Wednesday, September 27, 2000
Ouch! I am definitely feeling the trip. I woke up at about 10am and had absolutely no interest in changing hotels again. It's rough to keep moving like this, especially when you want to sleep in and check out is in less than an hour. (GROAN!)
Got up and packed quickly. I had the bell desk come and get my bag again and I headed downstairs. On my way down, I stopped again on the 6th floor to check out the pool area. I followed a couple down the hall and when they tried the doors I had, they were locked. I could swear that I heard the pool was open, so I was surprised to see the door locked. We headed down another hallway to another door and that one was open.
We entered a lobby area with soda machines and a few chairs. One of the chairs contained a security guard, but he didn't ask for room keys or anything. Walking through another set of doors, I was outside, 6 floors above the Las Vegas Strip. There is a huge patio area with a Bar and Grill directly ahead, overlooking the Strip. To the left and right sides of the patio are raised areas. They are home to identical pool areas. They are exactly the same, mirror images of each other. The pool area to the right was undergoing some construction and jackhammering, but the one to the left was open for business.
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I didn't find the pool area to be very remarkable. Now maybe this is because the area is still under construction, but I don't think so. The pools are raised because they are on the 6th floor and they need to do something to get it above "roof level". There is a narrow deck area around the pool where people have put lounge chairs for sunning and sitting. There are cabanas for rent as at a number of other hotels, but because of the narrow deck, the cabanas are crammed into the corners and are literally inches away from the pools and from the other chairs. I would not feel comfortable sitting around this pool as everyone seems to be sitting on top of everyone else. I would much rather sun on the deck between the pools where there is more room. I look forward to going back up to check out the pool area once the construction is finished and the Bar and Grill is fully opened. It has potential for being a decent outdoor area, but I wasn't totally impressed with what I saw. You can see the pictures and judge for yourself.
Leaving the pool area, I headed to the valet. I stopped in the gift shop to buy a t-shirt for Dan.
The valet was a little slow, but I had a wonderful conversation with the bellman. He is an aspiring journalist and we talked a little about travel writing and John L. Smith. Driving away I realized I hadn't gotten his name. If you're reading this, I want to thank you and your fellow employees at Aladdin. I truly enjoyed my stay there. While the hotel isn't spectacular in the shadow of Venetian and Bellagio, I have to say that I haven't ever been treated as well by employees of any hotel/casino in Las Vegas. Everyone I came in contact with was courteous, helpful and friendly. I plan to write a long letter to the hotel manager letting them know how happy I was with my stay in their hotel.
Anyway, down the strip a couple of blocks, dodge a few jaywalking tourists
and I was pulling into the Valet at Treasure Island. I have not stayed here
since October of 1995. This was before the remodel although we came into the
hotel one time shortly after they started to move the check in desk. 
I went into the registration lobby, which was lovely. I really like the gold and beige tones in this hotel. It feels so elegant. What I don't like is the fact that they don't have any area roped off for lining up at the check-in. There's no indication to form one line, form several lines, form one line for each station or anything. What ends up happening is that people mill around wondering when they should go. One woman muttered a nasty name about me when I stepped up to the counter although I had been waiting longer than she had.
At the desk, Daniel was kind enough to help me get a room on a high floor in the South wing that faced down the strip. I really wanted one of those rooms at the end of the hall like we had last time, but he'd given them all away already. I ended up with a room on the 28th floor - #28024. The room overlooks the pool, the Mirage and down the South Strip. Gorgeous view! Just what I wanted.
Entering the door, I found the room was done all in gold tones. Immediately to my left was the bathroom with a large counter, lighted makeup mirror and hair dryer. The bathtub, while not nearly as nice as the Aladdin, looked comfortable for soaking. Next to the bathroom door is a closet with a safe, but no ironing board.
Beyond that is an armoire that houses a television set. Next to that is a small table with a lamp and two comfortable chairs. Opposite the table and armoire are two queen beds with a table/desk between them. On the desk is a phone with data port and a clock radio/alarm clock. This was my first room with a dual alarm on the clock. At first I sort of snickered about it, but the more I considered it, the more sense it made to me.
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Some of the rooms at Treasure Island are equipped with high speed Internet like at the Aladdin. There is a charge of $9.95 per 24-hour period. This room didn't happen to have the access, but if that is important to you, be sure to request it at check in.
