Who pulled off the heist in Las Vegas this time?

 

Burning the candle at both ends does have a shelf life, and I suspect we have come close. Still wandering around Fremont Street in the early hours, a little bit of kip, and then up to enjoy our last few moments in Vegas.

Needless to say the partying does take it out of you so just a short stint in the gym before checking out of our room (online) and then leaving our gear in the Brady's room (who are staying on for a bit)

Will miss our Roman Spa Bath for sure, all adds to that other worldly feel.

Pretty understated day as is the way on a last day, and quite happy for that to be the vibe.

Had a bit of french toast on Linq Boulevard, and a final gathering of the remaining 8.  First mishap of the trip (that I can remember) as Andrea took a sober stumble and ended up with a limp on the Linq.

Chrissi and I walked to the Bellagio with Karen and Kieron to say our farewells. Could not resist a little further gambling, although it has been all one way traffic for me on this trip with no returns, but Karen seemed to be a bit luckier.  They do talk about the luck of the Irish don't they?  A bitter sweet goodbye of course to them, and then back onto the gamblers (with a couple of free drinks) to emotionally recover.

Chrissi and I then went further down the Strip, did a bit of shopping, and wandering around Planet Hollywood. Met up with the remaining 4 (who had not managed to roller coaster at New York, New York due to the weather; the flash storms we have witnessed on this trip do come and go in the blink of an eye but they do ground the city to a halt)

We had our second Panda Express of the week, honey chicken, spicy beef, noodles, all good fortifying stuff the journey ahead.  A couple of new converts in our fellow travellers.

We did one final walk through Cosmo - Bellagio - Caesars, its funny how certain routes become the mainstay of trips to Vegas, often different each time, but strangely familiar.  And so much to learn each time, the murano glass at the Bellagio (very expensive) catching our eye this time.

Farewell cocktail for happy hour in the Trevi Fountain bar in Caesars and then Uber to the Harry Reid airport. Note name change of airport to honour the democratic senator for Nevada who passed away last year.  (from previous senator Mccarren)

Check in a bit slow, what do people do at the check in desk?  We can get it all done in about 2 minutes, but it feels every other passenger has a million requests and conversation pieces.

No Wifi in the airport was a mild disappointment but the quick boarding and push back made up for that, and we were soon rolling down the runway and taking some last glimpses of the neon lights.

We had spent a bit more on Premium Economy for the return and it worked a treat. Perhaps I didn't take full advantage of all the service and kit, but the leg space, comfort and early support meant I pretty much fell asleep half way through my meal, woke for a visit to the business class toilet, and then back to sleep until we were about 2 hours out from Heathrow.  Took that time to watch the heartwarming Belfast movie.

Into the airport at Heathrow, no time in immigration, and baggage all back quickly safe and sound.

Back to Purple Parking and Dave took the wheel again, a noted thankyou to him for ferrying us back and forth, and making the necessary service stops.

And then we were back, hugely content and happy with another Vegas experience that will live long in the memory. A different one for me this time, less poker, more partying.  Time with friends, frenetic but fulfilling. But still some quirky moments and individual experiences eked out from running, to museums, to mob restaurants to wheelly good views.  There is always something different every time we go, and basing at a different hotel (this was our sixth) provides a unique identity and backdrop. More visits to come I hope, Vegas will always be what you make of it. And, as I hope the blogs show, something for everyone. Let me leave the final words to those other members of the mob out here who have yet to make their presence felt on the blogs due to keeping a low profile in the criminal underworld; but they have shown that everyone can find something to their liking in Vegas...

(Anthony AKA Jimmy 5 Bellies)

Have loved every minute of Vegas but all the best moments have been shared with good friends -  being greeted in the bar with cheers, hugs and a welcome beer on arrival after a long, tiring and delayed flight, celebrating Lloyds 50th in style with cocktails, great food and great music including Karen’s amazing performance, joining David and Andrea in having our senses bombarded at the brilliantly surreal Katy Perry show, not missing our Saturday morning running rituals by doing a hot and sweaty desert run to the Vegas sign followed by breakfast in Eggslut, and the amazing night we all had together at Fremont street. Thanks guys for an amazing trip, we are now ready for a quieter few days visiting the Grand Canyon for our silver wedding anniversary before our final day in Vegas. Missing you all already.

(Kieron AKA The Irishman)

"I had avoided going to Vegas because I didn't think it was my kind of thing but the trip was amazing and it was worth it to see Lloyd and Chrissi. Really enjoyed meeting everyone else and looking forward to the next birthday celebration" (edit if it could co-incide with Billy Joel in New York perhaps ....)

