Notes from Las Vegas

I had to go out to Las Vegas this week for business. I had a couple meetings set up on Thursday so I flew out on Wednesday and flew back yesterday. I've been to Vegas a number of times but I've never bothered to do many of the tourist type things because - well lets just say that I had other priorities. This trip was mostly work and travel but I do have some things to comment on:

- watching the volcano show outside the Mirage. Red/orange lights pointed at fountain jets of water make it look like erupting lava. Add in jets of flame shooting up and you have a cool couple minutes of viewing but to be honest my favorite part was the jets of flame because I was downwind and the fire was pretty warming on a nippy night.

- I went up the Eiffel Tower at the Paris which is half the size of the real Eiffel Tower but this one affords great views of the strip. Especially nice was being up at the observation deck and watching the fountain show at the Bellagio. It cost $9 to go up to the observation deck and now I can say I did it but the aerial view of Las Vegas (in my opinion) is just as good at the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio and if you get there early enough to avoid the cover charge - the view is free and you can spend that $9 on a nice Tanqueray and cranberry.

- David Hasselhoff is in Vegas appearing in the show The Producers. I understand that the Hoff isn't even one of the leads. Instead he's playing the director Roger DeBris. I think it would have been great to have Hasselhoff play the Nazi-loving writer of Springtime for Hitler - Franz Liebkind. To me - that would have been funny.

- Speaking of shows - I saw an ad on a cab for a Liza Minelli show. Is the market niche for gay men over 50 that big that Liza Minelli can still headline in Vegas? Who knew?

- the one touristy-type thing that I heartily recommend is seeing the midget Leprechaun at O'Sheas walking around the bar pouring shots into people's mouths and getting pretty suggestive with some the girls getting shots. Given the choice between watching the little guy or the fountains at Bellagio or volcano at the Mirage - I'd take the little guy seven days a week. But that's just me.

- I had long wanted to ride one of the roller-coasters in Vegas and this time I road the Express at the New York New York. It was a good ride but it wasn't exactly the Superman at Six Flags New England or the El Toro at Six Flags New Jersey. If you like roller-coasters and have the time - I'd recommend the Express if you are in Vegas but get the full day pass at $25 instead of the single ride ticket for $12.50 because if you ride it once - you'll want to ride it again (and there was no line when I rode it).

- file this under "Who Knew?" With all the gambling in Nevada and Las Vegas in particular - I was a bit surprised to find out that the state does not have a lottery. I don't know about you but that just kinda surprised me.

As far as gambling was concerned - craps did not go well for me this trip but the pain of loss was more of a twinge (like gas pain) instead of cut off arm - bleeding to death type of pain.