Hello everyone,
I’m very sorry for the late blog entries. I’ve been thinking lately of a lot of good topics for this place, and I think I’ve finally come up with one. This one deals with my recent trip during my spring break. For those who have already read it, they absolutely love it. I’ve published it on facebook and myspace and I’ve gotten many positive things about it. I hope you all enjoy!
Note: This is directly from my facebook.
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I started typing this at 9:00pm. I was done with it at 9:50, decided to change the name and my computer DIED. So, this is me, re-writing the whole damn thing.
CAUTION: Read this ONLY if you have time. It’ll be long, trust me. I’ve written it once before. -_-
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So. my spring break consisted of going to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona, lots of places, but this is mainly about Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
I think I’ll start with Vegas.
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Vegas: You fly into Vegas at the McCarran airport and you look out your window expecting to see a glorious city. Well, you look out, and it’s extremely ugly in the daytime. You can actually SEE the pollution in the air! Vegas is only nice at night because that’s what it’s known for: night club, night life, and gambling.
For the teenager wanting to go to Vegas thinking that he/she can do LOADS of things, you’re wrong. SO wrong. There’s not much for you to do except shop and watch shows. You can’t do the gambling, or go to bars and drink, or do anything until you’re 21. If you’re 18 and you’re a male, you can call some prostitute over to your hotel. She’ll be there in 20 minutes! You’re walkin’ on the street and you see all these ugly, fat men with tickets in their hands and shirts that read,
“GIRLS TO YOUR HOTEL IN 20 MINUTES!”
Yes, prostitution is legal in Nevada. If you wanna join the bunny house, just walk on the streets alone and a pimp will come along, pick you up, and take you there to “train you” to become a sex kitten or something. You also have to make sure that with all your sexual partners, that you log them and make sure you’re “clean”. Yeah, makes the sluts look even better and makes it seem like they have an awesome job, huh? Pfft. I think that the men that choose do those things are just horny jackasses who never got laid to begin with.
Tip: make sure you always bring your own pillow case, cause you never know what might’ve gone on! My aunt’s friend found a used condom under her pillow. Show’s you how well the cleaner’s clean up, huh?
The night-life of Vegas is WONDERFUL though! It’s absolutely beautiful at night. There’s lots of lights (I bet Home Depot or some place that sells light bulbs out there get rich) and shows and many things to do, but you still can’t do stuff legally unless you’re 21. Some free things to do are watch the Water Shows of the Bellagio which are MAGNIFICENT! There’s a new show every 30 minutes to a new song. There’s never a show repeated, and to think, a computer does this. Show’s how advanced the technology is! It’s a compliment, believe me. I got to see “My Heart Will Go On” and it was beautiful. It’s one of my favorites, so with it being one of the ones I saw, I was extremely happy! Another free show is, “The Sirens of T.I.” (Treasure Island). If you’re into sluts walking around a ship with nothing but booty shorts and bras and fake boobs falling out of them, then this is the show for you! It’s extremely kareoke and not worth watching. I was at the Palazzo thinking it’d be something super cool, but it’s just a show with pole dancers and EXTREMELY attractive men…heh heh heh. But, you didn’t see many women watching the show. It’s all guys down there watching the girls shake there asses and such. Another attraction, if you’re into light shows, is The Fremont Experience on Fremont Street which is awesome. It’s on the north side of the Vegas Strip but it’s considered “downtown.” There are some strange people down there and some crazy drunk old guys, so watch out! I wasn’t able to go in and see a light show (which is at the top of every hour, starting at 8 o’clock). We just passed by it. My aunt went there I think this past summer or something, and she showed me a video of it. It’s pretty intense! 500 yards of lights is INSANE.
If you’re into shows with require that green stuff called “money”, then I HIGHLY recommend Cirque du Soleil shows, Blue Man Group, Stomp, anything really! Just make sure that you go with a family with a child that is either over the age of 5, 6, or 12, cause those were the most common child restrictions. I saw the “Mystere - Cirque du Soleil” and it was ABSOLUTELY amazing. It was pretty much the only show that my baby sister Ava was able to go see, and hell. I’m glad! I will say it again - IT WAS AWESOME! When you buy your tickets, make sure you buy them THROUGH THE HOTEL IT’S SHOWING AT and not through vegas.com. They will rip you off, but you might get a better seat. I dunno. It varies. The two best Cirque shows are “LOVE - Beatles” showing at The Mirage, and “O” showing at the Bellagio. Blue Man Group is shown at The Venetian, and I forget where Stomp is. The Cirque show “Zumanity - The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil” has a restriction of 18 years, so not even I could go see it! But, I don’t really think that people who are painted naked running around a stage is my kind of thing. But hey, if it’s yours, go right ahead. It’s being shown at New York - New York.
Now, the hotels on the strip run very high, especially the high end hotels like the Palazzo, Mirage, Venetian, Bellagio, etc. Places like Treasure Island, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, or Bally’s are nice for those who want to spend about $130 a room compared to $300+ plus…just make sure you book AHEAD of time, instead of the day before.
