One small step….we were able to check in….had to wait for 2 minutes though….

as is BCbythesea’s….habit….we were early….and according to Delta Airlines…6 hours means 6 hours…not a minute sooner…(or 2….)

We can now move further into the airport….

onto to the security…. drivers licenses out.. prized boarding passes in hand….and….

we are chosen to be scanned further….

no huge surprise considering we are last minute…really hours….7 &1/2 long hours…. (mentioned in previous post)…passengers…

a quick …loud …yell….and we felt like we were in an E.F. Hutton commercial….everyone was listening….

we were sent down a separate passage way…to the special screening personnel…. all our stuff put out in various gray trays……and through the “puffer”….

the guy before me…feeling the effects of a real Las Vegas weekend….had a few choice words…. not to smart…

although….a little levity…always helps these awkward situations….

1-2-3- puff….and on to the rest of the check…using a pad that looks like the ‘Stridex” pads of our broken- out youth..he swabs the interior of each bag…each item…and files them in what looks oddly like a CD holder….

all clear…boarding pass returned after ….4 old fashioned punch holes were put in it….how strange…all this new hi-tech machinery and the results….are in 4 plain ordinary punch holes like they used at events before scanners…. eons ago….

On to the tram….to the designated gate area….

Upon entering…we find the Las Vegas Aviation Museum….which really entails 4 kiosk looking cabinets….explaining its development…. the history and progress made … both politically and culturally….through the years…

Back to the long walk to gate D40….we see repeats of all the major staples found within the airports of the present time….Burger King…Starbucks…Cinnabons…Quiznos….and such…

ahhh…now that was progress that was not included within the 4 kiosks of the Aviation Museum displayed at their entryway…

An abundance of seats….a gorgeous mountain view….more junk food than anyone could imagine….we’re set…

4 &1/2 hours to go….

Just paged ….missing passenger.. Too Win….really!….

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

A booking snafu has left us stranded for an extended stay in the La Vegas Airport….

Wrong date on the ticket….and we are at a standstill…. a holding pattern….on the ground….

Lucky for us….this day…… a Rep. for US Airways…was actually at the outside desk….and went over and beyond….the call of duty…

Thankful…is the appropriate response… especially when all that is on the front page lately is the downside of air travel….and personnel…per the Sun Sentinel..a few days ago…

She managed to find us a straight flight to Fort Lauderdale…..on another airline….7 &1/2 hours later….

the alternatives were really bad…..we are so grateful to her…and you can bet an email to her employers will go out ASAP!….

Had some food in the airport southwestern restaurant….found a couple of seats….and hunkered down…with computer….papers….and taking turns walking….until the luggage can be checked in….

Final comments on Vegas….

a few extras….see previous posts …under Misc. category…….a few thoughts….

I wonder if the meticulous Mr Wynn….is aware that his cocktail servers are wearing the identical outfits as those at the Golden Nugget?…. Would he be chagrined to learn this…..or is he fully aware and paying homage?….

If you have a choice….turn away the taxi vans….the drivers are definitely not as savvy as those driving the sedans….they were infuriating with adding time …by using longer routes….

It is mind boggling the amount of disposable income….from young twenty-somethings….especially young Asians….

Young Asian women …in the Louis Vuitton store buying the luggage pieces like they were knock-offs…

everywhere you looked….major bags and baubles….

We fortunately had the chance on our way out…to finally see The Wynn pool area…. ( put on the back-burner …. due to cooler temps)….it felt like walking into another time…. of affluence and decadence…simply awestruck by the details ….( as we were with all of the never-ending special details throughout the rest of the resort )……..cabanas….with flat screen TVs….2 tiered pool choices…many hot tubs….a european type adult pool…complete with a band-shell…tables and chairs in the pool itself…and of course a huge bar…..upstairs was even more luxurious for those who were staying in the “Tower” suites…

A two tiered system was definitely in play….if you were in the Tower..you had a “fast pass” to restaurants etc…as well as special accommodations at poolside…

Amazing also …is just how many are in the employ of the hotel…not only in the casinos… almost all are connected by earphones….and an observant guest can appreciate the dynamics of it all…

Just a few minor negatives….we found …the beds were too hard…surprisingly…. not the pillow-top expected at most such highly rated hotels of late….

The Wynn rates 41/2 stars in the guide books…

No newspaper delivered each morning…at the door…

Charging to use the fitness center….seems a pass on this charge would go a long way…. heard some grumbling at check-in….

and finally…. using the BCbythesea hubby’s long-time personal rating system….the hotel pen….it was lousy…again a surprise for us after hearing of Mr Wynn’s overlooking everything personally in his hotel….down to the smallest details…. regaled by the papers…just not the pens…. so it seems…

Still…highly recommend… The Wynn….definitely…a win-win…..for us!

only 6 hours to go…..

