Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

We went over to the Mandalay Bay just to visit the shark reef.  

First we watched this Comodo dragon.  

The photo I have of the Green Sawfish is not great as it was too dark but it was really cool seeing the snout that had "teeth" like a saw.

The rays were very colorful and the patterns so interesting.

The jellies!  So many different kinds.  I like watching them "swim."

We were allowed to put a finger in the water and touch the rays on their backs.  That's nothing compared to being able to swim with them and having them swim past your legs.

This critter was the most amazing thing to me.  Part ray, part shark!

It didn't even look real to me. 

There was a guard by the piranha tank as people are not smart and actually put their hands in the water.  

The last thing was walking through a tunnel where the fish and sharks could swim over the top of you.  It was good seeing that Shark/ray's underside.

Once we left that part of the shark reef, we made our way to the theatre.  This backdrop was available to take a photo.  Little Henry loves this picture.  

In the theatre we did a virtual reality show about humpback whales.  It made me a little dizzy at first so I closed my eyes for a moment and then got my bearings.  It was a short film but so interesting and fun.

 

The Venetian

The Venetian is where we walked through to get to the wax museum.  We took our time strolling back through it.  So many shops and people trying to get you to try/buy their wares.

This is where you could pay to ride on the gondola.  See that line of people?  I wasn't waiting and didn't want to spend that kind of money to do it either.  Perhaps in Venice, but not here. 

I found Batman and Catwoman looking down on us.

This is the ceiling inside the Venetian.  It looks so real!  You can see the Batman and Catwoman in the background.  We stopped and listened to some live music and ate expensive ice cream.  Every one of these hotels has a theme and they go all out to make it look like the original place.

 

The Australian BeeGees

We've seen two BeeGee tribute bands here in Wisconsin.  This group was from down under.  They were really good.  The men who were Robin and Maurice looked like the real brothers.  

The guy who was Barry sang just like him but I couldn't get past that frizzy hair.  He needs a curling iron or perhaps a flat iron to make it calmer and look better.

Still, they were really good and with our front row seats we sure were up close and personal.

 

Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum

We went out on a rainy morning to visit Madam Tussaud's wax museum.  This is Madam Tussaud.

I don't believe I could do a wax mold of myself.  I wouldn't like to breathe through straws up my nose while my face was covered in whatever it is that is used to make the mold.  We did see some memorable "people."

Who doesn't love Louie Armstrong?  What a wonderful world!

The reason we chose Vegas to celebrate our anniversary is because I wanted to see Donny Osmond in concert.  We didn't get to do that as he was on hiatus and we came a week too soon.  But I got to see he and Marie in wax!  

What's a visit to Vegas without seeing Wayne Newton?

The Great Bambino!  Babe Ruth.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

I'm not sure I love this Elvis.  He seems too waxy.  I feel the same way about Marie.

Blue Man Group was another show I wanted to see but couldn't talk my husband into.  I guess this will have to do until I can talk him into it.

Evil Knevel and his bike.  I'll take the guy on the bike!

George Clooney welcomed us into the wedding chapel since Elvis is dead.

The Rat Pack!

We were able to visit the 4D theatre with a show featuring the marvel super heroes.  

Hulk sure looks menacing and I'm glad he's not mad at me!

Here's how we were welcomed into the theatre area of the museum.  It was a fun movie since we got poked in the back and felt water when appropriate and some weird kind of things on my legs.  It was a good time.  I enjoyed it and thought the Gourley kids would really like this a lot!

Fremont Street

Fremont street is the where the original Vegas Strip was located.  There’s still gambling available of course.  There is a HUGE canopy screen overhead that is filled with LED lights and there are a lot of different scenes that play on this screen.  We saw geese flying as well as waves washing ashore and many other scenes.

We did see this place to eat.  I certainly didn’t want to have or give another heart attack to my husband.  Apparently you weigh yourself prior to eating and again after.  There must be a lot of food.

We were there on MLK day so there was a parade going by and we had to wait to cross back over the street.  So many people and a very long parade.  

We stopped in a few shops and bought some things.  There are such diverse people there.  Some working and others shopping and touring like us and then there is the homeless guy searching for cigarette butts.

The Carpenters Tribute

The first show we saw was the Carpenters Legacy.  It truly was a re-creation of their 76 UK tour.  

These two people have honed their craft in music beautifully in order to act, sound and dress and look like the Richard and Karen Carpenter.

Her voice was very similar in the lower ranges.  As she went higher it was not as velvety but she was amazing at any rate.  He was stellar at the piano!

After the show we were able to meet them and I told him I play the piano but he was outstanding!  He said it was really hard to learn to do at twice the age that Richard Carpenter learned.  It was in a very small theatre with maybe 35 people there.  Small, intimate and really good.  I love the Carpenter music so this was a real treat.

 

The Palms

Last week we spent parts of five days in Las Vegas to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.  Neither one of us has ever been there so I thought, why not?

We stayed at the Palms Casino and Resort.  We had a lovely room on the 11th floor. We didn't touch the snacks or fridge which were both stocked with an assortment of drinks and snacks.  When checking in our clerk told us that those spaces are weighted and we would be wise not to touch anything we weren't planning on purchasing.  

To get to our room or out the front door, we had to walk through the casino.  It's huge and there is no direct path.  I'm sure it is meant to be that way.  On our second day there, we walked through the place in the morning.  The shear number of ways to gamble and lose your money is astounding!

A McDonald's on site was way pricier than normal.  More like when you're in the airport and have to pay huge prices.  We didn't eat there.  We did have their breakfast buffet on Thursday morning before checking out.  Delicious!  Everything from breakfast food to a full salad bar and Chinese food and a dessert bar.  Everything was very good and we paid a good price to eat there.  A wonderful trip with time spent together.  It was priceless!