Greetings from Las Vegas. This is Day 1-and-a-fraction of our trip report, covering Monday and Tuesday, October 11 and 12, 1999
I wish I could dispose of the first few hours of our trip by simply saying that we had a smooth flight from Boston, arrived as scheduled, and proceeded into our planned itinerary.
But sorry, no can do! Assuming that the Columbus Day holiday would allow an easy 30-mile drive into Boston for our early evening flight, we were unprepared for the massive traffic jam we encountered not far from the tunnel leading to the airport. After much anxiety, our day was saved when we boarded the America West plane just a couple of minutes before its scheduled 5:45 p.m. departure.
Every flyer knows that scheduled takeoff and actual takeoff are often mutually exclusive terms, especially with America West, which has lately been recording the worst on-time record in the industry. So we were disappointed but not surprised when, with our seat belts fastened and the aircraft about to take off on time, the captain told us there would be a short delay while a minor mechanical problem was fixed.
The "short" delay was soon a two-hour delay. At the end of the two hours, we were told to gather up our carry-ons and prepare to exit the plane for an overnight stay in a Boston hotel until another plane could fly us out in the morning. We were actually standing in the aisle, removing our stuff from the overhead bins, when we were told the problem was fixed and we were ready to depart.
Compared to the uncertainty of the delay, the flight itself was excellent. The crew did the right thing for the passengers, all of whom had been very well behaved during the delay. Headsets for the in-flight movie were free, as was the first alcoholic drink for coach passengers. We dined less-than-elegantly on ham-and-cheese sandwiches, apples and potato chips, but it worked as an appetite killer. The movie, "Notting Hill," was a pleasant piece of fluff with some funny moments but otherwise seemed to me like an acting exercise with Julia Roberts playing Julia Roberts, and Hugh Grant doing yet another annoying turn as the tentative, bumbling, slow-talking Englishman.
A plane filled mostly with New Englanders was bound to have many Red Sox fans aboard as we flew west while the Sox and Cleveland Indians were playing the fifth and final game of their playoff series. When we boarded the plane, I asked the captain if he could obtain periodic game scores for us, which he was kind enough to do. So I was more than a little happy to know by the time we arrived in Phoenix that the Sox had prevailed, 12-8, and were moving on to meet the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
A flight attendant told us we might not get to Phoenix in time to connect with the evening's last flight to Las Vegas. If we missed that flight, we'd have trouble making the Shade Tree groundbreaking ceremony the next morning. But we made that 11:00 p.m. connector with a few minutes to spare, and before long we had collected our Avis rental car (Olds Alero) and were on our way to Sun City Anthem in Henderson, the Del Webb seniors community where we will be living for the first week of our stay.
For a fee of $75 a day, we're staying in a Sun City "Vacation Villa."
Any couple can have this experience if at least one is 55 or older, with no
requirement that you be an actual Sun City customer. Here's what your money
gets you: A 1,300-square-foot house, fully equipped with almost everything you
could think of. The villa has its own local phone number, and all local calls
are free, which certainly helps if you are going online a lot. The full kitchen
includes a gas range and microwave, dinnerware and cooking utensils, etc. There's
a dining area and a cozy living room with a 41-inch TV and full cable, as well
as a VCR. There are two bathrooms, one with double vanity, and a lovely master
bedroom with a 27-inch TV and VCR. There's a back patio, overlooking a golf
course, with lounge chairs and a table. The laundry room has a
full-sized washer and dryer and is stocked with detergent. As in a hotel, soap
and plenty of towels are supplied. Other items include ironing board and iron,
as well as a hair dryer. There's a two-car garage with garage-door opener, and
we have the use of a golf cart to drive around the development. And, last but
not least, a complimentary copy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is left on the
doorstep each morning.
The villas also have a second bedroom which can house another couple for an additional $75 a day, but this bedroom is kept locked when only two are in residence as we are. Also, when folks are here for the maximum one-week stay as we are, a crew comes in on the fourth day to do a complete house cleaning, change the linens, etc., at no extra charge.
A welcome center at the end of the street serves as a gathering point for villa occupants. This building is used for check-in and departure, and each morning there is a continental breakfast there, offering juices, tea, coffee, bagels and cream cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, etc. It provides a nice opportunity to meet other villa guests and compare notes. Sun City sales reps take turns hosting these breakfasts, but they are there mainly to answer questions, and there is absolutely no overt selling effort. Each Wednesday and Friday, there's a 90-minute bus tour of Henderson. At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays there is a wine and cheese reception, and on Thursdays it's pizza and beer.
After a few hours of sleep, it was time to attend the 9:30 a.m.
groundbreaking for Shade Tree Shelter's new $6 million facility. On the way
over, we stopped at the Barbary Coast to pick up Paula Litton, an online friend
from Ohio who wanted to join us for the event. Paula's work exposes her to many
of the situations Shade Tree addresses, so she thus had her special reason to
attend.
The ceremony was wonderful. We got to meet and chat with a number of prominent Shade Tree supporters, including Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates, and the Nevada head of Perini Construction, which is building the new shelter. I also met KLAS-TV (Channel 8) news anchor Paula Francis, a Shade Tree board member I watch most evenings on the station's webcast, as well as the station's weather forecaster, Kevin Janison, whose wife sits on Shade Tree's Board.
Shade Tree Executive Director Brenda Dizon generously mentioned our Internet fund-raising activities in her remarks to the crowd of about 100 people; I hope each and every reader who has ever purchased a Las Vegas Online lapel pin or Las Vegas calendar will take pride in knowing they have played a part in the effort.
Before leaving, I presented Shade Tree with a check for $350.00, representing profits from the sale of lapel pins since our April visit.
And thank YOU, Paula Litton, for the extra generosity you showed on this day. It was a delight to meet you.
After the groundbreaking, Roz and I went to lunch with our friend Debbie De Souza, who is Director of Community Resources for Shade Tree, and her boyfriend. We ate at the new Sweet Tomatoes restaurant in Henderson. Sweet Tomatoes is a superb soup-and-salad, all-you-can-eat place, with many creative and healthy salad items as well as a number of pasta entrees, pizza, breads, etc., etc. I won't list the items in detail, because I did so in our April 1999 trip report. If anyone wants the complete list, just ask.
Following lunch, Debbie and her friend returned with us to Anthem, where we showed them the villa we are living in and took them on a tour through the model of the home we are planning to build. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon back at our villa, reviewing home options and going over some of the Anthem sales materials. Buying a new home is an exciting event, but there is pressure to attend to as many details as possible because of the limited time we have as visitors to do so.
In the evening we drove over to Joe's Crab Shack on Sunset in Henderson, a place
we've wanted to try for a while. This is a fun place, and a great restaurant
for the entire family. The atmosphere is decidedly retro, with lots of peace
symbols and other icons of the 60s and 70s hanging from every available space
on walls and ceilings. Most of the staff wear tie-dyed shirts with Crab-Shack
slogans, golden oldies blare over the high-decibel sound system, and the servers
frequently break out in song, snake-dancing through the restaurant and challenging
diners to sing the lyrics of the songs that are being played.
The food at Joe's Crab Shack is pretty decent, too. Lots of great seafood dishes at moderate prices. Rosalyn had a mixed grill consisting of salmon, mahi-mahi and tuna. My selection was a pair of fried soft-shell crabs, served with parsley potatoes, a small ear of corn, and cole slaw. Total price with beverages and tip was $35.
Still exhausted from our trip, we returned to the vacation villa, made a few calls to local friends, and brought our first full day of the visit to a conclusion.
--Best from David …in Las Vegas
