Cheap entertainment on The Strip, Las Vegas, NV, part 2

Of our four night stay in Vegas, we spent two in the Venetian. Yes, there is that much to see and WAY more restaurants to try. But the other two nights we walked to some of the neighboring casinos. We didn't get to any of the newest casinos. They were a little farther away. And we didn't walk down to the south end. I've spent time down that direction on previous trips. 

For 115 degree weather in the summer, Vegas is surprisingly busy. Still in the evening, as the sun is waning, it is tolerable to walk down the street and see some casinos. It also makes you appreciate the invention of air conditioning when you walk into one. Once dark, the lights are very pretty and a lot of the free shows on The Strip are quite pretty. We hit up two of the popular outside displays. The third popular show at Treasure Island we missed. The crowds were just too thick to even see the Sirens of TI (Treasure Island) live action show with swash buckling pirates and girls in skimpy costumes. I'm sure it is worth the crowds but not after a long day of conferences and two cocktails with dinner. In those circumstances bed is the best offer around.

The volcano "show" outside in front of the Mirage is full of fire and steam and beating drums. The whole pond erupts in flames. The crowds are pretty deep there too, but the display is above most peoples heads so it is easy enough to see. The volcano comes alive every night on the hour.

Volcano eruption outside of the Mirage Casino 

Volcano display outside of the Mirage

The famous fountains outside of the Bellagio light up every 15 minutes in the evenings. They change the program and music periodically. I'm not sure how often but I know I have seen the fountains dance to Singing in the Rain in the past. This night was something else, a classical song I can't name. It's breath-taking display with canon sounds like fireworks as the powerful, tall fountains blast into the air.  The whole thing made me want to watch Oceans Elevens (the George Clooney version). In fact, after arriving home from my week in Vegas, I did just that, relax on the couch and watch Oceans Eleven, seeing if I could recognize any of the locations and think "Oh! I was standing there."

Fountain show in front of the Bellagio

The fountain show at the Bellagio with its neighbors across the street in the background, Bally's and Paris. 

The inside of the Bellagio was an impressive sight. As in part 1, I really liked the Venetian. It's big with lots to see and they do a good job making it luxurious, varied, and enjoyable. The same can be said for the Bellagio on a slightly smaller scale. Still, it has the fancy stores, the beautiful decor, and the free entertainment. In Bellagio's case the entertainment falls more in the realm of things to see rather than free mini-shows.

In the guest check-in area, look up. The ceiling is covered in a vibrant glass sculpture looking like giant jellyfish floating overhead. It is called Fiori di Como by Dale Chihuly. The picture does not do it justice. Near the lobby is a conservatory with seasonal floral displays. It's peaceful and colorful. There is a little house on one side filled with little canaries and other small birds living comfortably with flowers and birdbaths. 

Fiori di Como in the Bellagio lobby

The conservatory inside of the Bellagio

Giant flower fountain in the conservatory

Oh no, scary giant bird and birdhouse.

Like the Venetian, the Bellagio has a number of upscale stores for retail therapy. One Wonka-esque store is worth spending some time window shopping (or buying if you are not taking the free Vegas challenge like we did). This chocolaterie is called Jean Philippe Patisserie and oh! it is a chocolate lovers dream. They sell crepes and chocolate creations to nibble. But the best parts are the displays. The large center piece above the heads of the crepe-makers is all handmade cake and chocolate goodness. The chocolate woman is life-sized. The back and side walls house glass cases demonstrating their cake-decorating skills.

The chocolate waterfall in the front window makes viewers sure that Willy must be in the back room somewhere. The chocolate fountain holds the Guinness Book of World Records' distinction of being the tallest chocolate fountain in the world at 26 feet 3 inches. The chocolate cycles at 120 quarts per minute.

Life-sized chocolate woman on display at Jean Philippe Patisserie

Chocolate Waterfall, as Wonka said, "No other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall. But it's the only way if you want it just right."

