Photo TR: Las Vegas Attractions & Halloween...

Being as this could possibly be the last trip report from me for a while, I thought I'd give you all a little treat. After leaving Cali on 2010 Oct 27, I flew over to Vegas to attend a few events, take in the sites, and visit a few coasters.

Contained in this report (eventually) is:

Las Vegas Culture - Uploaded 11.3.10

NYNY: Roller Coaster Uploaded 11.3.10

Ethel Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden Uploaded 11.3.10

Cirque du Soleil's Viva Elivs and Msytere show revue's Uploaded 11.4.10

Circus Circus FrightDome Uploaded 11.3.10

Speed: The Ride Uploaded 11.4.10

Bonus Credit Uploaded 11.4.10

Freemont Street Flightline Uploaded 11.11.10

Halloween Video Uploaded 11.11.10 - Includes Domo!

Bonus Material Uploaded 11.11.10

Please note, if you are possibly offended with pictures of Las Vegas culture, you might want to turn back and visit the park index instead

So here we start with a little refresh of what happens in Vegas, some pictures will speak for themselves, no captions needed.

Welcome to Vegas, specifically, the Miracle Mile Shops @ Planet Hollywood

here we have free pamplets being handed out with the promise of something arriving to your hotel room in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered.

The unemployment rate in Vegas is now 15%, as a result, many people have returned to dressing up as famous people for tips. Here we have one of a thousand people dressed up like elvis.

This is one of the most brilliant ideas that casino's came up with, ladies danicing in the blackjack pit's. Why you ask? When asked, "would you like to hit that?" by the dealer, you best be sure your answer is relavant to the cards on the table, or you could go home broke.

An ACE paradise.

Creepy.

hmmmm...

ahhhh yes, staying hydrated while playing the slots is extremely important, afterall, we are in the desert!

quality shows

double advertising is very effective.

you have a dirty dirty mind, we are talking about the spa here people!

vegas has a store for everyone.

you get to guess what it is, hint: it's art.

it's pronounced areola, serious, no joke.

people will do anything for money

some people take the short bus to the casino.

other people hang out with pedo bear

and wrapping out the cultural aspect of the trip we have none other than gene simmons.

So, for the first coaster, I decided to rough it out on NYNY's: Roller Coaster. Why? Because I wanted to waste 14 bucks on a very boring and not so smooth coaster. Rode in the front seat which felt like the engine cover was going to fall off. Loading was extremely slow. They were running two trains, but wouldn't let anyone on the waiting train, or, move it to the load area from unload until the train out and about was returning to the blocks. Odd. They also got really upset, seriously, at the mere thought of taking a picture of the station, it was an empty train for goodness sakes!! One guy was told to put his pocket sized camera in a locker (he had it out in plain view) and couldn't be placed in a zipper pocket on his person. I had mine safely put away and after the ride figured I try to snap a picture, nope, they made me delete the picture. Why, who knows. First I've ever encountered this sort of policy. And this for a ride who's idea of an "on ride" photo is taking a picture of you before you leave the station by a person walking around with their walmart camera. Anyway, here is what I can show you.

BTW: as it's been said many times, only ride it if you need the credit, otherwise, it's a rip-off.

the part of the coaster I can show you.

you this place before going to the arcade which leads to the ride, complete with cedar fair pricing.

sure.

sadly, we will not be riding this today

they even give you a floor map to follow

not even close

this is the point where if you have a camera, you best hide it, or pay for a locker, or hand to a non-rider

so weeeee, off we went, this ride lacks speed, it almost felt like after the loop the top speed was 25 mph. It's still a popular ride for some reason, and they are making a killing off if it. It is also in some serious need of a paint job. As a matter of fact, I don't recall this ride ever being repainted after it's install. For the money they charge for it, you'd think they want to make it sparkle, instead, it kinda drags down the overall appearance of an otherwise kick butt property. One note tho, they opted out of any haunted halloween bridge this year. As I recall, last year's haunted attraction on the bridge didn't fair so well.

Next up, we visit the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory, where they make their speciality chocolates and also host one the largest cactus gardens in captivity.

Welcome!

Inside, they have a hallway about 500 feet long where you can look through glass panels and watch the process.

the mixing room

this machine makes everlastinggobstoppers.

it also makes chocolate bars.

after the chocolate has cooled, it's ready to be popped out of it's mold. This is also the end of the line for the tour. At the end, you get a sample or two of chocolate before entering their gift shop which is also connected to a M&M store.

just outside, its the cactus garden.

Happy Hallochristmas! Each Christmas, they decorate their cactus with millions of lights.

millions.

he's happy to see you.

they were replacing sections of concrete walkways. It's nice to see a company take such good care of their free attraction.

so lets stop for a moment to get educated on various types of cacti

and our final cacti in the educational portion of our trip. The factory isn't too far off strip and will take you 45 minutes round trip. The factory isn't in production on the weekends but you can still walk through, all in all, it will take you no longer than 45 minutes to view everything indoors and outdoors including the two gift shops. If you never been to a chocolate factory it's neat to see. The cactus garden is best during Christmas (at night of course)

So on Thursday, October 28th, 2010, I made a visit to the Circus Circus Adventure aka Frightdome. This indoor amusement park features 25 rides and attractions, and, during the month of October is completely in the dark. They dim all of the lights on the rides not needed for safety reasons and let the party begin. I had a $5.00 coupon which would have made entry 29.95, they were also selling a VIP front of line pass to the haunts and mazes for 15.00. Luckily for me, someone recognized my TPR shirt and asked if I was alone. As per usual, I was. The good part, they had a "fifth wheel" that they were looking for someone to pair up with as they had a 2 for 1 entry coupon, so, that made the cost 17.50 each, thanks guys!

