Vegas Weekend - Saturday
Saturday morning started slowly - which was fine. I slept like crap so was wide awake by 8am which is abnormal for me (of course I was still on Minnesota time). I was a bit anxious because my last friend to arrive was getting in at 8:30am and we were expecting a phone call. Plus the condo's kitchen and living room were a bit, uh....messy and that was bugging me and I needed to tidy up. (visions of my mother danced in my head....)
We slowly (as a group) started coming around. I got up, tidied up and felt much better. My friend who was arriving called and said she wasn't coming due to her 9 month old having a fever and being at the doctor after they were all up all night. That was a huge bummer but I understand. This was going to be her first time away and I know that can be filled with anxiety under normal circumstances but then to also have the baby not feeling well, well, that would be too much.
Eventually everyone was up and the girls in the 2nd condo came down to join us. Sam (the party-planner extraordinare) cooked up some eggs, bacon & toast and we also had mimosas. It was a very mellow way to start the day.
The day was split between lounging at the pool, lounging in the condo and napping. Heather & Sarah H hit the strip for a while and later me, Sam, Kathy, Sudhara & Sarah O checked out the Palms (where Sam was itching to get a tatoo) and the Mirage (to scope out a dinner location for that evening.
Later we got ready to go to dinner and the show - more champagne and music and girls getting ready together...it was a lot of fun. I get very little of that in my real life. We went to the Mirage for dinner. A Italian restaurant and wine bar called Onda. A very beautiful restaurant. We couldn't get a reservation but when we showed up with me in a veil, we magically got a table for 9! The food was delish (I had fettucine alfredo with smoky cheeses & sweet peas). We also had some very yummy (but spendy!) wine. Unfortunately I think the white wine was a bit too acidic for me and so it was hard to eat dinner with the chest pains that I was having. Hmmmm. But no worries I wasn't going to let ANYTHING ruin my evening.
After dinner (and the mathematical gymnastics trying to figure out the bill & the tip) we headed over to the Beatles Theater to watch LOVE! I was so excited. I think everyone was. The entrance to the theater is even incredible. A lighted walk-way that changes colors, mirror half spheres on the ceiling making incredible reflections, a big lit up union jack and ushers dressed as bobbies. Our seats were fantastic - the show is done in the round so I'm sure it's hard to find a bad seat but we were CLOSE without being TOO close.
The lights dimmed and the show started. It started with the acapella version of Becamse and the tears immediately started flowing. When the show revved up and started rocking a bit more the big scrims (which images had been projected on - sort of blocking views (but not really)) dropped, cannons went off showering us with confetti and everyone went nuts. It was awesome. From there it was just a fantastical ride.
This Cirque show was different than the other one that I saw in that this was more dance & stunts than pur acrobatics. There was some acrobatics (!) but not as much as in Mystere. There were lots of people flying in from here & there - the wire work was really remarkable. Particularly during Something - that was probably one of THE most incredible songs. One lone male dancer being enticed by 4 ladies in white all on wires. It was gorgeous. So flowy and beautiful and wow. Another favorite of mine was Octopus's Garden - the 'creatures' that they created through more wire work, beautiful costumes and the video screens all around. It was truly awesome.
At one point I had to go to the bathroom so badly I thought I was going to die. I knew that as soon as I was "in pain" I needed to get up and go or I would be miserable and wouldn't be able to concentrate on this amazing show. I was also incredibly annoyed at myself that I let this happen! I got to the top of the row where the doors were (not far from our row) and there were no doors! It was so weird...only signs for "authorized personnel only" - hmmm....I looked around in confusion and then was whisked away by a "bobbie" out of no where....silently she direted me to a SECRET DOOR containing a small 4-stall bathroom! It was crazy. It was right there in the theater. Everything was like a dream. The music played in there and I literally wasn't more than a few steps from the seats. Everything in the bathroom was funky and the stalls & toilets were a silvery something-or-other - it was really kind of cool! The whole trip took me less than 3 mins and I was in and out within one song. I was so happy because I was envisioning myself having to go down to the lobby, finding a bathroom, etc....this was very quick and easy (and really rather neat!)
The show ended about 6 hours sooner than I would've liked it to. It was just amazing and I'm so glad to have gone. I wish I could go again and again so I could cement it in my brain. After the show I bought a black Beatles t-shirt with "The Beatles" in lovely Vegas-y 'bling' (it's quite cute) and a Beatles lunchbox which I plan on using as a purse.
