LAS VEGAS IS CLEAN FUN

Vegas Strip 2012

My first and only trip to Las Vegas was around 1997.  Then the luxurious Bellagio Hotel with its outdoor water fountain show was still under construction.

So I thought a decade plus later, it was about time to revisit the Sin City – a moniker earned in the 1950s because of gambling. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that flying to Vegas (as the locals say, dropping the “Las”) was very affordable from Vancouver BC  Canada.

But the best deal is to fly out from Bellingham airport, in Washington, just half an hour from the border. Let me start by saying that I am not being paid nor do I work for any of the companies I will mention.  All prices are in US dollars unless stated otherwise.

If you go to the web site of Allegiant Airlines, depending on the time of the year, one can get a great deal. This past summer, for under $370.00, taxes included, I had round-trip tickets, luggage fees (yes you do pay for baggage), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport shuttle to and from your hotel, plus five nights hotel stay in a very clean The Orleans, which was off Strip. The “Strip” refers to Las Vegas Boulevard, where the main hotels and casinos are lined up. The Orleans has a frequent shuttle, so being off Strip by about 2 miles was no big deal.

Now what to do other than gambling:

Gastronomy -  truly Vegas is the buffet vatican of the world. Critics have rated the best and I have indulged in most of them. They are not cheap, on the average about $25 - $40, depending on whether lunch or dinner.  But for me one gluttonous chow a day, generally lunch, was enough to last my constitution the rest of the day, and night, until the following day’s buffet lunch again!  The weekend fare, that is Fridays and Saturdays, are often more lavish and a few dollars higher. 

Eat all you can: The dessert section of the buffet at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas

The top three buffets, based on the luxuriousness and variety of the menu, presentation, and ambiance, are The Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan, The Buffet at the Aria Hotel, and The Buffet at the Wynn Resort.  All three are on the Strip.   Bellagio's was good but on the day I went, the menu was typical of other casino buffets.   However at The Wicked Spoon, the spread was exquisite and they were serving to your heart’s galore those an inch-and-a-half round French Macaroons, typically at least $2.00 each in a bakery outside. Ooh la la!

The Buffet at the Aria had the rare Astoria salad and international gourmet from Mexico, Thailand, India, and the Vietnam. At the Wynn, the cuisine was equally rich with their Kobe beef (most likely farm raised in the US - Kobe style) and gelatos.

There is one other popular buffet, the Village Seafood at Rio Suites Hotel, an unbelievable all-you-can-eat King Crab legs, roast duck, prawns, etcetera.  But this is one of the most expensive dinners, $45 plus tax per head.  With the market price of King Crab legs, it really is a terrific bargain.

Tip: You can buy a Buffet of Buffets pass which entitles you to feast in six hotels as many times as you want within 24 hours from the time you buy the pass.  The pass cost $44.99 and includes the talk about Village Seafood at Rio Hotel (you do have to fork out an additional $15 for this location).  Google “Buffet of Buffets”

Free Shows - Las Vegas is surprisingly family-oriented and lots of shows are outdoors along the Strip and no charge. 

There is the hokey pirate show in front of The Treasure Island Hotel.  Up and down the Strip, lots of street characters, some quite lurid with their outlandish and revealing costumes  (you pay for taking pictures with them).   

But a very enjoyable and relaxing show is the Water Fountain in an 8-acre artificial lake in front of the Bellagio Hotel. To the tune of popular and classical music, plumes of water shoots, sways, and “dances” in the  very hot dry desert air.   You can just imagine how the mist felt to kiss your skin.  Make sure you watch the fountain afternoons and evenings. 

The water fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas

The other must is not a show and indoors, St. Mark’s Square in The Venetian Hotel. Truly amazing how the Square captures the ambiance of an outdoor Italian plaza indoors. The ceilings really looked like the outdoor sky, albeit darker. And there is the Grand Canal with gondola rides at $16 per head.  You can hear the gondoliers, mostly men, singing Italian arias. 

St. Mark’s Square at The Venetian Hotel feels like the outdoors but is actually indoor

As for Shopping, yes, there is the Fashion Show Mall and plenty of mini-malls within the casinos but I noticed the deals are meant for tourists, not locals. Translation: better buy elsewhere.

How To Get to Bellingham

If you have a car, allot time for border crossing which can be more than an hour’s wait during holidays.  Plenty of cheap parking near the Bellingham airport on a daily and weekly rate.  Just google “Bellingham airport parking”.

No car? Take the Quick Shuttle bus, which picks up passengers at various points in Vancouver and Richmond. If you pay online, round trip is CAD$37.05 (including tax). You do have to time your bus schedule with your plane’s Bellingham airport departure and arrival times. 

Note: The food at Bellingham airport and on board Allegiant Airlines are pricey. Bring stuff from home.

Any questions, e-mail Joseph Lopez at telljosephlopez@gmail.com