My bags were quickly delivered and my mother surprised me with a call on my cell phone. She thought I would be heading up Interstate 5, but was mistaken. J
I headed down to the casino and signed up for their slot club. They still only award cashback for $0.50 and above. The woman at the slot club suspected that they would be converting in December like Mirage and Golden Nugget had.
I wandered over to the deli by the sportsbook and ordered a sandwich. The roast turkey on sourdough was wonderful. I don't know if I was just that hungry from not having had time for breakfast, or if it was really that good. I suspect the latter.
After my sandwich, I wandered out to the pool area. It was jam packed with people. I don't think the pool area is poor at Treasure Island as much as it is just too small for the volume of people who are trying to use it.
I played a little $1 video poker and proceeded down my losing streak. I couldn't hit anything! After giving it way too many chances for luck to change, I headed back upstairs.
I really felt the need for a nap, but wasn't able to sleep. The Vegas pace was really getting to me but I felt too awake to deal with it. I decided to go to the only non-hotel must-see attraction of this trip, the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.
I headed down the Strip through relatively light traffic. I got to Mandalay Bay in just a few minutes. The valet was jammed and they asked me to wait about 10 minutes. I suggested they move the cones and I could go park at the other valet. They said that it would be just a minute or two, but it ended up being closer to the original 10-minute estimate.
I went into the casino and consulted the map. Unfortunately, the back valet and self-parking garage was closer to the Shark Reef. If you go, be sure that you go around to the back and use that parking valet. It will save you the mile long trek through the casino.
I made the big hike through the casino, past the restaurants, past the windows overlooking the pool area, past the Border Grill and around the Event Center and Conference rooms. Finally I arrived at the Shark Reef area. I paid $12.95 for an adult ticket. Upon entering I was given one of those wand guide things that are so popular here in Vegas. They are trying them out this week and offering them for free, but next week the admission will go up to $13.95 for adults (slight discount for Nevada residents) and will include the wand. The child admission price will be the same.
The first thing I noticed when I got inside was the heat and humidity. They keep it warm and humid in there because the animals like it. I was sort of thinking that I paid $13 and the alligators didn't have to pay anything, so it should be cooler in there for ME! :-) The heat is really noticable the first 10 or 15 minutes you're in there, especially if you spend some time in the first section with the reptiles. That is where the steam is the worst and it's not terribly uncomfortable, just a lot different from the dry and air conditioned environment you've spent the last several minutes in on your way to the exhibit. Once you get further into the Shark Reef and go underwater, things cool down a bit.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. You walk down into the rainforest to find some alligators and monitor lizards. There are some tanks of koi and other fish in the area that are gorgeous along with some beautiful orchids. Around a few corners and you're face to face with your first sharks. Literally! I'm no expert on sharks, but they looked like small hammerheads to me. Check out the video and correct me if I'm wrong.
The sharks get bigger as you get deeper into the exhibit. Besides the sharks, there are a number of other types of creatures including rays, koi, coral, crabs, anemones, etc. There are tv screens on the walls that help you to identify what's there, but the real information is on the wand thing they give you. Just dial in the number on the wall next to the exhibit and you'll find out tons of information. It's a great resource.
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I thought that they did a great job of "themeing" the exhibits. You will find a number of plants and statues and stonework inside and outside the tanks to blend it all together. A number of the areas are seamless, making you feel as though the water tanks are just an extension of the area in which you are standing. This is very convincing at the end of the exhibit where you will find one big room meant to look like a shipwreck. You are standing in the belly of the boat and the bow is in the tank. There are Plexiglas windows all around you and even in the floor. On the other side of the glass you will find the biggest sharks as well as other fish and a sea turtle.
Video of the Shark Reef - 4.8mb - 1 minute 56 seconds
The exhibit is working out its rough spots and the addition of the wands is very welcome. I don't think you could have gotten enough information about the exhibits by just looking at the TV monitors. The hilight of the exhibit in my opinion is the touch tank. There you can handle sharks, rays and other creatures. It's quite amazing. The exhibit has been created and is maintained with the cooperation of the Vancouver Aquarium Science Centre in Vancouver. They are well known for their conservation efforts and attention to the creatures in their aquarium. I think that this is going to be a wonderful resource for Las Vegas as they get the attraction up to speed and running smoothly.