David Somersall AKA 'The Wheels'

After what has been a whirlwind trip to Vegas it's time to reflect on the experience.

Firstly it seems the Vegas experience affects people in different ways. For Lloyd Williams who at the time of arrival was approaching his 50th birthday, it seemed to roll back the years, and even when we arrived and  we were standing in the immigration line for well over an hour the very fact that his feet were on Vegas soil made him act like a child in a sweet shop. While as for me, pulling my suitcase through the middle of Caesars Palace casino at 9pm in the evening trying to find my room that was a good 10 min walk away made me feel like a rabbit in the headlights and this was not my first rodeo!

For me I never really got the pull of the Casino, although I would have loved to bring home a few grand winnings I just didn't get the thrill of the chase.

Fortunately Vegas has so much more to offer. It gave me an opportunity to confirm my dislike of heavy metal during our visit to Fremont street, while at the same time singing along to some great "soft rock" classics around a revolving bar. I got to see Katy Perry "Play" at the fantastic Resorts World Theater, an experience not to be missed. 

Most importantly I got to celebrate Lloyds 50th birthday with him, along with great friends both old and new. The celebration meal was held in an Italian restaurant some way off the strip which had a great local feel, it almost made you forget the bright light of Vegas. The meal was accompanied with a pianist playing great old time crooner songs on request and to top it all off we arrived at the restaurant in a party bus with a pole! 

I should add that Vegas has not been the best place for me to try and get my running fitness back; however a short run to the Vegas sign was achieved. 

I do think Vegas this time seemed a little quieter and this could be an effect of Covid. Drinks around the play tables didn't seem so frequent and when we strolled into the Casino at 1am on Saturday night it seemed a little quiet and on checkin nobody rushed to take my bag to my room. I guess we are all still recovering from the virus.

  But that doesn't take anything away from the experience and overall it scores high on the best holiday ever list.

So that's it ... until France in a couple of weeks ...

Running away with it all

 

All good things do need to come to an end and 5 nights almost non stop action probably about my limit, although I am still a little jealous of today's guest blogger who is out here for a little longer than that.  Wendy B a great friend of ours from Undy, our families have got together en masse for many a social occasion over the last few years along with quite a few runs too.  But I think it is fair to say that those years worth of training were really needed to ensure that we all had the staying power for this latest jaunt. A legal eagle too is our Wendy so has kept us on the straight and narrow....a very windy straight and narrow ha ha ....

And now it’s my turn! I’ve followed Lloyd and Carys’s excellent travel blogs over the years and so I felt a little apprehensive when I volunteered (was enlisted) to add my thoughts for Day 3/4 of the Vegas trip! The recent standard of blogs from our fellow travellers hasn’t eased my nerves, but here goes…

Anyone who has followed the Williams travels will know that they like to get a parkrun or two in as part of their trip. Unfortunately there is no parkrun yet in Vegas, so we had to improvise! As it can get quite warm in the Nevada desert we agreed to meet up in the foyer at 7am to run down the Las Vegas strip to the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas sign” for a photo opportunity.

6 of us set off in high spirits, luckily Lloyd was able to join us despite suffering with his gout, and managed to lead the way down the strip. We had a few photo stops on the way. We also had some “encouragement” from one of the locals who told the ladies of the group to “Fk off you fat Irish sluts”, both Andrea and I pointed out politely that we were not Irish, and carried on jogging, possibly a little faster than we had been to catch up with the men who had not been lucky enough to receive similar encouragement. (Is it any wonder women are reluctant to exercise?).

 

Having made it to the sign, we had some photos taken and were then happy to walk back through the air conditioned hotels seeing the sights of Mandalay Bay, Excalibur and Luxor on the way. We met up with Tom briefly to say goodbye while enjoying the delights of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and marvelling at the first example of poor service that we’ve experienced since arriving in Vegas.

After our doughnuts we went on our way through New York New York where Anthony and I clocked the roller coaster which we are hoping to ride tomorrow and then on to the Cosmopolitan where Chrissi was desperate to continue the theme of the morning and visit “Eggslut”. When we arrived at Eggslut we saw an enormous queue which would have put me off, but Chrissi was determined to enjoy an eggslut meal as it had been a highlight of her previous trips to Vegas so we all decided to queue with her and see what the fuss was about! Luckily the queue moved quickly, (a few people may have left the queue as we were all still “fresh” from our run). We soon reached the front of the queue and it wasn’t long before we were enjoying our delicious Eggslut sandwiches - definitely worth the wait and we had enjoyed another experience that we may not have had if we been travelling alone. Incidentally after a little research Lloyd discovered the true meaning of Eggslut which I am sure he will explain in his blog. (Edit - no, but something about lazy chefs who think cooking is just about sticking an egg in it)

 

After our brunch we headed back towards Caesar’s stopping off at the Bellagio conservatory on the way. A beautifully kept festival of flowers and water features with huge safari animals dotted around the conservatory. I’m not sure of the significance of the animals, but I’m not sure that there needs to be any significance, it’s Vegas after all! 

