After our adventures in Oklahoma City, we left for Las Vegas around 11:50 am and arrived around 12:30pm. The flight lasted about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Once we arrived, we ordered an Uber and stopped at a market on the way to buy snacks and other things we might need during the weekend. Along the strip of hotels and casinos there were no markets, only convenience stores, so we decided to get things in advance. During those days we stayed at the ‘Excalibur’, while ‘Luxor’ stood proud in front of our window. After settling in the room we immediately set off to explore.
There were slot machines in all hotel lobbies. We started our exploration from ‘New York — New York’ and then had a late lunch at an Italian restaurant along ‘The Strip’. Again after lunch, we walked for a while, passing by ‘Flamingo’, ‘MGM Grand’, ‘The Venetian’ and many others. At 9.30pm we had tickets to see Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Mad Apple’ show. Unfortunately, the troupe of the show we originally wanted to see was off that week. However, ‘Mad Apple’ was a combination of circus, ballet, singing and stand-up comedy. An ideal variety of entertaining acts.
Excited by the show, we decided to take a ride on The Big Apple Coaster located right at the New York — New York Hotel. The first ticket of the day was $25 and all the re-rides of the day were 10$. Also, you had to be at least 137cm tall and the lap took less than 3 minutes. Of course, the ticket was a bit expensive for only 3 minutes, however it was exciting enough and I can say it was worth it. We ended the evening in a club with exotic ballerinas. It was my first time visiting one and all I can say is that the sight was more depressed than the scenes I had seen in the movies.
We started the second day at the hotel buffet for ‘brunch’, continuing afterwards to the pool area for a few moments of peace and quiet. The plan for the afternoon was to visit The Sphere, the building that stole Avicii Arena’s in Stockholm, the first place as the largest spherical building in the world. We got passes for the Monorail and headed towards the giant sphere made of light. As for the Monorail, it wasn’t spread enough and the stations inside the grand hotels were hard to find. Therefore our movements along ‘The Strip’ were a combination of walking and Monorail. When we needed to get out of the crowded and jammed traffic in the casino area, we ordered Uber.
The show at The Sphere was by Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky and was called ‘Postcard From Earth’. The show started at 9:30pm, but we arrived about an hour early and just enjoyed the views of the Sphere from outside. It was really fascinating. Since we had the comfort of time, we took endless photos and videos, up close and from afar. When the doors finally opened, we met one of the many robots in the lobby. We asked the robot about Albania and after she told us a little about our country, we let the others talk to her.
The show was impressive. The message was as shocking as it was hopeful and futuristic. “I knew it was a crazy idea. But I couldn’t really imagine what a TV screen four football fields large would feel like.” — Darren Aronofsky, 2023. The largest screen in the world created the illusion of really being inside another world, because of the 270 degree screen. “… the movie was filmed with an 18k camera, which took about 12 people to turn and prevent from overheating.” — ScreenRant, 2023.
In an effort to keep the Sphere’s magic alive, the next destination was Fremont Street, or the old Las Vegas Strip. This destination was recommended to us also by one of the ballerinas from the day before, saying that this is the area most frequented by locals. Before leaving, we stopped at a ‘7-Eleven’ near The Sphere, where we also waited for Uber. When we got into the car, the concerned driver informed us that we choose the most inconvenient pick-up spot, as this area, ‘the hood’ was considered dangerous by the locals, despite being so close to an important tourist and technologic attraction.
I can surely say that Fremont Street was the ideal place to visit after the Sphere. This because the street was very narrow compared to “The Strip”, the casinos were very close to each other and gave the impression of a movie set. In addition, the entire street had a LED screen, covering the starry sky and offering an exploding color alternative instead. It was on this street that the first ‘Golden Gate’ casino was opened and you could still find the old versions of the casinos we visited the day before, like the ‘Flamingo’ and others. Luckily for us, there was a band performing and offering very pleasant atmosphere.
On the last morning, we decided to try the casino life before hitting the road. That’s the beauty of Las Vegas, there’s no night or morning, the party goes on 24/7, non-stop. This was my first time at a casino, and the goal was to explore different games. The first rule we set was not to spend more money than a limited amount we agreed on. I tried some of the machines, which I didn’t like at all. Although with some I won small amounts of money, most of them were passive games that didn’t intrigue me. Then I tried the roulette. This was the only game I liked. As you may have read in “My Journey from Couch to Half Marathon”, I really like numbers and math in general, so calculating probabilities and different combinations got me hooked.
Finally it was time to try poker. I had played poker many times before among friends, but playing in Las Vegas was somewhat different. Our hotel didn’t have poker tables, so we went to the Luxor. The game was against the house and a minimum of $60 was required to participate in the game. I won some money during the first hand, thanks to a high card, the ace in my hand, but the beginner’s luck did not continue any further. I lost the next hand and was left with less than $60. With the limit we set in mind, I got out of the game. You had to be willing to play a lot of money, compared to the roulette, for the game to be exciting.
After spending all the money we set aside to try our luck, we went back to the hotel to pack up and start our next adventure to The Grand Canyon, Arizona. I am totally convinced that 48 intense hours in Las Vegas are more than enough to experience all the emotions that this exciting city, where the party never stops, offers. We got the same feedback from our friends who had visited before, as well as from others we met during our trip there. So when planning your visit, there’s no need to book more than two days for this destination.