The evening ended in a very mellow way - back to the resort, a few snacks and then bed. It was a very wonderful day & night.
My friends Rock.
Sunday.....later....
We slowly (as a group) started coming around. I got up, tidied up and felt much better. My friend who was arriving called and said she wasn't coming due to her 9 month old having a fever and being at the doctor after they were all up all night. That was a huge bummer but I understand. This was going to be her first time away and I know that can be filled with anxiety under normal circumstances but then to also have the baby not feeling well, well, that would be too much.
Eventually everyone was up and the girls in the 2nd condo came down to join us. Sam (the party-planner extraordinare) cooked up some eggs, bacon & toast and we also had mimosas. It was a very mellow way to start the day.
The day was split between lounging at the pool, lounging in the condo and napping. Heather & Sarah H hit the strip for a while and later me, Sam, Kathy, Sudhara & Sarah O checked out the Palms (where Sam was itching to get a tatoo) and the Mirage (to scope out a dinner location for that evening.
Later we got ready to go to dinner and the show - more champagne and music and girls getting ready together...it was a lot of fun. I get very little of that in my real life. We went to the Mirage for dinner. A Italian restaurant and wine bar called Onda. A very beautiful restaurant. We couldn't get a reservation but when we showed up with me in a veil, we magically got a table for 9! The food was delish (I had fettucine alfredo with smoky cheeses & sweet peas). We also had some very yummy (but spendy!) wine. Unfortunately I think the white wine was a bit too acidic for me and so it was hard to eat dinner with the chest pains that I was having. Hmmmm. But no worries I wasn't going to let ANYTHING ruin my evening.
After dinner (and the mathematical gymnastics trying to figure out the bill & the tip) we headed over to the Beatles Theater to watch LOVE! I was so excited. I think everyone was. The entrance to the theater is even incredible. A lighted walk-way that changes colors, mirror half spheres on the ceiling making incredible reflections, a big lit up union jack and ushers dressed as bobbies. Our seats were fantastic - the show is done in the round so I'm sure it's hard to find a bad seat but we were CLOSE without being TOO close.
The lights dimmed and the show started. It started with the acapella version of Becamse and the tears immediately started flowing. When the show revved up and started rocking a bit more the big scrims (which images had been projected on - sort of blocking views (but not really)) dropped, cannons went off showering us with confetti and everyone went nuts. It was awesome. From there it was just a fantastical ride.
This Cirque show was different than the other one that I saw in that this was more dance & stunts than pur acrobatics. There was some acrobatics (!) but not as much as in Mystere. There were lots of people flying in from here & there - the wire work was really remarkable. Particularly during Something - that was probably one of THE most incredible songs. One lone male dancer being enticed by 4 ladies in white all on wires. It was gorgeous. So flowy and beautiful and wow. Another favorite of mine was Octopus's Garden - the 'creatures' that they created through more wire work, beautiful costumes and the video screens all around. It was truly awesome.
At one point I had to go to the bathroom so badly I thought I was going to die. I knew that as soon as I was "in pain" I needed to get up and go or I would be miserable and wouldn't be able to concentrate on this amazing show. I was also incredibly annoyed at myself that I let this happen! I got to the top of the row where the doors were (not far from our row) and there were no doors! It was so weird...only signs for "authorized personnel only" - hmmm....I looked around in confusion and then was whisked away by a "bobbie" out of no where....silently she direted me to a SECRET DOOR containing a small 4-stall bathroom! It was crazy. It was right there in the theater. Everything was like a dream. The music played in there and I literally wasn't more than a few steps from the seats. Everything in the bathroom was funky and the stalls & toilets were a silvery something-or-other - it was really kind of cool! The whole trip took me less than 3 mins and I was in and out within one song. I was so happy because I was envisioning myself having to go down to the lobby, finding a bathroom, etc....this was very quick and easy (and really rather neat!)
The show ended about 6 hours sooner than I would've liked it to. It was just amazing and I'm so glad to have gone. I wish I could go again and again so I could cement it in my brain. After the show I bought a black Beatles t-shirt with "The Beatles" in lovely Vegas-y 'bling' (it's quite cute) and a Beatles lunchbox which I plan on using as a purse.
The evening ended in a very mellow way - back to the resort, a few snacks and then bed. It was a very wonderful day & night.
My friends Rock.
Sunday.....later....
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