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

Travelogue …day 2 to come…

interesting…asides…

last night…

The Wynn…we’re on 54th floor…

elevator goes on high floor stacks…28- 39…..then 50-60

no 40-49th floor…

we asked …

the answer….we were told….is due to the large number of Asian guests….

just as Americans think 13 is unlucky…no 13th floor in most elevators…

Asians think 40 numbers are unlucky….is it true?…will have to Google…

Does anyone else pay attention to door handles?….

the amount of time that goes into them is worth more looking…

examples…

The Excalibur….are swords….

New York, New York…N.Y….. skyline…

Paris Hotel…2 Ps facing each other…

The Venetian..Mandolins……..

Planet Hollywood…..PH…….

Luxor Hotel….pyramids……

Next time…you enter a building….take a look as you grab that door handle……

Ate at a Sushi Bar in The Wynn…next to a young man…with a story….for real….his buddy was off to get married to a girl he met today!…

The bartender told him not to worry…as fast as you can get married here…you can get it annulled!

Watched in the high roller room…a man played 3 slot machines simultaneously….$100 per pull…and won over and over again…$750-$2500-$3000-$5500- $7000 almost every game he played…and he was still going an hour later…

he claimed there was a problem with the computer…

we watched him winning….which was quite something….but the desk of employees….with ear monitors…and phone calls from higher ups….was like watching the secret service ….quite a show….

The topper…went to the light show in downtown Las Vegas…the Golden Nugget…Freemont Street…

parked outside the EMS ambulance …..AMR!…

more to come

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

Day 1 of walking in Vegas….yesterday….

walk we did from morning to night…with more to come today….

There is no recession in Vegas….just lines of people…in stores…hotels…restaurants…shows…and casinos….

Disposable income….it’s all here…big time…and not all from overseas!….

That cold …overcast…rainy weather turned out to be a godsend…in normal desert heat…it would have been brutal…

Sustenance required….. pre-outing….

Breakfast at the Wynn Buffet….$33 per person…the array of food offered could make any traveler forgo going on any journey….after sampling all the vast stations… from serious …tempting over-indulgence…

Here’s the travelogue….

1. The Palazzo…connects to the Wynn…approx.4 months old…even more of a beauty…even more high- end shops…

a visitor from Massachusetts told us at the buffet…….stayed there last week…his input….better rooms than The Wynn…

they get you at the door…with a coupon for a free chocolate dipped strawberry….

ahh…freebies….even with wads of cash and platinum credit cards in their wallets….a line for a free strawberry ensued…

2. The Venetian…connects to the Palazzo….astoundingly gorgeous…as all who had been there informed us it would be…

as we took cell phone pics to send the the BCbythesea offspring….we realized….we were the only ones…looking up…. at these incredible ceilings!….

also saw the canal…gondoliers…moving “statues”…opera….the whole experience….

Eye popping gallery …the first of two he has here… that we saw so far…..photographer Peter Lik…has a website…www.peterlik.com

saying one is “blown away” by his work….is an understatement…incredible ….no wonder he is associated with Sothebys….

3. Treasure Island…again the casinos were full…lots of Asians playing …Pai Gow Poker…and Mini Baccarat…and a big interest in Casino War game….

4. tram to The Mirage Hotel…saw the huge fish tank…  .

all the casinos have BMWs to win….and motorcycle “choppers”….

5….Caesar’s Palace… “Revel Without a Cause” it proclaims…and the tourists were doing just that…

Pete Rose was looking his age…pretty bloated…as he signed memorabilia for old time fans….

Peter Max was to come later to sign work in his own gallery…the picture out front though….40 years old….after seeing Pete Rose….better to leave what Peter Max now looks like….to your imagination….

shops for each headliner…Cher…Bette…Elton John….Jay Leno was in for evening….

faithful readers remember BCbythesea Judith Lieber bag….story…

went in Judith Lieber store…like walking into an art gallery….crystal creations that look like the familiar …pooches…various animals…but new to this visitor…cupcakes…dragonflies…candy….the hours that go into these….a luncheon re-enactment…as in previous post…a must…for those who can afford it…..in dollars and time…

A funny aside: 1st at Caesars….then at New York,New York….and again at MGM…”Was that Vin Diesel?”….