When we got back to Caesar’s the sensible members of the group went back to their rooms to relax and refuel, whereas Anthony and I decided to enjoy the Caesar’s pool for a few hours. The pool was lovely and refreshing with waitress service for drinks, we possibly spent too long there in the sun though, as I felt a bit queasy later on. 

Our plan for the evening was to visit Fremont street. I had heard mixed reviews about Fremont street but I knew it was somewhere I wanted to experience and knew that we would be led by the more experienced Vegas visitors of the group. 

On our way to Fremont Street we stopped off at the Neon museum. A graveyard of old neon vegas signs. They were good to see, but it was warm and we all agreed that it would have been a better experience to have seen them in the dark, although none of us had wanted to pay the extra 8 dollars per person for the after dark experience. Highlights were the Aladdin lamp from the Aladdin hotel where Elvis and Priscilla Presley had got married and the old Caesar’s sign and of course the huge guitar from the Hard Rock Cafe. Some people obviously love it at the neon museum as we saw 2 x bridal couples visiting, the Brides in their bridal gowns with one of the couples getting married in the small museum.

 

After that experience we shared an Uber with Karen and Kieron to Fremont street where both Karen and I chatted about how we were looking forward to finding a nice cool air conditioned casino. 

Arriving at Fremont street we met up with the rest of the group and headed into the street. For those of you who do not know, Fremont  street is an old closed off street with a closed roof and a light show, and lots of entertainment going on. The “entertainment” largely consisted of scantily clad ladies offering themselves for photographs with anyone willing to pay them and loud heavy metal bands. There’s also a strong smell of cannabis which is a legal drug in Nevada. 

When we arrived, the street was already quite busy and we walked half way down before being asked to go through security checks, which reminded me of the threat in America of “active shooters”, but was also reassuring. 

Once through security we were in an inner area of the street where a heavy metal band was playing loudly. Lloyd seemed familiar with the band and immediately started to enjoy the music while Chrissi led us to a bar where Dave bought us all a drink. The female bar servers were wearing very little, (it was a warm evening) and the drinks were definitely welcome. 

After a few minutes trying to chat over the band, a few of us decided to try our luck in the casino where we hoped there would be some air conditioning. Anthony and I found 2 machines next to each other, we each put 5 dollars in. I lost very quickly but for the second time this trip, Anthony struck lucky and came away with $27 which he sensibly cashed in. We then went over to Andrea, Dave, Kieron and Karen to find that Karen and Andrea had also struck lucky so we all cashed our winnings in and left the casino slightly better off than we had entered it! 

Chrissi had booked a table reservation for 8 so we made our way to the Whisky and Licker pub. By this time I was feeling a bit queasy as we were seated at the table by our waitress who had to shout over another band which was playing just outside. We ordered our drinks and food. The food was great, and the band was playing a number of hits from the ‘80s which we were all enjoying. Someone then suggested that we move to the bar area. It was only then that I realised that this was the revolving bar that Karen has mentioned in our pre trip Vegas chat.

 

The revolving bar was a brilliant find and I would highly recommend this for anyone visiting Fremont street. The band were playing some classics from our youth such as “Come on Eileen”, and other favourites, while our elevated position gave us a close up view of the light show! Every so often people would fly past the window on the zip wires! The atmosphere was great and a few gins had settled my earlier queasiness. After some musical chairs where we got a cheer from other revellers when we finally managed to all find seats together, we danced, sang and enjoyed the evening until the bar closed and we left the venue. By then the band had been replaced by a female dancing DJ who danced along to the music in her hot pants. Again the music and atmosphere was great, so we danced again, until a few of us hit the proverbial wall and reluctantly headed back to our hotel. Reluctant to leave another brilliant evening, which will sadly be the last evening that we are all together. 

We’ve had such an amazing time here celebrating Lloyd’s 50th and we will be very sad to see the others go tomorrow but we’ve had some fantastic times which we will remember forever. It’s been an absolute blast. Lloyd and Chrissi have definitely recruited two more Vegas converts!

