Bright Light City

May 13, 2012

Elton John

Bright Light City

“Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad”

-Elton John – “Tiny Dancer”

Kathy & Dakota

The quote from the Elton John’s song that regained prominence when featured in a key scene of the film “Almost Famous” could easily apply to the Strip in Vegas. It seems each time we visit, the Strip becomes slightly more of a freak show with all manner of people hawking everything imaginable. There are any number of costumed people who charge money for photos, performers of various levels of talent busking, the ever present clusters of people handing out cards advertising escorts, free passes to nightclubs or discounted tickets to shows and even helicopter trips over the Grand Canyon. It is some of the best people watching on the planet and is just part of the quirky charm that is Las Vegas.

Kathy & Dakota

Kathy

We spent a lot of time wondering up and down the strip, on the way to shows, dinners, bars, or just exploring and soaking in the crazy atmosphere. Not being big gamblers, our attraction to Vegas is found in the shows, food, shopping and over the top experiences that can really not be found anywhere else.

There are all sorts of fun things to keep you busy and to explore. We always enjoy checking out the garden atrium at the Bellagio, which is always beautiful, full of fresh flowers and plants and decorated in a rotating, seasonal splendor that is constantly changing. The current display celebrates Holland and the Spring blooming season and is once again a creation of beauty and a breath of fresh air in the seemingly endless maze of casinos found in Vegas.

Dakota

The Bellagio is also home to our favorite buffet in Las Vegas. While there are countless wonderful upscale dining options, many of which we took advantage of, the buffet dining experience in Vegas is a tradition and the Bellagio successful merges high end dining with the buffet concept. Sure it is more expensive, but the value for what you actually receive is totally worth it. We make it a stop every time we are in town.

The last show that we saw while there was yet another winner, even though we had just seen Elton John just over a month ago in Ft. Lauderdale, we decided to go see his new semi-permanent show, “The Million Dollar Piano” at Celine Dion’s Coliseum theatre in Caesar’s Palace. 

One of the reasons we choose to see him again so soon is that the show in Lauderdale was stellar, the other reason is that unlike that show, this one has a complete light and sound show that is all Vegas- over the top and unlike any concert I have seen in ages. The show was shorter and he played mostly hit songs, but the size and scope and overwhelming presentation made it a pretty awesome experience.

Elton John “Rocket Man”

The remainder of our Vegas vacation involved more amazing meals, hanging out in beautiful and relaxing Spa Mandalay, shopping in the myriad of shopping malls and stores that are found throughout the Strip and in most all of the casinos, riding the fun and somewhat long rollercoaster at New York, New York and lounging poolside or in the Lazy River at Mandalay Beach. It was a great getaway and a lot of fun.