The real deal….or an outstanding look-a-lot….. fun to ponder…

much better than the constant look-a-likes…that flick their “girlie cards”…to all that are making their way past the construction…

so many …it reminds us of Chinatown in N.Y. and all the knock-off purse peddlers…hawking their much more appealing cards… in the eye of the beholder…I know…

so many tossed from the walkers….the sidewalks now looked covered with confetti…of the X -rated variety…

Construction was due to the ultimate Condo- Hotel project …going up…prominently ….being sold with extensive models of each tower…salespeople armed with red laser spotters…and …videos…at each hotel…

totally glass…totally huge….totally non-height restricted….a massive few blocks in all directions…any buyers?…….

6. The Bellagio….the lobby ceiling covered in glass flowers…by a world renowned glass artist…truly spectacular…the conservatory…and of course the casino…which now are overlapping in our minds…

twenty-somethings walking around with Eiffel Tower held drinks….

seen elsewhere through the trek…out and about….drinks in various containers…from boots…to what appear to be bongs….

no open container laws in this town…just kidding…this is the ultimate “Entertainment Overlay District’…no problems….

BCbythesea…opinion….LBTS…should get with it….

finally stopped walking…and ate a very late lunch/ dinner at Cafe’ Bellagio…. thanks to MBTs…previous post….no sore soles…after all these hours….

next stop the casino…..more of the same….

on to the shops…

saw the world’s largest volume chocolate fountain….2 tons of chocolates flowing through 500 feet of stainless piping…after 2 years of engineering…think Willie Wonka….

now even the stores are all blending into each other…think Galleria…Adventura…Town Center…only a few notches above… with Jimmy Choo shoes….Graff Jewelers…and the like…

7. The Monte Carlo…tired…and sad…even the casino dealers look tired and sad…

like old throwbacks…to the movie ‘Casino’ …which coincidentally was shown on the plane ride here….

8. New York, New York…too much…ready to leave on arrival…

9. The MGM Grand… so overwhelming….so spent …. as in…. no more today …please…no $’s involved….yet!….need to re-start there….on day 2….

Zonked….

more to come….

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

Lights are off…do they ever really go off in Vegas?…..

Incredible mountains views…….

and for those of you in the majority …politically in LBTS….looks like height restrictions outside of the town itself…from this view….

of course from the 54th floor…that’s easy to say….

What happened to the hot…hot…temps?…. it’s colder than home!….

a knock on the door at 4am…Vegas time…a girl…but just confused on rooms….

Items for purchase sitting on the bar area….on top of a “pad”….with a note…

‘feel free to check out the items…ingredients…for 60 seconds”….after 60 seconds….sold …you purchased it!

Who would have thought this one up….the same guy who came up with American Airlines charging to check in a bag for $15?….

on the way to the workroom… to rev up for a full day….

more to come….

Watch for a petition toting Mayor coming to your door soon?….according to the Pelican..that’s her plan…

Watch for snow in LBTS in July….. this….according to the Pelican article on the Vice Mayor’s remarks to the V.P. of  Suez gas port company….with their chances for their floating port where they want it….

well…it’s raining and cold in Vegas….so snow in July?….who knows?…..

Anyone ready to bet on this one?….

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

Took the flight on Delta…

no big deal…got the seat situation cleared up…

tip from BCbythesea…hairdresser…

ask for the exit seats… as soon as you get to the gate…we did…we got them…

uneventful flight …. landed early by a few minutes…

then got stuck on the plane…moving connection platform would not lock onto the plane…

finally found a temporary solution…and we were off…

baggage was already on the turnstile…

taxis were all around…with lines of tourists…and airport coordinators to line them and the taxis up…10 at a time…at different points on the curbs…like an orchestrated ballet…

our driver… a woman…from Ethiopia…by way of Indiana…to Vegas…

quite industrious…and political…

a Hillary supporter…who worked hard to get the 12 thousand registered Ethiopian voters to the polls to vote for Clinton…

What she like about U.S….”this wonderful country that adopted me”.. …she said…”first come…first served.”…

Does not like Obama…and still holding out hope for Hillary….

Arrived at the Wynn…

newest hotel in Vegas….is glorious…overwhelming…and host to a large majority of Asian workers and guests…

who seem to love a game called mini-baccarat…

The room has a view of the city…54th floor…

outside…

The Mirage…Treasure Island…Trump…and lights …lights…lights….

inside…the room…a beauty…with large bathroom…large comfy bed… flat screen TVs and lovely decor….

Downstairs….the sights…the tables…the stores….eye popping…

time to call it a day….after 22 hours awake…

more to come….

Tags: Las Vegas
Posted in Miscellaneous

It’s a 3 day weekend….

