Day trips to landmarks famous and not so famous made our Christmas trip to Vegas a memorable one. Having visited virtually every hotel on The Strip on previous visits, we compiled a list of things we wanted to do and see in the city itself. The Strip is not the city! If you live in Las Vegas, you don’t go to The Strip, unless it’s to work or see a show that’s new in town. Â A show that’s been running a long time is Blue Man Group. What a weird and wonderful experience! It’s percussion and comedy and improv and really strange and very funny. They offer you a poncho to wear if you’re in one of the front rows, so, you can imagine that it gets a little bit messy, too.
We visited the Pinball Hall of Fame, a cavernous building filled with pinball machines from all eras in various states of repair. Dozens of them are in good working order and available to be played. The Hall is maintained by volunteers and there’s nothing fancy about it but it was a kick to play Space Invaders again after so many years. The KISS game was not kind to me at all and I assume that’s Gene Simmons’ legendary greed at work again!!
We toured the Mob Museum and learned more about becoming a Made Man than I ever knew was possible. We listened to actual wiretaps of mobsters and learned about major investigations and storied figures in mob history. There are displays dedicated to the men and women who cracked big cases and photos of the scenes where your Bugsy Siegels and other infamous gangsters were killed.
Siegel, for example, was suspected of skimming off the construction budget for the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Vegas and paid the ultimate price while sitting on the couch of his mistress. The beginnings of Las Vegas, as you probably know, are steeped in gangsterism and corruption. On the second floor is the actual courtroom where a legendary hearing took place and they recreate some of the testimony using real archival footage filled in with actors. The films and displays throughout the three-floor museum are top notch.
We spent an evening and another morning on Freemont Street downtown where old Las Vegas still thrives. The breakfast staff at Four Queens serenaded Derek for his birthday. Who doesn’t enjoy cake and ice cream for breakfast? Freemont hotels have fewer bells and whistles (no wifi) but they also have advantages (no resort fee!) and fancy additions including a $70-million overhead light show, sidewalk vendors, strolling characters and a real festival atmosphere.
We noted with some delight that for the laser show on Freemont and inside all of the casinos on and off The Strip, the music of choice was classic rock. FINALLY it’s our turn to be the demographic they want to attract!
On another day we sought out spots in the city dedicated to TV shows we like. These included the “homes” of Rick’s Restoration and Counting Cars. The guys and gals at Rick’s put some effort into creating a fan’s photo op. Counting Cars – not as much. Other people tracked down Pawn Stars and the Neon Museum but we weren’t interested in that. We saw and did so much more but those are some highlights! We didn’t miss anything we wanted to see. I was interested in Michael Jackson One until I found out the cheap seats are $300 a pair. That’s Vegas, baby!