Anyways, for those who aren’t old enough to gamble or you don’t like to, etc, you can always go shopping at the Miracle Mile shops, literally a mile long, or the Forum Shops of the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace. Yeah…if you’re willing to spend about $400+ on a purse, go there. ha. Anyways, the Miracle Mile shops are REALLY nice and there’s a great selection of things. Outside on the strip a little ways up from the MGM Grand is M&M World and Coca-Cola world, both awesome places to go.
My view of Vegas: It’s better when you’re 21. You can really experience Vegas to it’s potential instead of just going underage. You’re restricted to things so it’s not much fun, especially if you get “the fever of gambling.” I already have my 21st birthday planned.
I’m going to Vegas.
I’m gambling.
I’m going clubbing.
I’m going to see shows.
And I’m staying in a nice hotel.
Of course, this all requires that green stuff that grows on trees…
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Grand Canyon: Well, to start off, it’s a big hole in the ground. Once you’ve seen it, and been there from noon to 8 o’clock at night, it all ends up looking the same, no matter what point of view you have. Of course it’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it all just looks…the…same! It’s better looking at sunset cause it’s better for photography. Better contrast.
So, the canyon looks like a rectangle. It’s about 10 miles across if you’re looking from either the north rim to the south rim or vice versa, and then it’s about 120 miles wide. It’s HUGE. It’s also almost a mile deep, reaching 5,000ft. Not 500. There’s another 0 with a comma. I’m dead serious.
You’re also dead if you fall over the edge. If you fall, you die. No joke. Just be careful and don’t walk on loose rocks.
There’s lots of things to do at the grand canyon though, but make sure your camera is fully charged if you plan on taking lots of pictures like me! If you go into the park, you can either go right to the east view or straight, taking you to the visitor’s center and hotels in the park. When you go to the visitor’s center, you can get on a nice little shuttle bus (blue line) and it takes you throughout the hotels and such. The last stop is at Bright Angel lodge, which is also the stop for most of the hotels, and obviously, Bright Angel. It’s a GREAT place to stop because they have GIFT SHOPS and a trail that leads down into the canyon. It’s long though, so if you have time to kill, take it. The cute little mules take the trail as well. Anyways, at this same stop, Bright Angel, is another shuttle bus called Hermit’s Peak or something like that. It’s the red line, and it’s absolutely beautiful. It takes you up to Hermit’s Rest which has a WONDERFUL view of the canyon. Plus, a GREAT gift shop where I bought most of my stuff. They even sold Native American Flutes! There’s restrooms and such which were actually pretty decent. Anyways, on the red line, there’s a stop called Mohave (Mojave if you’re from California) Point and it has the BEST view of the Colorado River, the river that snakes it’s way through the canyon. It’s great to go to at sunset because you’ll get amazing photos, so go there. BUT.
The red line is closing in may, so I’m lucky to be one of the last, I guess, to go on it. The reason is because the roads have become awful and too narrow for the buses to travel on. Construction will be going on to make the roads wider and smoother and safer. So, in the long run, it’s good. =)
ANYWAYS, back at the starting point. Instead of going straight to the vistor’s center, you could have also taken a right and gone to the east side of the canyon called, “East Side of Grand Canyon.” Yeah, I know. What a CLEVER name. There’s a stop there called “Grand View Point” and boy, is it grand. It’s literally the best view you have of the canyon. It’s where I was and took my picture on my rock. If you go off the beaten path, just be careful. There are NO guard rails, so if you stand on a rock and look over the edge like I did, don’t fall. Cause you will die.
Some things to NOT do at the “Grand” Canyon:
1) Don’t stay at a hotel that’s 7 miles away from it. They suck and they’re expensive for no reason what-so-ever. Stay at a place that’s on the rim of the Canyon like Bright Angel Lodge. It’s nice.
2) Don’t go there with annoying people. It’ll ruin your trip. Trust me.
3) Don’t go there without sunscreen! You will get sunburned if you burn easily.
4) Don’t eat ANYWHERE in the town 7 miles away from the canyon. They all suck.
Some things to DEFINITELY do at the “Grand” Canyon:
1) Stay at a lodge that’s on the rim, like I’ve already stated.
2) Take a helicopter ride from Papillon Helicopters which are located in that awful town 7 miles away. It’s cool though, and it doesn’t suck. Make sure you reserve ahead of time though if you want to have a good view of it. Anything is good though! I REALLY wanted to do the Havasupai Falls ride, but it’s $499 per person…so. If you go there with your significant other, it’ll really set the mood for a good night of good sex. Ha.
3) Go to the Skywalk, a glass bridge where you look down and you’re looking into the canyon itself! It’s $75.00 per person to walk it. Do it if you want to. I was unable to do so because we couldn’t find it…haha.
4) TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES.
5) They have the best gift shops around, and everything’s cheap, so go nuts.
Questions:
1) Would I ever go back there?
Yes, I would. I definitely would, but only if I was by myself or with my own family in the future.
2) What’s it like?
Like looking at a huge hole in the ground! hahaha. It’s beautiful really, but don’t spend all day looking at it, cause trust me. You’ll get bored.
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So, that’s my note. I hope you enjoyed it.
Overall, my trip sucked, but that’s because I was annoyed the entire time. Oh well. I got some awesome shots though.
-Olivia
Add comment March 31st, 2008