Blonde4ever Does Fremont Street on Halloween

Blonde4ever captures the costumed creatures and characters of Fremont Street on Halloween.

In 2011 I visited Fremont Street in Downtown Vegas just before Halloween but left before the day itself. I looked around at all the decorations and had the creepy feeling that I was missing out on something big. It turns out I was right. I was!

In 2012 I returned to Vegas for Halloween but made the mistake of staying on the Strip. While it was fun (Vegas is always fun) it wasn’t the crazy party atmosphere I was expecting.

When Halloween 2013 rolled around I finally got it right; I stayed downtown for the festivities. OMG! It is like nothing you have ever seen before. If you love Halloween and dressing up, this is the place for you. Yes, it is insanely crowded, but it is such an upbeat, fun atmosphere. EVERYONE has a smile on their face, laughing at each other’s costumes. The costumes run the gamut; you will see everything from sexy to repulsive. There were a few I had to walk up to and ask what they were, such a the “giving the finger” guy. I was particularly impressed by the fellow walking around on stilts all night. He was scary and talented!

I adore this time of year in Vegas so much that I have been here at Halloween every year since and 2016 was no different. To illustrate the boisterous merriment, I will share some pictures from that year.  I took these fairly early in the evening when walking around was still possible.  As the night goes on it gets increasingly difficult.  I tend to station myself near a pillar and hold on so I don't get swept away by the crowd when it gets really frantic.

Keep in mind that what is an acceptable costume on the street may not be ok inside the casinos.
Masks and makeup that obscures your face is a definite no-no. Your face MUST match the picture on your identification due to the facial recognition technology that is present in every casino. You can wear a sexy costume but must cover the important bits. Pasties alone will not suffice in the casinos.  Obviously shoes are necessary everywhere.  And remember that even if your are dressing as a superhero or a police officer, no fake weapons will be tolerated.  It is wise to acquaint yourself with the rules before you attend any kind of Halloween event.

Here is a shot of Scott Roeben of VitalVegas and Fremont Street Experience fame, my roommate Kodidog, and myself.

Here are a few pictures I took while wandering Fremont Street on Halloween night 2016.  I missed Halloween 2018 so I am thrilled to be returning for Halloween 2019 and hope to get more pictures.

Fremont Street’s Halloween party makes every other Halloween party look lame. Plan a visit for next Halloween and see for yourself!

[Photos: Blonde4ever]

The Tenors of Rock will Blow You Away!

I went into the Tenors of Rock with no expectations. The only reason I was there was that it was a free show with my CET Diamond membership. But I must say I was impressed and downright startled by how fantastic these fellas were. Their singing was exceptional and the chatter between them hilarious.



Normally when you go to a music show in Vegas you are there to hear one kind of music, not so with the Tenors of Rock.  One minute they are singing “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses and the next it is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s  “The Music of the Night”. Sometimes they sing a cappella and sometimes with full musical accompaniment.

You are never bored in this show. The band of five handsome men from the UK keep you wondering what will happen next. I especially loved the part where there was a brief blackout and then the singing commenced with no one on the stage. You looked around and saw that they had spread themselves throughout the audience: in the aisles, in the back and one was even on a table. Eventually they made their way back to the stage.

 

The group consists of Garreth Richards, Dai Richards, Jimmy Denning, Jonathan Williams and Tommy Sherlock. You can read their individual bio’s here.

This high energy production show has played New York, Miami, Shanghai, London, Moscow, Toronto, and Berlin in addition to their regular gig at Harrah’s Las Vegas. All of the band members come from theatrical backgrounds.

What is different about watching this group is that there isn’t just one star. You get the sense that they are all the stars of the show, each having their own moment. You also get the impression that they really love what they are doing, and that always increases my enjoyment of a show. I feel like these men could perform literally anything and make it sound great. Here’s hoping their residency lasts for a long time.

I often say if a show is something I would return to multiple times you know I loved it. That is definitely true for Tenors of Rock at Harrah’s Las Vegas. I will be back!

Purchase tickets here.

[Photo Cred. Blonde4ever  Tenors of Rock]

Blonde4ever gets a “Vegas Suitcase”

I finally got a "Vegas" suitcase!

I am sure you are puzzled as to why I consider this to be a Vegas topic. Las Vegas is almost always my destination, so luggage = Vegas in my mind.

Once upon a time my parents bought me a set of lovely blue suitcases. Those bags are still in excellent shape, the only problem with them is that they have no wheels. They are from the olden days when every trip we took was by car, and you didn’t have to worry about how to wrangle them through an airport. Even though they are in good shape, they don’t meet my needs at this point in time.

Our current family suitcase set was purchased about twenty years ago; two large suitcases and two medium suitcases. And they are black, boring black, the same colour suitcase of almost everyone on the planet.

Three of the four suitcases of our set have all broken in the same place; the zipper. (At least they are consistent.) On my last trip, the fourth and final suitcase was hanging by a thread. I had visions of it bursting in the airport leaving a wake of jewelry and fat lady clothes.