(Lloyd)

Sleep has really been at a premium, mainly due to the amount of fun to be had, but occasionally from the odd pain in my foot, aggravated a little overnight I think from the gym visit yesterday.  Didn't stop me though, one of the things we had agreed to do before coming here was to have a Saturday morning run along the lines of what we often do at home, a manufactured 5k parkrun so to speak.

Chrissi had done her calculations that it was roughly 2.5 miles down the Strip to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. 5 mile round trip could include our 5k or more if we so wished. We didn't so wish today, it has been a week off much exercise, can return to that in earnest on return.

Set off at 7, a little later than I thought was wise (due to the heat) but it all worked out fine. Jogged past quite a few of those who were finishing off their partying from the night before, as well as alongside other early morning runners getting their daily exercise.

Not too many people about though so we could weave our way along the side walk, taking a couple of small detours where it crossed roads via bridges or the odd internal walkway.

The sign is of course iconic and worth the photo opportunity which we all embraced eagerly.

Jogged back up to the Mandelay Bay to get our 3.1 miles banked, and then dropped down to walking fear as the rest of our trip was inside casinos as we took in the Mandelay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York and the Cosmo to name but a few!  It's still my favourite part of the Strip and the one Chrissi and I know so well, and we were able to offer our running friends some insights into the different themes and quirks.

They included Michael Jackson statue in the Mandelay, Titanic and general Egyptian architects in Luxor and Krispy Kreme Donuts in Excalibur. Tom dropped by to say goodbye in the latter, as he is off out into the wilds now, exciting adventures ahead. Been great to see you and the crew.

Various daft distractions caught our eye as the wandering continued, everyone embracing their inner barbie being one such moment.

Like hobbits we had a second breakfast in Eggslut, one of Chrissis favourite dining experiences. I've said it before and I said it again, a tasty brioche bun with lovely eggs and spicy mayo a great bit of tucker. But not worth queuing for the best part of an hour for.  

Finished off our walk and talk around 11.30 and you could almost be forgiven for thinking we had done a whole days activity!

Chance for a bit of a breather and a rest. Vegas doesn't encourage or want you to spend too much time in hotel rooms, but important to get some second wind too. Our upgraded room has a few luxuries to make this a worthwhile experience not least our spa tub, with jets and everything, just like the Romans used to have ;)

The casino did begin to call me around mid afternoon, although I wished I had closed my ears to that. Have had no luck at the slots, and they do quickly eat up the dollars if you aren't careful. The cocktail waitresses don't seem to come around as much with the free drinks either.

Less time for too much gambling on this trip, with good memories and moments with friends more important. Will be back another time to make my fortune.

As the call went out for the news team to assemble (anchorman style) we had a quick slushy drink down on the Linq promeade, mine called weird blue shit, and that just about summed it up.

Ubered our way down to the old Las Vegas, stopping off for a bit of culture at the Neon Museum.  This had been suggested by Andrea who doesn't want that to be recorded anywhere, but someone has to take the blame.  It was basically a junkyard of old signage which you walk around in the heat and try and imagine how it used to look on many of the hotels that no longer exist. There is some history in there, not least the Moulin Rouge, back in the 50's the first hint of inclusion in an industry (hotels) that were quite segregated. But on the whole it was not the most inspiring of places, we give the benefit of it being better at night when they are lit up, but my heart did sink when I thought Andrea was suggesting we wait around for a couple of hours to see if that was the case!

Far too much fun to be had elsewhere, and Fremont Street was beckoning. The sounds of ACDC cover band set the scene on our arrival. Walked up and down, absorbed as ever by the wild and wacky at every step. There were proper bands playing too, Alien Ant Farm being one that we stopped to watch, festival style, beer in hand.

A reservation at Whiskey Licker Up (in Binions) focused our attention and by 8pm we were perusing the menu and listening to the sounds and excitement wafting up from the street below. We were basically overlooking one of the stages, which meant regular trips to shout and cheer when the band played a rock song we all liked ... and there were many.

For some reason I had a couple of craft ales, mainly because I was amused by the names, Lady Love Juice and Arrogant Bastard got my attention. The first quite fruity, the second too dark for me.

Foodwise it was grilled chicken ciabatta, with some healthy avacado, and less healthy cheese, bacon and many other tastes that were quite absorbing and complementing the beer and rock music very well.

Drawn further to the rock music we then migrated to the rotating bar in the restaurant and watched and sang along to plenty more tunes as we cycled through more beer, banter and high spirits.

This continued down at street level when a dancing DJ came on to keep the party going, although I did slip off to the second stage now and again to watch some 80s hair metal courtesy of Spandex Nation.

It really was party on dude and another fabulous evening with fabulous friends in fabulous Las Vegas.

I fell asleep on the ride home ...