A couple of weeks back my husband and I ventured to Las Vegas for a long weekend of fun and adventure. We stayed at The Venetian, my first time at this particular resort. It was fabulous, to say the least. My only complaint is that the mini-fridge was pre-stocked with items (non-alcoholic and alcoholc that cost a small fortune) making it useless for any of our items. It is what it is, I suppose. We made do and filled sinks with ice putting our drinks and leftovers there to keep everything fresh.
Over the weekend, we did our share of gambling at the slot machines – winning some, loosing some. I actually came home with the same amount of cash I took with me. Whoo hoo! I was happy about that as I lost a good bit but also won a good bit.
Vegas is always spectacular no matter how you look at it. It’s an adult “Disney World”, I’ve always said. But besides the strip and it’s craziness, we had other things planned as well. First up on Friday, we did a tour of the West Rim of the Grand Canyon including our first stop at the Hoover Dam.
The Hoover Dam is truly an engineering marvel. Not to be outdone by the Canyon itself. My, my, what a beautiful sight indeed. Everyone says pictures do not do it justice and they are absolutely correct. It is beyond spectacular as you can see from my photos.
Another engineering marvel we visited on our day excursion to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon was the Grand Canyon Skywalk offering more striking views around you and even under you!
“Unparalleled views of one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders await you at Grand Canyon West on Skywalk. This breathtaking 10-foot wide, horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Grand Canyon, giving you a clear view 4,000 feet to the Canyon floor below. There’s simply no thrill like stepping out on glass thousands of feet in the air, yet there’s no need to be nervous — Skywalk is strong enough to hold seventy fully loaded 747 passenger jets.”
They don’t allow cameras as they have a team of photographers who will snap a series of photos of you, yes, for a $65 fee for the bundle or you can purchase individual shots. We subcumbed as you can see a few of those photos abover. It was fun and well, they need to make a living too! Oh, and they don’t allow you to take anything with you, not even your shoes. They provide free lockers for you – you take the key. It’s all an effort to protect the glass. You sure don’t want that glass to crack.
Next time I think we will do the one day of white water rafting and also a helicopter tour of the canyon. Maybe even stay somewhere in Peach Springs for a few of those days. As it was, we were on a bus with 50 other tourists through a tour I booked on Trip Advisor. Here was our itinerary which included breakfast and lunch. They picked us up near our hotel in Vegas and dropped us off at the same spot. What a fun-filled day. I truly recommend it to anyone heading to Vegas.
It was truly the highlight of the trip. Oh, wait, there was another! Upon our return from the canyon, we had to rush to our hotel, freshen up, and head over to The Wynn to see Bryan Adams in concert. He is the best! He sounds in person exactly like he sounds on the radio.
He is starting a tour to promote his latest album, “So Happy It Hurts”. I have to say from the time before the concert began until we left, it was a most fabulous experience. The video below is from the title track. The white car and everything about the video is incorporated into the media shown onstage prior to Bryan and his band arriving and throughout the concert and even after he left. It was quite “artsy” and quite entertaining. He is beyond talented. I was extremely thrilled to see him in Vegas in such an intimate setting!
A little known interesting side note is he is also a paid photographer, working mainly in the fashion industry. He has had more than 40 photo exhibitions since 1999. “In 2002, Adams was invited, along with other photographers from the Commonwealth, to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee; one of the photographs from this session was used as a Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and again in 2005 (see Queen Elizabeth II domestic rate stamp (Canada)), another portrait of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.”
Obviously, I’m a HUGE fan!
The rest of the trip was spent in the casino at The Venetian. We did enjoy some nice dinners along the way, and a wonderful breakfast buffet at the hotel before we headed to the airport Sunday morning to make the long trek back home.
On Monday, I came down with a 101 degree temperature prompting me to take a COVID test and unfortunately it was positive. By Friday, I was all better! Just goes to show you that not EVERYTHING that happens in Vegas STAYS in Vegas!