We have held on to all of these faulty suitcases because my husband says they are going to be fixed on the fictional “someday.” I just won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
So when my daughter asked me what I wanted for a gift the first thing out of my mouth was “A suitcase! One that isn’t broken! A pretty one!”

I have had a severe case of “suitcase envy” for years. I stand forlornly beside the baggage carousel in McCarran and watch the lucky people who know exactly which suitcase is theirs.
“Look at that woman,” I say to myself “She has a red suitcase, she knows which one is hers! Ooh, and there is a silver one! Oh and animal print! No one could mistake that!” Obviously it is conceivable that other Vegas visitors could have the same or similar suitcases, but you have much better odds of locating yours when it is distinctive. I have seen my black suitcase lifted off the carousel and put back a number of times.

As an owner of black luggage you have to play the “How to make a black suitcase look different from all the other black suitcases” game. We tie ribbons on the handles and put stickers on the sides and add various and assorted accoutrements to make them stand out. My husband (the electrician) wrapped yellow electrical tape around the handles of ours and I have never seen another bag decorated in quite that way. I always added the finishing touch of a glittery Vegas luggage tag to help with the identifying process.

My daughter and I set out to find my special suitcase. That involved running all over town checking prices and features. I found a perfectly serviceable one at Winners for $100, but IT WAS BLACK! I refuse to go down that road again. As God is my witness I will have a coloured suitcase or die trying.

We drove over to a large department store that, oddly enough, now has a lawsuit against it for having fake sales.

We saw a huge sign that said, “All Luggage 70% off!!” Wow…what a sale! We thought we had lucked into the best sale ever until we looked at the price tags. The 25-inch suitcases were all either $299 or $249. I am sure that none of those bags had ever been sold at that price before;  they were just jacked up so that they could advertise a fantastic discount. Even though I was annoyed at them for their tactics, there was a beautiful teal blue suitcase winking at me from the sales floor. I examined every 25-inch suitcase in the building but kept returning to that one. Finally, it was decided that that one had to come home with us. I am now the proud owner of what I am sure is the most attractive suitcase ever made. I am so excited to pack for my next Vegas vacation in it!

I will be like a proud mama as my teal blue baby emerges from the shoot at McCarran baggage carousel. Heaven help those baggage handlers if they hurt it!

Blonde4ever's Vegas "Musts"

My “Vegas Musts” list is more of a “Vegas Would Like to” list, if my health and finances hold up.

My first “must” is to have at least one “fancy” meal per trip. My definition of fancy may be different from others, but it usually involves an upscale restaurant that has a "fixed price" menu; that way you can have a nice steak dinner without taking out a second mortgage on your house.

Secondly, I “must” see multiple shows. Some trips I see as many as 5 or 6 of them. I love almost all shows. Some people will sit through a production without cracking a smile or clapping their hands. I don’t have very kind thoughts about these people. If the performer is up there busting their butt to entertain me, I am darn well going to offer them my encouragement and appreciation.

My third “must” would be to watch the Bellagio fountain shows at night from the sidewalk right in front of the fountains. You cannot watch it from any other location; not from your hotel room, not from a bus going by, not from a crossover bridge. No other vantage point will afford you the complete experience. You have to be right in the center, leaning against the railing, with the spray from the fountains in your face, in order to get the full effect. Also, it has to be playing one of the truly Vegasy songs. I can remember a night many years ago when I was walking the Strip and I just happened to be right in front of Bellagio when the fountains went off. All of a sudden Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas filled the air; the fountains went BOOM, and I was mesmerized! This experience never gets old for me.

My fourth “Vegas must” is startlingly similar to my third “Vegas must.” (Do you sense a pattern emerging?) I must stand in the middle of Fremont Street and watch the Viva Vision canopy light show. The lights go off on all the casinos, the music starts, beautiful images float over your head, and hundreds of people all start singing along. I have never seen that happen anywhere else in the world.

My favorite aspect of Vegas is the spectacle of it all. At any given moment you may find me staring up at some glittery thing, transfixed, with drool coming from the corners of my mouth. It might be the chandelier at Cosmo or the porte-cochere at the Plaza or just a sparkly slot machine. I have a long-standing love affair with coloured lights, and things that twinkle.

In fact, I think if Vegas had no lights or sparkle, I would have no interest in visiting. My strange glitter addiction brings me back time after time.

Photos:  Kodidog, Joe Califiore, Scottt Roeben ,Chris Johns, Giphy.com, Steemit,

BLT Steak, Destination360, Gelenbeck.de

A Visit to the Stratosphere and 107 Skylounge

The last (and only) time I was at the Stratosphere was 1997. My companions were aware that heights were not my favorite thing and so they left me downstairs playing while they went up to the top and rode the rides. I really have no memory of the place at all.

I have been meaning being to return for the last twenty years but never made it. Perhaps because the Strat is in that bizarre no man’s land between downtown and the Strip. It is sorta on the Strip but not really, and it is sorta downtown but not really. On a recent trip, I decided to finally go check it out. My Lyft ride from downtown was a mere $8.00. It is an impressive and attractive building when you pull up to it (if you ignore that one crooked leg).

