My Fabulous Las Vegas Brief Recap

As I mentioned yesterday I just returned from a few days in Fabulous Las Vegas. It was a business trip to attend the Natural Marketplace Conference, which I've attended for the past four years. I barely had much time for myself, but one evening after a few unlucky hours in the casino I went for a stroll on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Of course I'd been to Vegas a zillion times, and have another business trip planned there in September too. With all the wonderful lights on the strip, for some reason it was the old Flamingo hotel and casino that appealed to me on this particular night. Maybe it was the angle at which I approached it. Maybe it was the sign of Donny and Marie Osmond on the marquee. I don't really know, but I did take this photo for your viewing pleasure.

The Venetian Hotel

above: With a name like Venetian, I suppose you figured out it is supposed to look like Venice, Italy. They have canals in front and inside portions of the mall area as well. Visitors can take gondola rides and enjoy the sights.

above and below: One area within The Venetian has these colorful umbrellas suspended from the ceiling over a beautiful flower garden and waterfall.

above: more umbrellas in the hotel shopping area. I'm not sure what the reference was, I was too busy to stop. You see I was headed to see the Criss Angel "Believe" illusion/magic show at the Luxor hotel, and had no time to stop and ask silly questions. Criss Angel was an interesting act. He has some obsession with white rabbits. They were everywhere. Statues, images, posters and people dressed up in rabbit costumes hopping all over the stage. His magic act was decent, although being the cynic that I am, I question everything. Unless it is real magic I guess I'll never totally be impressed. The part with birds appearing out of his sleeve was laughable, but then again he must have had a dozen birds in his shirt, so I guess that is cool enough. Not to mention that they were all trained to fly off his hand over to a stage tree. The part of his act with the nonsense of his supposed "electric shock" from a silly cage with a lightning globe voltage type zapp was so ridiculous I nearly fell asleep in my chair. My advice is to skip Criss Angel and catch something else. Where is Tom Jones when you need him?

-Rick Rockhill