One of the many cakes on display. Other themes included Toy Story, black and white floral designs, shoe shopping, ballerina... All of them too pretty to eat,

Cheap entertainment on The Strip, Las Vegas, NV, part 1

A colleague and I went to a national education conference in Las Vegas last week. Somehow my summer has turned out to be crazy-busy, almost as busy as the school year is. Between major summer projects going on at work and some voluntary home improvement projects going on at home, I'm not really getting the lazy, low-key summer the teacher legend says we get. The only difference is I don't have to greet the kids at 7:45 a.m. during the summer; I can sleep in a bit. So, the conference in Vegas turned out to be my summer vacation. I know, I live on the edge.

We decided to make it our challenge to find cheap evening entertainment in Vegas. Long gone are the days of $5.00 all-you-can-eat buffets and 2-drink-cover comedy shows, at least on The Strip. The cheapest shows we could find were $20.00. Bummer. So, instead we aimed for free. In a city where back-row-balcony seats for the popular shows can run $80.00, there is plenty of free to be found. We managed to stay out until well past my bedtime without spending a dime. (Granted we did skip gambling. Big money savings there. And I'm not counting the cost of dinners and drinks. Those things can be hugely entertaining as well depending on where you go, although not exactly cheap. There are food courts a-la-shopping-mall if you need cheap eats too.)

We were staying in the Venetian. Turns out this casino/resort is amazing for free entertainment. This summer they had a Carnevale celebration going, a lot of bonus freebies. We spent one whole evening walking around and checking out the offerings. The Venetian complex is gorgeous. I know these days it is one of the "older" casinos, but it is definitely well worth the visit. After spending five days in the Venetian and walking around to some of it's neighbors, the Venetian is quite impressive.

Some random ante-room on the way to the hotel suite tower. It looked like it could be some alternate check-in area. I loved it. I would love to see it as a swanky cocktails reception area.

The famed Grand Canal shopping area. Gondola rides are pricey, but it is free to watch and listen to the gondoliers sing. This is a picture of the turn around point at the end of the canals. 

The Waterfall between the Palazzo and the Grand Canal shops. This was the location of several of the free performances we watched.

Vegas abounds with shopping areas. The shopping around the Grand Canal is very tempting. Buying wouldn't coincide with our self-imposed challenge. However, window shopping is free. We stopped in several art galleries. I really liked the Venetian mask shop. There is a wide variety of high-end shopping for anyone with expensive tastes. 

  

LOVED this shop, Bauman Rare Books. They have an amazing display of rare books, documents, and signatures. A must-see for any bibliophile. At the time of our visit they had an exhibition of Revolutionary War documents. 

As we walked around the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square area, little shows took place in multiple locations. The following pictures are only a couple of the things we saw. There were living statues in several locations. A group of jugglers and singers gave a 30-minute performance on the Grand Canal Shoppes stage while we ate dinner at Mario Batali and Joe Bastianci's Otto Enoteca Pizzaria. They were followed by the trio. On the performance stage by the waterfall, the piano trio performance pictured below was just the first of several. They were followed by a performance of the Carnevale parade characters, followed by a marionette show. 

In the area called St. Mark's Square

The performance stage at the bottom of the waterfall. We watched from the balcony on the second floor.

The Venetian's website says this is their second annual Carnevale celebration. It is fun. I have been to the Venetian previously, and the Carnevale atmosphere does add to the whole experience. At check in Carnevale characters are walking around greeting customers and pointing the way to check-in. An accordion players performs by the fountain. The added shows with the celebration make free entertainment abundant.

My colleague with the Carnevale character that freaked her out. She didn't like the large looming head. 

This guy had a naval ship on his head. There were lots of different characters: spaghetti dinner headdress, fruit, flowers, a birdcage. 

Carnevale characters waiting around a corner for the parade to start. One guy spotted me taking a picture and waved.