Ten Revealing Numbers about Las Vegas

Ten revealing numbers about Las Vegas

1. 
   a)   2: Approximate population of greater Las Vegas, in millions 
   b).  60,000: Number of people moving to Las Vegas annually
   c)  15,000: Amount in miles of lighted neon tubing in Las Vegas
   d)  1,800: Current number of licensed gambling places 
   e)  200,000: Number of slot machines
   f)  37: Annual visitors in millions
   g)  9: Annual state gaming revenue, in billions of dollars
   h) 559: Average gambling budget per trip, per person, in dollars
   i)  $35: Cost of Nevada marriage license
   j)  $450: Average cost of filing for divorce 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   The Joke of the Day from our comedic taxi driver:
   
   
   
   
   
   When asked how the University of Nevada's football team was doing this year, our driver, originally from San Francisco, responded with his own question:
   
   
   What do you call a UNLA football player with a championship ring?
   
   
   Answer: A thief!
   
   
   See you tomorrow!

Day II - Ode to Vegas

Day II – Ode to Vegas

Eating Our Way Through Vegas!

Would you like a back rub with that omelette?

A casino boss may revere Lady Luck, they fear hunger. Why? Hunger can send wallets hiking.

Even in Vegas, the battle to keep the gambler's hunger doesn't allow for intravenous feedings.  One off-Strip casinos met the challenge with an “eat-in-all-day for $26.95” buffet. Should you not fancy that, how about a breakfast sing-along or even a breakfast spa?  "Ah...a little more to the left...and would you mind passing me that last strip of bacon?"

We woke up starving and breakfast was first on our to-do list. But where to eat?  The Tropicana had dropped the ball.  Their restaurant was under reconstruction so we and our ten gambling dollars were about to leave the building. Word on the street was that Hash A Go Go's “twisted farm grub” at the Imperial Palace was tops.

Perfection did take time but when our waitress arrived with sheer mountains of food, she topped it off with a challenge: 

“Don't be embarrassed if you can't finish it. 90% of Hash's guests don't.  Just ask for a doggie bag?”

The gauntlet had been dropped. Some pride was now at stake.

Our approach was slow and steady but our swollen tummies, the piled empty dishes, and our somewhat clumsy launch out of our narrow booth told the whole story. We had vanquished!

All fueled up, our curiosity re-surfaced. 

Our day now lay before us!

The plan was to ogle some of Vegas' uber-hotels, do some shopping, and of course, some casino rubber-necking too. 

For us, the brightest stars in the constellation of grandiose and palatial hotels were:

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a) Cesars Palace where it was all about the glory of Rome and of course...
b) The Venetian.... with its incredible indoor canals and singing gondoliers. 

Close seconds were The Bellagio, thanks to the beautiful interior design and Cirque theater, and the Paris Hotel, boasting its own Eiffel Tower and flying "Montgolfiere".

And what of Vegas's famous free outdoor shows? 

Stunning!  The Bellagio's, fountains swayed as they danced to music. At the Treasure Island, canons roared and smoked as dangerous pirate ships engaged in battle.  And who can forget the never-ending rebirth of Elvis on every street corner.

As for the not-so-free show of choice, it was Cirque de Soleil's “O”, a show that simply bewilders and bedazzles.  More about that later.

We were in awe. Vegas is an amazing city!  I can't wait until tomorrow.

Day I: Adventure in the American Southwest

Day I: Underway! The adventure began almost at once!

Talk about good "ground control"!

We were off to meet our friends,Jim and Beth, for ten days of adventure ! 

There was fun to be done and the anticipation was almost palpable... but there were also hiccups. 

At the airport, the look from the United Airlines agent suggested a bumpy flight in the forecast.  

"Going to Chicago by any chance?", she said.  

We smiled nodding.

"Oh dear!  All our flights to Chicago are canceled. A weather bomb is having its way with the city." 

"Oh! Oh! That's where we connect to Las Vegas." 

Smiling, she looked up from her computer. 

“Well then, bet you're going to love this! I'm re-routing you through Toronto with our Star-Alliance partner, Air Canada. 

 Thanks, ground control! Yahoo!!

 Hey, my new smart phone can help!

40 minutes later, we thought we'd surprise Jim and Beth, who were having a punishing four-hour stop-over there, with a small text:

"Where are you right now?"

Soon we were toasting over a nice glass of wine...a great way to begin a new adventure?

"I already love this place!"

Las Vegas is so photogenic!  On this clear autumn night, under an almost perfect full moon, the view on our flight approach was, simply put,“awesome”. 

From the dark dry basin, it calls home, Vegas' neon lights projected feelings of excitement and anticipation right up into our plane.  The proof: a sudden rise in the level of chatting and giddiness. 