I absolutely love the advertising billboards around town for the exhibit. There are huge billboards with the giant seven gill shark on it looking very menacing. Some of the buzzlines are "This place bites!" or "Psst. Yeah, you with the fanny pack. Step a little closer." I've got more information with the specifics about the exhibit from their initial press release here. Or you can look for more information on the Mandalay Bay Website here.
Leaving the Shark Reef, I took a few minutes to sit in the air conditioning and stop sweating. I played a little Top Hat blackjack and began the long walk back to my car at the valet in the front of the hotel.
Leaving Mandalay Bay I remembered that I had promised that I'd stop at Monte Carlo and get Dan a t-shirt from the brewpub. I also picked up a six pack of bottles of their microbrews. I hope that will make him happier. He's sorry that he's missing this trip and maybe this will bring a little bit of it home for him. The six pack of bottles is $9. Not a bad price, IMO.
Left Monte Carlo and headed down the strip in heavy traffic back to Treasure Island. It was already 6pm when I got there and 6:30 by the time I wandered back up to the room. I looked out the window again at that fabulous view! I shot some video of it and noticed that in addition to the view of the volcano, I also got a pretty good look at the Bellagio Fountains from my room. It's not the same without the music, but I still got quite excited to be able to see them as part of my view. After spending a little too much time looking out the window, I did some writing and by then it was time for dinner.
Video of the sunset view from Treasure Island - 2.1mb - 51 seconds
Video of the pool at Treasure Island - 1.2 mb - 28 seconds
Video of the Bellagio Fountains from Treasure Island - 1.2 mb - 27 seconds
I ordered some Chicken Parmesan for dinner from room service. It arrived quickly and hit the spot. When I ordered, I was thinking that I wasn't very hungry, but when the food was in front of me, it disappeared rather quickly.
After dinner and some TV I headed back down for my last run outside. I walked over to the Mirage to see the volcano. I had watched and taped it from my room, but I had wanted video of it for the website for a while.
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Video of the Mirage volcano from Treasure Island - 0.9mb - 21 seconds
I headed out of the casino through the registration lobby and down to the street. Right there on the corner between Mirage and Treasure Island, at the stoplight, there was some construction. I couldn't figure out what it was until I looked across the street and saw similar posts near the Venetian. It's the new pedestrian overpass going up there. It's much needed as I saw a number of people jaywalking and nearly being run over by traffic.
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I wandered over to the waterfalls in front of Mirage and made myself comfortable. The volcano show started a few minutes later. It was as good as ever. Although I've seen it a number of times, I still enjoy it. I love the blast of heat from the big explosions.
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I decided to hang around and take some still photos just for fun. While I was waiting, a couple of Asian men walked up and were chatting. One of them indicated that he wanted to take a picture with me. I tried to get them to let me take a picture of them together, but the one guy insisted in VERY broken English. I figured that I would cause less of a scene by just going along with it. I took a picture with him in front of Mirage and he thanked me and was on his way. I was extremely embarrassed and still can't figure out why he wanted his picture taken with me. Maybe because I was by myself. Maybe because he's been to my website and I'm a celebrity (ha ha!) or maybe 30-something, graying haired, overweight women are all the rage in Japan this year. :-)
Video of the Mirage Volcano - 1.8mb - 44 seconds
After the second volcano blast, I headed over to the moving walkway that takes you into the Mirage casino by the white tigers. I noticed something I've been meaning to ask on the message boards. Does anyone else think that the new façade at Harrah's is extremely creepy? I can't even look at it in the daytime, at night the glowing eyes make it look like some of the extra footage from the Exorcist movie. (shudder)
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I stopped briefly to watch the white tiger pace around his palace. The tiger they had in there seemed to have a nasty injury of some sort on his leg. There were quite a few people standing around watching. More than I expected to see.
I headed through the casino and thought about gaming, but I was tired and cranky. I just wanted to go back to the room and go to bed or watch TV. The switching hotels had been hard on me and I was feeling ready to go home. I hadn't done well in the casino for the last couple of days and didn't want to gamble anymore so I'd have the toll for the bridge on the way home. :-)
I went to the store and bought the live version of the Mystere soundtrack along with some souviners for my niece and nephew. They have a costume box at home and I loved the opportunity to buy some pirate stuff to add to their collection. At about 11:15 I got back to the room and called it a night. I sat at the table and watched traffic on the strip for about 30 minutes and then headed to bed. I'd have a long drive the next day.