Headed to Vegas…. tonight….

first time…

Should be something…a first for BCbythesea….and a first for Vegas?….

A non-drinking-non- gambling tourist?…..

Will they let me in?……

Lights…hotels…people watching…. jaw dropping…. shopping galore?….

Will update…if time allows….

first obstacle…the flight…

have not gone on an “old standard” airline in eons….Delta…

at least they aren’t charging for bags….yet….

but seat assignments….a mess right now…

none assigned to us…even though we called and tried to get them at the proper time…

Ahhhhh….what a way to start…..

Had hoped to do the agenda overview…but …as of now…it’s not online…

someone is slacking off in Town Hall….

Scoops…never know…

more later…

catch up on the categories….and enjoy…

Posted in Miscellaneous

In 1985…we bought our first home….

a split-level in the town we grew up in….right down the road from where my husband had lived in his grade school years…

We bought it from the original owners…therefor requiring a few adjustments here and there to bring it up to date from the 1950’s interior to a 1980’s…. young family with toddler …kid-proof…neutral colored… state….

One item of concern…the furnace…

a big …old …original workhorse that covered quite a large footprint in the lower basement…

Being “green” as a first time homeowner…I ventured into the world of heating and air conditioning companies…

Oh ….. were they swift….with a young mother…looking absolutely clueless…with talk of coils… emissions…and gas leaks…lurking to wipe out our whole family in our sleep!

The new improved models…have more bells and whistles….clearly improved components…..information that causes a consumer’s eyes to glaze over…while politely nodding their head…so as not to appear totally devoid in comprehending any part of the litany being so masterfully sold by the technician… with the name sewn on his shirt…

Doing what any self respecting …independent woman does after hearing such news…from not one …but three servicemen..sent out by… “yellow pages” half- page ad companies….for comparison ….and consensus…

Panic!….

and call Mom…..

Who offers…calm reassurance…..along with long time ownership savvy…and the coveted name and number of her “guy”….who has been her “guy” for heating and air conditioning forever…or as long as she can remember…

Her “guy” comes….

Her “guy” walks down into the belly of the beast…the potential “gas chamber”…to come head to head with the potential executioner of my family….as warned by all the experts…who came before her “guy”….

No fear….no concern….no dollar signs…showing in his eyes…

quite the opposite…. quite startling…in fact…

“I love theses babies”…he exclaims….”They don’t make ‘em like this anymore”….excited at the prospect of the chance to inspect it……

I felt like I could breathe again….envision my daughter’s wedding once more….like I now had a vintage Ferrari…and not an Edsel…. kind of smug and proud….

What about the death threat…the gas leak…the potential for harm when we least expect it?…I inquired…

The “guy” being a real “guy” shrugged his shoulders and said….

“you breathing now?”…..”Looks solid”….”Made better than anything out there today”….

and….

“You have electric heat…… not gas!”…..

To which I exclaimed….”I love these babies!”….

Why has this 20+ year old memory come back to me now?……

Items in the news…. as of late….

New medicines….found to have all sorts of problems…when the old tried and true….still do the trick…

New light bulbs…found to have mercury…the ramifications if they break or are disposed of improperly …..where the old…while they use more energy… offer less landfill backlash….

New water bottles….with plastic risks…making tap water acceptable once more….

New cars with endless recalls…… with announcements made weekly…so it seems…

New clothing with sizing that is suspect…… size 0…enough said….

New… improved boxes and bottles at the grocery store… …that lighten the amounts inside…slight enough to fool the consumer…and add to profits…

New computers….that now require three “clicks”….instead of one…. to get the same result…

New is definitely …no longer better or improved….

Something I learned way back in the 80’s…..

Tags: furnaces, heating, new, old
Posted in Miscellaneous

Slacking off?….

Guilty as charged…on the papers and the web news…

piling up beside the desk….

will attempt to peruse and pick apart. a few topics……if time permits…

much of what is in print…has been covered already…no significant changes…no added comments…

but we’ll see… here and there …over the next few days…

Watching for the local news……

will it be a a head to head weekend with the LBTS papers out today?…….

Pelican and Sentry …are on the way also….

First 100 days…of the new commission/administration…….

the vision and the reality……..

BCbythesea favorite new letters….CAFR….

printed out…(see previous post)….highlights to come….

places to go…..

scoops….

more later…….

Posted in Miscellaneous

One day after Hump Day…One to go for TGIF…

Web Wed…on Thur…to come…

POA overview to come…

catching up on the news…papers to come…

Scoops…

check back…more later…

Posted in Miscellaneous