Saturday, June 25, 2005

Road Trip '05: Stage 3

Las Vegas was a pleasant experience. Basically my time there included being lazy by the pool, sweating in my car, and seeing some great entertainment.

I was an ultimate geek by attending The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. This place is a restaurant themed like the futire in Star Trek. All the menu items are based on the characters and lore of Star Trek. I had a toasted hero that was called a Photo Torpedo, which had me worried about its bowel effects, let me tell you. I can't recall all of the lame puns, but the version of a Long Island Ice Tea was called the James Tea Kirk. Ha ha.

I wandered around and looked at the various displays for a bit after I downed my torpedo. I considered attending one of the movie rides, but it was $38 for an 18-minute ride, and I thought that was not worth it.

The Las Vegas Hilton is also home to "Music and Passion," Barry Manilow's show. I was bummed to have been in town when he was not because that would have been worth seeing. I did stop by the Barry Manilow gift shop, and I thought that the Barry bobblehead was a trip. One would have been funny, but two? Probably appeals to the fanatics, not the casual fans like me.

I saw a classic Vegas variety show called Splash. It has been around for 20 years, but the reviews say it stays fresh through constant reinvention. Apparently, it also introduced America to the hip hop street dancing that is now pervasive on MTV. It did have everything a person could ask for in a variety show: lots of singing, lots of dancing, a few topless showgirls, comic drummers (the Gouchos), juggling Mexican brothers, ice skating couple, ice skating woman with hula hoops (one on fire!), a circus guy (named Vitaly, of course) who uses a long banner of fabric to fly through the air, and four motorcycles inside a metal globe. Wow! My only complaint was that the audience was kind of tepid. I think some of the Japanese tourists did not get some of the jokes. All in all, Viva Las Vegas!

I left Las Vegas and made it to my folks' home in the Phoenix area in reasonable time. I have already been in the pool, and I am enjoying the time away. My folks are out of town until Sunday, so I have it all to myself. My stepmom was nice enough to leave a leftover pork chop in the refrigerator for me.

The West is a big place, for sure. And there are portions that are attractive and some that are downright desolate. With all the congestion in some parts of the country, I am surprised someone has not made a plan to use the land better.

-- Peroria, Ariz.

1 comment:

Dr Pezz said...

I acknowledge, respect, and sympathize with your geekdom. I loved the Star Trek exhibit as well. I must've spent an hour just reading the timeline alone. My friends waited for me at the bar enjoying their aptly named drinks, but I didn't mind making them wait. Besides, I had a great conversation with a Klingon for about twenty minutes. Not many can say that.

I guess the limit to my geekiness was that I couldn't speak to him in Klingon.