My first stop was the Ace player’s club where I was amazed to learn I was still on file from twenty years ago. Those casino files follow us forever it seems. I got a new card and began to wander the casino. I am not exactly sure what I was expecting but I was pleased with the place; a good mix of games, cool fresh air, and attractive to the eye. I did notice they are not as obsessive about wiping down their machines or pushing in the chairs as some places, but I was still happy with what I saw.

I tried a few games and then landed at a Video Poker machine. I really wanted to play quarter video poker but probably should not have in light of my meager bankroll. I decided to throw caution to the wind and risk it. My machine was covered in some sticky substance, but I did not want to move any closer to the fellow at the end of the bank of machines, and so I just spit on a tissue and attempted to clean up with that.“Sticking with” that sticky machine turned out to be a great decision because it gave up two sets of deuces almost back to back!

I was having loving thoughts towards the Strat at this point. I continued to play until 4 pm when the 107 Skylounge Happy Hour began. (4 – 7 pm daily, Half Price Appetizers and 2-for-1 Cocktails) There used to be a late night Happy Hour but I don't see it listed on the website anymore so perhaps they did away with it.  It took a while but I finally located the elevators to 107 Skylounge. I was surprised that they had attendants but it was a nice touch because I had questions for them, “How do you stand your ears popping all day as you ride up and down?” The attendant said she was so used to it that she didn’t even notice it anymore.

As you would expect the view from 107 Skylounge is breathtaking.

I was envious of the people below me in the restaurant because their level rotated and you would see the whole valley that way. The 107 Skylounge does not rotate but it completely circular so you can walk around and enjoy the view from all angles. There are comfortable seating areas and also a bar.

The cocktails were two for one so I chose something refreshing that I was sure I could drink two of, Mango Madness. I would not be happy to pay full price for the drink ($17) but getting two made it a much better deal. The drink was delicious and the service was quick and friendly. The fantastic view was worth the price of the drinks.  I was a little nervous way up there. I could have sworn I felt the tower moving, but that might have been the effects of the alcohol. 

If you are so inclined you can take the elevator from level 107 to 108 and enjoy the observation deck. 

I chose to leave after my visit to the lounge but I was delighted with the whole experience and will definitely return to explore more of the Stratosphere.

More information about the 107 Skylounge is here.

[Photos: Blonde4ever]

The Neon Museum is Brilliant!

If there is anything about Las Vegas that deserves to be revered and remembered it is the signs. Thank goodness that someone recognized that fact and built a place to preserve these works of art. The Neon Museum was founded in 1996 and since that time they have sought to maintain and restore the historic signs of Las Vegas.

I visited the Neon Museum many years ago and understood that a lot had changed since then, so I decided to go again on a recent trip. One welcome addition since my last visit was the official La Concha visitor center where you could purchase your tour ticket and wait in air-conditioned comfort for it to begin.

The La Concha was a former motel with an interesting lobby design. The shell was transported to the Neon Museum property to house their visitor center. The majority of the sign collection is from the YESCO (Young Electric Sign Company) boneyard, but private donations have increased its size. The Neon Museum has also restored 12 signs and placed them in downtown Las Vegas.

Want to see the giant skull from the Treasure Island Hotel or the famous Stardust sign? How about the sign from Moulin Rouge, the first integrated resort in Las Vegas? What about the Desert Inn, the Sahara, Binion’s, Fitzgerald’s or the Frontier? Oh, the stories that each of these signs could tell if they could only speak.

A knowledgeable and pleasant tour guide will walk you through the exhibit explaining each sign as you go along. A point I found particularly interesting was about the metal pegs that protrude out of some of the signs.

Apparently back in the day men had to climb those pegs (sans safety harness!) in order to change the bulbs. It must have been before “cherry pickers” were invented. Another interesting point is that even though it is called the Neon Museum, many of the signs are not neon.

A relatively new addition to the museum is the Brilliant display that takes place after dark on a separate lot from the rest of the tour. It is described as "360 degree audiovisual immersion experience". This is an additional cost to the regular tour but it is well worth it. Something called "art projection mapping" manages to turn unrestored signs into dancing spectacles of light. The signs flash to a selection of memory-inducing Vegas themed music. I loved it. I only wish it lasted longer. They give you 20 minutes at the end of the show to wander around and take pictures.

I have tried to analyze why I find historical signs so mesmerizing. There is something about standing before a sign that has existed for many decades that thrills me. I remember visiting Philadelphia once and being so impressed with how that city had managed to preserve its historic areas. There was a street you could visit that looked the same as it had in the 1800’s. Most cities just tear down and build new. I am always happy to find precious artifacts kept intact for all to enjoy. Imagine the people that looked at these signs all these years ago and what life was like for them then. They lived in a completely different world. The preservation of these signs helps us to connect with the people from the past.

If history excites you at all, I highly recommend a visit to the Neon Museum on your next Vegas vacation. The museum is just a few blocks from the Fremont Street Experience downtown. The daytime guided tour takes less than an hour, and the adult price is only $19. (Nighttime tour is $28) They sell a limited number of tickets per tour so if you have a particular time slot in mind be sure to book ahead online on their website. The night tours sell out first.

[Photos: Blonde4ever, Archdaily]