late.
Sadly, it closes at 10pm, not 12:30am as I was hoping as I stood by the ropes at 12:15.
I walked to the lobby and to this fall installation walk-through. It was anti-climatic, but better than a casino.
Then, I heard the song Piano Man, and looked over to see a piano bar with an actual piano man singing the song. It was an ironic sight for my Long Island eyes to see, but felt like a little piece of home was in Vegas at that moment.
Not too long after that Gina and Dennis came to the lobby to inform me that everyone had caught gambling fever, but Gina. So, my roomie, Miss Gina, and I walked along the Belagio lake (sans fountains which end at midnight on Sundays) and over towards our hotel when we ran into what can only be summed up as the completion of my Vegas experience -
BOTH a Marilyn Monroe AND an Elvis Presley impersonators. Gina took my photo with them, which they promptly asked to get tipped for, they also then wanted to chit-chat with us, which got a little tiresome cause we were both exhausted and didn't really intend to spend the rest of our night discussing the weather in New York.
We truthfully just wanted to sleep, because the night couldn't have been any better than if we had asked for the best. As we prepared to crash in our seperate cloud-like queen beds Gina turned to me and said - the biggest loss of this trip is if we didn'tt spent our money the way we did that night.
Sure, I had to make every meal ahead of time for the week with every spare second I had this weekend. But all that money spent is worth the wonderful time I had.
Would I go back to Vegas?
I hope never to have to again.
I did all I needed to do there, thank you very much.
