So. Vegas. I had a good time. But wow. Its expensive. And sleazy. And flashy. And fake. What was I doing there you ask? Well, I was in Las Vegas for this years annual Pack Expo to receive my award for the Italian Packaging Technology Award competition (you know, the Italy trip). The Italian Trade Commision had a little extra money in their budget, so they flew us award winners to Vegas and put us up in a hotel for a few days, and paid our way into the Expo. Pretty cool. The thing about Vegas is, its expensive. And when you are a poor grad student, its hard to justify buying a 20 dollar sandwich and an 8 dollar beer. After one day of just walking around, sight seeing, not gambling, and not seeing any shows, we decided maybe we need to spend a little money to make if feel more like the Vegas experience. After we went to Pack Expo, we found a message on our hotel phones saying we could get Cirque de Soliel tickets, 2 for 1. And...the cheapest tickets were 80 dollars (divided by two for the 2 for 1 deal, only 40 bucks a person, hey not bad). So I splurged and bought a ticket. I am so happy that I did. It was really cool. Afterwards I spent the rest of my money on drinks out on the strip (not that I bought a ton of drinks, I bought a couple of drinks for really expensive), saw the flashing lights and water shows and volcano eruptions, and said "Thank you Vegas but I think I have had enough". So, that pretty much sums it all up.
My room at Treasure Island. Thanks to the Italian Trade Commision once again.
My room was on the 32nd (out of 36) floors. Here's the view.
At Pack Expo. This motorcycle is made completely out of corrugated board.
Here's a close up. Impressive.
And now..the sights...
Ceiling of blown glass at the Bellagio, I think?
The Bellagio's Autumn themed botanical garden.
Since we all got to know each other in Italy, and had not interacted anywhere else before Vegas, we got a kick out of the Venetian.
The Venetian, fake Rialto.
Venice, Italy. Real Rialto.
The Venetian, Las Vegas. Fake San Marco's square.
Venice, Italy. Real San Marco's square.
So Vegas was pretty close to the real thing, but we knew where we really were.
Anyway, back to Vegas...
Volcanic explosions every half hour!
Kathleen, Erin and JD sight seeing.
Cirque de Soliel, Mystere
Last scene of Mystere. I know my camera could never capture it, but it was an amazing show. You can see a two minute clip of some of the shows highlights here...
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/mystere/default.aspx
(click on "view trailer")
After the show we walked down here, to the Eiffel tower. There was a restaurant at the top where we got these drinks...
and watched the Bellagio water shows from the bar. I would recommend it.
So Vegas was fun. But now I'm poor.
My room at Treasure Island. Thanks to the Italian Trade Commision once again.
My room was on the 32nd (out of 36) floors. Here's the view.
At Pack Expo. This motorcycle is made completely out of corrugated board.
Here's a close up. Impressive.
Ceiling of blown glass at the Bellagio, I think?
The Bellagio's Autumn themed botanical garden.
The Venetian, fake Rialto.
Venice, Italy. Real Rialto.
The Venetian, Las Vegas. Fake San Marco's square.
Venice, Italy. Real San Marco's square.
Volcanic explosions every half hour!
Kathleen, Erin and JD sight seeing.
Cirque de Soliel, Mystere
Last scene of Mystere. I know my camera could never capture it, but it was an amazing show. You can see a two minute clip of some of the shows highlights here...
After the show we walked down here, to the Eiffel tower. There was a restaurant at the top where we got these drinks...
and watched the Bellagio water shows from the bar. I would recommend it.
2 comments:
What a great show ! But where is the dudes comment?
Very cool Karleigh! I liked your comparison photos of the "fake" and the "real". The cardboard motorcycle was neat.
Should have played a slot once or twice just to try your luck.
The view from your room was pretty spectacular; although it's much too high for my comfort zone. Did the room come with a parachute? It should!
Glad it was a safe and fun trip, hope to see you soon.
Love
Dudefather
Post a Comment