The Grand Canyon, Exotic Race Cars & Las Vegas Nightlife. January 2013.
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Went to Las Vegas with a different friend this time we stayed at the Bellagio Hotel. The Bellagio Hotel is a 5- Star hotel and central located on the strip. It’s themed after Italy. It’s Tuscan theme transport you to the famous town on Italy’s Lake Como.
We arrived in Las Vegas late morning and grabbed a taxi from the cab line. A real character this guy was. He looked like MAD TV actor Will Saso or hollywood actor named John Carrol Lynch from the movie “The Zodiac” (2017). He got out of his cab wearing a black leather jacket, dirty ripped baggy blue jeans that looked like he just finished doing a oil change. Oil stains on his jeans. He had a southern accent when he spoke. During our drive to the hotel I felt the cab was not moving and just coasting which i though was odd and then the cab driver made the comments of, “My transmission has gone out on me and Im trying to get it started back up again, while we are on the Las Vegas I-15 Highway. He did get it started again and made it to our hotel. He gave his phone number to my friend if he wanted to go shoot guns at a gun range while in Las Vegas.
Checked into the Bellagio and its a very nice luxury hotel. We had already book things to do like a Papilon Helicopter tour ride to the Grand Canyon, Exotic Racing and Nightclubs in Las Vegas.
The Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour.
We are picked up from our hotel early in the morning by the company tour bus and go to Boulder city, Nevada, tiny airport. its 46 km, 40 minute drive from the vegas strip. We arrive at the mini airport filled with landed Helicopters. We check in and they want to know our weight and height for the purpose of loaded the Helicopter. I had the window seat and never been in a helicopter before. Up up and away we went, flying over the Colorado river and in the distance can see the Hoover Dam. We are approaching the Grand Canyon and see all the red rocks and ridgedness of the canyon wall as the Helicopter pilot slowly de sends into the Grand Canyon and we reach the bottom, shuts of the engine and propeller. We walk around there is a small ravine of water where we landed, as i took pictures and videos from inside the canyon and just sat and marvelled at the view from the bottom of the canyon all the way up to the blue sky. I tried to place a phone call but there is no cell phone signal. The tour included a picnic lunch with champagne to drink. We sat on some rocks ate and drank our flute glass of champagne . It was very peaceful quiet in the canyon. The Helicopter took us back to the airport and travel tour bus took us back to our hotels.
That night we went to “The Bank” night club located inside the Bellagio Hotel. We arrived when it opened 10pm wore dress/cotton pants and dress shirt. A line up started to form. We walked up to the security/bouncer and advised hime we are guest of the hotel showed our room keys. We by passed the line up the escalators we went and we did pay cover $30-40 can’t remember. Slowly the club started to fill up, bought each other rounds of drinks and enjoyed the evening.
The Next day anther early morning pick up this time by LIMO to drive us out to the Speed/Vegas Motorsport Park 1.3 mile track which is 15 minute drive from the Las Vegas strip. Arrived checked in and your brought to a drivers meeting room with projection screen information session. I selected to drive the Lamborghini 5 laps or $400. Im greeted by my instructor some tall young kid 23 years old looked like a California surfer dude long blonde wavy hair. He was very nice polite and gave me the keys and said “Start the bull” (its push button start). You can really feel the power and thrust of the Lambo especially on the straight away. Your thrown back into your seat once you punch the gas and change the gear best way i can describe the feeling. I also choose the Ride A long. This time your riding shotgun in a Ferrari with pro race car driver. i think it was for 2 laps $99.00. I got into the car and the pro driver “Hold on to the door handle,” grab the handle right there”. Hold on Ok?!” Your ready,” (give me thumbs up) Spins out of the parking lot smell of burning rubber and we go, passing several people on the track. Got back waited for my friend to finish his ride and back into the limo back to our hotel.
We ate a Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace, same treatment as his Restaurant called STEAK. The bar food was good decent. That night we went to anther club inside the Bellagio called HYDE Night club. Same approach just wearing different clothes. This club has a outdoor patio overlooking the Bellagio Fountains your right on the water. Its bigger than The Bank and just one level unlike Then Bank has elevated platforms. Once again bought some rounds of drinks and partied the night away.
The following day I checked out the bellagio pool very spacious area but it was chilly and didn’t stay at the pool for too long, walked across the street to Paris and took the ride up the effie’s tower observation deck (like the CN Tower has) and took pictures overlooking the las vegas strip.
Went downstair and had a “Hells Kitchen Burger” at Chef Ramsays restaurant called Burger at Planet Hollywood. We checked out The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. We went to 2 club inside the hotel called “The Joint” and after that we went anther club called “Vanity”. Cabbed it back to the Bellagio and woke up next day checked-out and flew back to Toronto.
In closing, this was my most enjoyable Vegas Vacation i have had. i throughly enjoyed it, lots of fun, joking around over the weekend.
THE GOOD: EVERYTHING, The hotel, the pool, the food, grand canyon, Race cars, night clubs, site seeing etc.
THE BAD: Expensive night club covers and expensive night club drinks.
THE UGLY: The whole cab ride experience from his sloppy looking appearance to his broken down transmission cab from the airport to the Bellagio Hotel.
Socials
Blocksy: SocialsFor more information about the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, visit: https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en.html?ecid=GMB_BE_HO
