thankful thursday - teaching an old dog new tricks

My friend, Dawn, invited me to go to Las Vegas with her for a few days. I was hesitant because I really DO NOT like Las Vegas... it's loud and smoky and people are rude and it's a town of excess. She was confident she could change my mind. I thought she had her work cut out for her. But I agreed to go.

I learned six things from Dawn:

1. Go outside! Walk up and down the Strip in the morning. - it's less crowded and, in our case, cooler then. We walked from our first hotel, Circus Circus, at the north end of the Strip all the way to The Cosmopolitan on our first day. We saw interesting graffiti, an area fenced off for construction with beautifully painted signs depicting what was coming, a statue commemorating Siegfried and Roy along with a star in the sidewalk, noticed the futuristic-looking buildings on the back side of the Strip while we were waiting for a tram and we talked with construction workers, tourists and a police officer. It was like being in any other city with large buildings!

 2. Experience the Resorts - they are much more than just casinos. We walked through every resort we passed by. I usually avoid the inside of the resorts because I don't like the uber-loud, smoky (although that was better than I remembered thanks to newer filtration systems) casinos. I didn't realize there are LOTS of things to see inside. 

At the Bellagio, I would have missed gorgeous hanging umbrellas (upper right) and several extraordinary Chihuly pieces, the largest one hanging from the ceiling in the lobby (lower left). The Conservatory, an inside park, has a glass ceiling that lets in natural light. They decorate it seasonally - the fall decor was beautiful. It's open 24/7 and people stroll through it all the time.  It was a quiet place to relax and enjoy the whimsical displays.

Somewhere in the Bellagio (I'm pretty sure the resort spans at least 3 time zones!) is the world's largest chocolate fountain - it's just over 26 feet tall and circulates two tons of white, medium and dark chocolate. Ahhhhmazing!! And in the same store is the life-sized chocolate skeleton - it took two people about 70 hours to make it using a little over 143 pounds of white and dark chocolate. Immmmpressive!!

The Venetian and her sister-resort, Palazzo, are equally spectacular. We watched gondolas filled with people glide through the underground canals while gondoliers serenaded them. One guy sounded just like Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Incidentally, Frank Sinatra was one of Las Vegas' pioneer entertainers performing there frequently throughout the 1950's and 1960's. We walked through some very high-end stores and sampled expensive perfumes. The courtyard that connects the two is decorated seasonally and is very peaceful, especially the waterfall. We chatted with an Hispanic women who works in housekeeping  - she told us she likes to take her break near the waterfall because it's restful and quiet - or at least that's what I think she said since her English was about as good as our Spanish. The living statue (top left) was fun to watch - he sometimes startled people by moving!   

 3.  Improvise when plans change. We had booked a Food Tour that fizzled and the guide never showed up. Fortunately the booking company was great and refunded our money quickly. Since we had some "extra" time, we sat in the Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan and had their signature drink, a Pink Cosmo. It was my first - and pretty tasty!

4.  Do something new. Dawn has been to Las Vegas several times as have I and neither of us had been to the Neon Museum just past downtown. The visitor's center is housed in the old  La Concha Motel lobby while the "Boneyard" with over 150 neon signs (seven are restored) from the Strip is outside. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and explained the history behind the old neon signs as well as the history of Las Vegas. I highly recommend both the museum and the tour.

5.  Spend a little time outside in nature - it will rejuvenate you! I had no idea there was a nature trail on the grounds of the Flamingo.  As we strolled along the trail we stopped to watch the fish and turtles in the pond, marvel at the beautiful flowers and hummingbirds and, of course, see the real, live flamingos! It was quiet and green with birds chirping - very easy to forget the big city on the other side of the building.  

 6.  See the lights of the Strip and the Bellagio Fountains at night - it never gets old! The neon lights of the Strip come to life after dark. What looked like an ordinary tall building by daylight is transformed into a shimmering, glowing piece of architecture at night. And the fountains at the Bellagio at night are every bit as fun as World of Color at Disneyland! The choreography of music and "water dancing" is fabulous! They run approximately every half hour during the day and every 15 minutes at night. Like many people, we stuck around and watched more than once. In between the shows we observed street performers and people in costumes - something for everyone!

At the end of our trip, I had to admit that I had a great time and found a lot to appreciate about Las Vegas. As we got ready to leave the other "City That Never Sleeps," Dawn and I talked about things we would like to see and do on our next trip there!

I am thankful for friends like Dawn who are willing to share their love of a place or for a thing with me. And that God gave me a teachable spirit. The two fit together like a hand in a glove.