Framing the picture were the Spring Mountains to the West, Lake Mead to the North and that endless black hole that was the desert.  

Wow!!

Of Vegas hotels and rentals:
Rule #1:
In short order, we were in our rental and on our way to the Tropicana Hotel.  Sadly our van took little time to start complaining.  The breaks and the transmission both seemed increasingly out of sorts.  And what of Rule #1?
In Vegas, know when to hold'em; know when to fold'em.  In this case, we made the "bold fold" with an unscheduled return to the airport for an exchange.
Rule #2: 
Walking into the Tropicana, Rule #2 was alive and well. “Always make'em cross the casino, no matter what!".  Indeed, our first hotel experience could well have been a game of Black Jack and a drink instead  of a "Welcome to Vegas!" from the front desk.

By the way, the Tropicana is both lovely and roomy.

Can't wait until tomorrow!

Blog Entry XX - Our final days in Korea and Asia

Our last trip to Busan would also be a final “goodbye”, an adieu of sorts, to Andrew and Erin. 


Over the course of our three visits, we were not only glad to have spent 10 wonderful days with them but also to have developed a good sense of their city, their neighborhood, and the lives they're leading there.

And so this, our final return to Busan, this great city where the mountains meet the sea, was also a homecoming of sorts.  

Our goal: to spend as much time as possible talking with the kids, eating lots of Korean cuisine, and of course, hiking with Watson up into the mountains.

Throughout our time with them, we were constantly reminded of the courage they had to come here and to create a life for themselves.

They learned to take the good with the bad and to turn it all into an enriching, deeply personal, and positive experience....


one they'll remember for the rest of their lives. 

We're very proud them.

Seoul, the city that has taken our hearts, was a fitting place to spend our last days in Asia. 

From Busan, the Korean Bullet Train took us there. 

Unlike its still-superior Japanese competitor, Korail likes to brag.  

To Linda's great dismay, speeds displayed on the Samsung monitors in every rail car...

...showed us hitting  a scary 295 km/h....YIKES!!!!  
Linda had two strategies:

Plan A: To try to sleep through it.  No luck there!
Plan B: Failing that, never let her eyes leave the Kobo.  


Bingo!!

Once in Seoul, our plan of attack was to revisit those places we loved most about the city...

 ....all in 24 hours.

Amazing Seoul, the world's second largest metropolitan area, is also the world's greenest major city. 

In fact, public parks cover a quarter of the city...


...much of that, along the river 


...or surrounding its palaces, temples, and fortress walls. 

Our first goal was to walk the fortress wall trail...




...or at least as much as we possibly could in one session.

First constructed in 1396, these walls are the most conspicuous remnants of Seoul’s ancient past. 

If you asked Linda, she'd say that there was way more up than down. I'd say that it was a most adventurous and highly interesting aerobic work out.




I stopped counting at 900 on this particular set of steps.

 This shot of the guards was particularly characteristic of our walk over Bukhansan Mountain, just behind the Korean president's residence (the Blue House). 

At this post, we were stopped, required to register our passports and wear a special badge before getting permission to enter.

Both Linda and the guard
wearing their badges

And what a hike it was! 

Beautiful, yes!  Yet, the many friendly but very reserved guards every 200 meters were a stern reminder....

that the area had been the hiding place for a 31-man North Korean team of secret agents....


...assigned in  1968, with the mission of assassinating South Korea's president (Mr. Park). 

A fierce battle took place
here in 1968

The mission failed...but only at the cost of many lives.  
Here are the bullet holes to prove it.

The Blue House, the Korean president's residence, is right at the base of this mountain and just 2 hours from the border with North Korea. 

Until 2007, the entire section was closed to the public.  Today, it remains a highly sensitive area, one we felt very fortunate to have experienced and hiked. 

On top of a gate....This is where I'm standing if
you look right at the next picture.

Understandably, only limited picture-taking was allowed. Sometimes though, upon request,  the guards did comply.

Yes, the trail was full of challenges...but also surprises.   We loved everything about it. 

Can you see me up there?

I particularly liked two things about this great day:

- walking the trail with Linda,

- and looking out over the wall, with its gates, towers and near-by temples, and watching it snake over the mountain tops surrounding the city.  

Later on, we caught two outdoor concerts, 

...down by the stream,

Want to be both a tree and a ferry?

...did a little last minute shopping, 

...drank lots of coffee,

and read messages like these written on backs of coffee cups.  Hey, it seems that this coffee house wants to be a tree and a ferry in a river......

What a frantic, fantastic and satisfying finish to our month in Asia!

Sadly, it was soon time to take the plane.

Linda, pinching me...

My hope? That it wasn't all just a great dream... brought on by too much galbi and coffee.

Quick, Linda, pinch me!

Thanks, everyone.

Linda and Charles