Lions and Tigers and Bears- Oh My!
Vegas is a place where you can see anything, and I mean ANYTHING. There are so many shows, both free and well, some are so expensive that you may have to take out a second mortgage to afford, but there�s definitely something for everyone. Here are some of our favorite things to do in Vegas.
Free Shows
1. The Bellagio fountains- This is my most favorite free show. It�s so incredible how they can shoot the water that high! Some of the shows are real calm and romantic- you might hear Celine Dion�s song from Titanic (snooze) There�s enough Celine in Vegas now- I want to hear something fresh! My favorite dancing fountains songs are Luck be a Lady and the song from the beef commercials- I don�t know what it�s called, but when I hear it, I want to round up some horses and shoot some pistols in the air! Those shows have lots of water explosions that shoot so high in the air, they give the Luxor light a run for it�s money!
2. Street Corners- The guys that stand on the street corners and pass out �Adult Entertainment Flyers�. This has got to be the best spectacle in Vegas. You know who the first timers are because they make eye contact and actually take the stuff. The best part is how they flick the papers together and try to get you to take their smut. It�s fantastic. There�s nothing better than walking down the street and seeing little calling cards for Misty or Candy with little stars or black bars strategically placed. They should show Janet Jackson how it�s really done!
3. The Pirate Ship Battle- Treasure Island (or ti for the people who have fallen for their new marketing scheme) I don�t know what�s going on with this. It used to be really cool, but now ti is trying to give out VIP passes to see a free show??! I boycott. It�s cool if it�s your first time, but not so cool if you go as much as we do.
4. Mirage Volcano- This would be much cooler if Siegfried or Roy- whichever one didn�t get mauled by the tiger would jump out of the volcano and do a trick while it�s spewing the �lava�. This is a good show to see if it�s cold at night, because the heat that emits form the fire is enough to sear your eyebrows right off your head.
5. The Lion Habitat at MGM- There�s a lion habitat kind of like at a zoo in the MGM. You can walk through the exhibit and there�s even a glass tunnel that the lions can walk on top of. Just don�t look up- one peed on the tunnel overtop Mike a few years ago. It was a big puddle, I could have drowned!
6. Airplay at the Tropicana- Here�s something new. The Trop is really trying so hard to get you in their doors. Not only do they bribe you with the free pull on the Win a Corvette slot, and your �free prize� is a deck of cards that you have to get inside the casino- it the VERRRY back, but now they have this free show in the casino lobby a few times a day. It�s so sad. It�s worth checking out if you�re in the area and up for a laugh, but other than that, save your 15 minutes and avoid Lasilov and his high flying acrobatics.
Not Free Shows
1. Singers- You have your choice: Wayne Newton, Clint Holmes, Celine or the new Celine- Elton John. Tickets are about $50- $100. I recommend going to see someone that you will not be able to see in your hometown. Tom Jones is always there, and for $75 a person you could be with him, but we�re going to see him in Atlantic City for $25 a person.
2. Magicians- If it weren�t for my Uncle Mike- (my family magician) I�d be not as excitable, but he refuses to tell me how the tricks are done, so I figure if Lance Burton can do them, and my Uncle Mike can do them, then I can figure it out. Wrong- no matter how hard I try- they always get me with the distraction and then- poof- a rabbit- or a dove! We saw Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo, and although it was not a packed house, the show was fun and the ducks were falling off the stage and trying to �do it�. I want to see �The Magicians of the Century� Siegfried and Roy, but that probably won�t happen.
3. Acrobats???- Those crazy Canadians are taking over Vegas with like 4 or 5 Cirque shows. Ti has Mystere, Bellagio has �O�, NYNY has some new show called Zumanity, and I thought MGM was getting one to replace �EFX�. You can have my tickets for Cirque de Soleil, because they do nothing for me. If I want to go to a circus, it will be Ringling Bros.
4. Production Shows- These shows are dwindling down, thanks to Cirque. There�s 2 types of production shows- Showgirls and Variety. There�s only a few showgirl shows in Vegas- Folies Bregere (Tropicana) and Jubilee! (Bally�s). There are the other ones like Crazy Girls and Skintight, but they seem raunchy when compared to Jubilee! The other variety production shows are like Lord of the Dance and the defunct EFX! We saw EFX and it was really good. I believe David Cassidy was in it before Rick Springfield- think Jesse�s Girl. It had a lot of different themes- acrobatics, magic, fighting, fantasy, plus Rick busted into Jesse�s Girl and pulled this poor girl on stage who called her friend on her cell phone during the serenade. You couldn�t have written a better script!
Things to Do
1. Rides- there are many modes of transportation in Vegas- cab, busses, trams and roller coasters. If you want to be safe- I�d stick with the roller coaster! There�s a good selection too, The Manhattan Express in NYNY, The Big Roller on top of the Stratosphere, the Adventuredome in Circus Circus and Speed at the Sahara, which goes forward, and then in reverse. Also on top of the Stratosphere is the Big Shot and a new ride called X-Scream. I won�t go up there, but Mike says the Stratosphere rides are weak.
2. European Experiences- If you want to feel the magic of Europe, but you�re stuck in Vegas- you can go up the Paris� Eiffel Tower. It faces the Bellagio fountains, so you may be able to catch the aforementioned dancing fountains. At the Venetian you can go on a canal ride- inside or out. Mike and I opted for the outside one, because there�s not as many people watching you, plus we couldn�t find the entrance to the indoor one. It�s fun, but not more than once.
3. Tours- We went to see the Hoover Dam right after 9/11. I don�t know if you can still go inside of it on the dam tour, but it�s amazing just to see it and learn about how it was built. Even more amazing than the massive size is the fact that there�s a highway that runs across the top of it! They are building a bridge downstream to help alleviate the amount of traffic, but I have not seen it yet. Also you are fairly close to the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon. There are helicopter tours to the big one and you can drive to the red one.
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