"Minnie"
Time to pick up our hire car in LA. We had booked a mid-sized car - described on the Hertz website as a "Corolla or similar". So when we saw what looked like a minivan in the parking spot we were sent to, we thought there must be some mistake! Fortunately, on further inspection, it was a mini-minivan (a Mazda 5). It was actually perfect for us - small enough to feel like driving a medium sized car, large enough for everyone and the luggage. It didn't get it's name (Mini) until about a week later. It safely and comfortably carried us 2030 miles (3267 km) across half of the US.
9 / 10
Driving On The Right
It was surprisingly easy to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, though everyone agreed it was harder to get used to driving on the wrong side of the car! I'm now expecting to get home and doing something dumb in my own car while still in USA mode. And to be frustrated by our mere 110km/h maximum speeed limits, after spending 3 hours on the last day of driving on an 80mph road (129km/h).
7 / 10
The Buildings (outside)
To use a Wheel Of Time analogy (for those very few who will understand it) Las Vegas is the Tar Valon of America - where every building is designed to look like something else (it's also the home of many of the world's great performers of magic, but let's not take this analogy too far). Our hotel was a castle, then there's the pyramid, the eiffel tower. I'm not going to list them all - just Google them yourself, then go and visit. If I was going to design and build a city from scratch, the Vegas Strip is as close as I've seen to what it would look like.
8 / 10
The Buildings (inside)
Of course, the building's interior themes match the exteriors. There's some truly insane interior decorating going on in these hotels and casinos. Most impressive was being outdoors in Venice, while actually being indoors in Vegas. Again, too many to mention, just go see them yourself. It's easy to get lost in these casinos and hotels (designed as such, apparently), but I had so much fun getting lost, because you never knew what fancy room you'd step into next.
9 / 10
M&M World
Four floor of M&M merchandise. Really?
3 / 10
Rollercoaster
At the New York New York hotel. Big. Comments before getting on included "Why are we doing this?". Comments after getting off included "Look! It's only $7 for a re-ride! Wooo!!"
9.5 / 10
Penn & Teller
Our magic show of choice to see in Vegas. A ninety minute show packed full of quick fire magic, comedy magic, skits (and a dash of Penn's skepticism and political opinions). I'm sure it was far more entertaining than watching someone like David Copperfield ponce around on stage for 10 minutes as part of each illusion. I'd seen a lot of the tricks they did before, which was a bit of a shame (including bullet catching, coins in a fishbowl, and the jokebook one). Still, highly enjoyable and recommended.
7.5 / 10
Outlet Shopping
Except for the fact that the shuttle bus ride took more than twice as long as it was supposed to (100 minutes, rather than 45) due to insane traffic, it was a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon of shopping. I actually, like, bought stuff! Funny what holidays do to you.
6 / 10
The Day Of Food
An infamous day of eating. We began with a buffet breakfast; it was 'all you can eat', so (of course!) we did. Lunch time came around, and I wasn't hungry at all. But we ate anyway, among fake jungle and animals at the Rainforrest Cafe. Dinner time came around. Still mostly full from lunch we went out for something small. Like a 16oz steak (because I thought the 20oz might be a bit much). The steak and the sides were so delicious, that I managed to get though most of it. And because we had previously agreed to go to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant for dessert, we did. Fortunately it was even more delicious, and I somehow found room for a Banoffee (Banana-Toffee tart).
The feelings of satisfaction and illness were equally high after that day.
6.5 / 10
"Buskers"
Written in quote marks because I'm talking about a specific type of performer on the streets hoping to have people throw money in their hat or bucket. These are the ones who dress up as someone or something, and just stand there - not dancing, not singing, not performing anything... just looking like their chosen fictional character. If this is a legitimate way to busk, I've got several costumes at home that could be making me good money!
1 / 10
Giant Shoe
Sure, why not.6 / 10
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