We made it to Vegas and, more importantly, managed to meet
up with the crew despite initially thinking that Aunt Mich was kidnapped and buried
alive in the desert! Our vacation started with strolling down the streets of
Vegas looking for her after she had mysteriously disappeared two hours prior to
our arrival. When she called, it was to
tell us she won big, huge, fantastically ($1000) at Black Jack (and therefore
couldn’t check her phone). Phewf! We all forgave her for the scare after a
promise of a fancy dinner on HER!
Where we stayed: The Downtown Grand Hotel, in the old part
of the Las Vegas strip. The hotel room
was clean (well, until the content of four women’s bags were spread out), and
classy, complete with an in-house casino and 24 hour restaurant. We were located across from a hard-core biker
bar and two minutes away from the lights and sound of Fremont Street, home to
Vegas’ first casinos – Binions and the Golden Nugget to name a few. The hotel was a $25 cab ride from the strip,
home to Vegas’ most elaborate and well-known casinos’ – Caesars, the Venetian,
and the Bellagio to name a few more!
The hotel also came complete with a rooftop pool filled with freezing
cold water (colder than an Ontario lake!) perfect for us to cool off from the
40 degree heat of the Mojave Desert.
What we ate and drank: Everything American,
American-sized! Fish and chips, grilled
cheese, egg and cheese burrito, pizza, flatbreads, sandwiches, and cheesecake
from the cheesecake factory. We drank
pop (mostly), ‘cause poor Britt was sick and on cold medication the WHOLE time,
drank lots of water in the heat, and had one epic drinking night in the Biker’s
Bar where we held Aunt Mich back from dancing on the bar Coyote Ugly
style.
What we did: Something for everyone. For Britt, we went to the Neon Boneyard, a
cleaned up junk yard home to discarded Vegas neon signs. The boneyard was a photographer’s dream, full
of colours, textures, and angles. Britt
sunburnt her eye and still continued
to take photos with one eye open. Ash’s
mom ignored the suggestion that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, sneaking
away to permanently ink her love for Ashley on her back in a beautiful tattoo! She definitely surprised Ash with it at the poolside
– sneaky Mom! For Aunt Mich, we learned
how to play black jack… although not well… Luckily Britt found $20 in the drug
store prior to playing and so didn’t have to lose any of her own money! Ash was up by $35 at one point and kept
playing until she lost it all because, well, gambling is addictive. Combined, the two lost $35… not bad for a few
nights out. For Danielle, Ash went zip
lining, the two flew down Fremont Street during the famous light show put on by
the largest outdoor cover of lightbulbs in the world. Grammy and Aunt Mich toured the Mob Museum - highlighting the history of Vegas - and Grammy strolled up and down Fremont Street collecting watches (she bought four in total on her daily souvenir quest!). Ash got to swim, a few times, albeit some
pool time was spent working on the grant application (boo!) and to take in a Vegas
show – Cirque du Soleil – complete with the whole family. We all also walked until our feet were sore
admiring the Roman columns of Caesar’s Palace, the canal through the Venetian, the
Chihuly ceiling of the Bellagio, the skyscrapers of New York New York, the
volcano of the Mirage, and the pyramid of the Luxor. Aunt Mich and Mom were brought to tears by
Celine Dion, and overcame their fear of heights to view the city from the High
Roller, the world’s largest observation deck. Aunt Mich generously provided an extra night's stay in Vegas (at the iconic Flamingo) when she 'helped' Mom, Grammy and Danielle miss their scheduled flight home!
Ash and Britt also took a day trip to the Grand Canyon, with
stops at the Hoover Dam and a Route 66 historical site on the way. Our trip was led by Alfonso, who told us
every fact imaginable and talked for approximately 12 out of the 15 hour day
trip. He managed our van of 8 travelers
from all around the world and catered to Britt who (in addition to her cold)
had extreme car sickness. The Grand
Canyon was absolutely indescribable in it’s beauty – especially when the sun
was setting behind it. We would highly
recommend a sunset tour! We left in
complete awe of nature’s beauty after witnessing one of the most incredible
sunsets in the world.
Lessons learned: When
you’re up, quit! You may actually get to
keep some winnings that way. Get Uber –
it’s 2015 – traditional cab service in US cities is lacking!
Scariest moment: You’d think this would have been ziplining,
but it was actually when a young person climbed over the barrier and scaled
down part of the Grand Canyon to sit contemplatively in solitude while
onlooking tourists panicked thinking they were about to witness someones
death! A non-fun fact – 12 people a year
die at the Grand Canyon doing silly things like that!
Up next - Ash, Britt & JD are off to the windy city for
a deep-dish, popcorn, and architecture-infused adventure.
Stay tuned!
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