So, it was basically almost too dark to take quality pictures, but a managed a few. After entering the dome, you were greeted with a few chain saw carrying freaks chasing after you with fog filling the building. First stop was the hillbilly maze. This attraction was kinda crazy featuring toothless hillbillies and freaks jumping out after you, through walls, and made you feel like you were walking through a trailer home. The laundry portion feature dirty laundry hung from the ceiling that you had to walk though, I gave it a 6/10

Next was Saw, based on the movie and is clearly their signature attraction featuring pretty much recreated scenes from the movie. Wait time was about 90 minutes regular, with the line for VIP pass holders at roughly 45 minutes. At one point the lines for VIP pass holders appeared to be just as long as the regular line. Basically, they would let in one or two groups of VIP holders to one group of regular folks.

So, here are the pictures. If you are in the area during Halloween, the attraction is open Thursday to Sunday. I was told by workers that Friday's and Saturday's are stupid crazy and packed to the walls.

don't adjust your focus

this is where it gets dark, and the chain saws come out

told you it was dark

entrance to a haunt

this one had a 60 minute wait.

I did manage to get this shot of canyon blaster coming out of the second loop

nerd shot. This arrow was fairly smooth. It has two trains, but they were only running one train. Loading was freaking fast, ride time 1:30. And, get this, they encouraged and mandated that you take your phones and cameras WITH you on the ride.

you may not take lap children, smoke, eat, or drink while on this ride.

these people are ready to ride.

look! they've wrapped their trains! lol

and they're off.

nerd station shot

they even had thier splash boot ride thingy open, note, not an acceptable amount of wetness.

there's a swinging ship over there to the left somewhere, you can sortof see the lights, this place is freaky with no lights on!

bumper cars

drop tower with up and down drop

so they had a stage show with different performers every so often, they guy slept at a holiday inn express last night

he's playing the part of a magician, his wife is behind him

here, he puts on a chastity belt

and then tries to escape behind this karate kid shower curtain

then, with saw in hand, saws his wife in half. the end.

they had a party atmosphere going on

these virtual spheres are becomming popular, you basically get inside this american gladiator sphere with a gun and goggles, and run around shooting things. It's actually pretty cool and reasonably priced.

finally, we went to wait in line for the disco. They had additional baracades outside of the normal queue line to accomidate the crowds. I thought it would take forever, but is all reality, even at the beginning of the queue, was only a 5 cycle wait.

speaking of ride cycles, this thing was set on INSANE! It was worth a second and third ride before leaving. I only expereince three of the I believe 5 haunts/mazes due to the lines, I give them an average of 7/10

Thanks CC for an entertaining evening. Worth the trip if in town, just make sure to go on Thursday night

Ethel Merman's Chocolate Factory looks awesome.

I had just watched a Discovery program that featured the Frightdome which I had never heard of, so it is kind of ironic that you posted about it.

Or the time-share people still out in full force these days? At least, the card-slappers are enterntaining, those time-share guys were just annoying!

Larry: It's a neat see for sure, especially during the holiday season when they are creating their custom chocolates.

Eric: Yes, the timeshare folks are out worse than ever. I'm staying in the Flamingo (note that its rooms are in need of being refreshed, even the "new" "Go" rooms weren't very well constructed) in the tower nearest the buffet and they have a booth setup right off of the elevator bank. It gets annoying trying to dodge them every time you go up to or come down from your room. They are selling the Hilton Grand Vacations on property, but being the location that the booth is in, I find it border line harrassment.

Next up I bring to you Speed: The Ride. But first, I realized I needed to bring you a few more culture shots.

in my hotel, they have this in front of their gift shop, so naturally....

...I had to see what was underneath, and found Granny Panties!!

So now we head over to the Sahara Hotel and Casino, which just happened to be on Oct 25, 2010, and located in the NASCAR Cafe area for Speed. This ride features two LIM launch sections and was built by Premier.

They greet you with a custom painted vehicle.

here we go!

I was able to sneak a shot of the ride in, ok, I didn't sneak it in.

so you get launched out of the station and curve around here

and dart down this tunnel

which takes you in to the loop

which then launches you a second time

and zoom past the building

on your way up to the top of the tower, then, you get to do it all again in reverse.

Interesting notes about the ride. In years past you got two shots for one price. Now you get one shot for $10. The ride also only operates every 15 minutes. Not sure if that schedule changes on the weekends or with demand or not, as I didn't further inquire as the ride ops seemed annoyed I asked them why we were standing around. This policy also makes it odd for those purchasing an all day ride pass.

I really liked the two launch sections and the overall ride was really good. Smooth, no head banging, and for being the first time I was ever able to catch the ride in operation, I left feeling much more satisifed with this, than I did Roller Coaster @ NYNY

And finally, they also have some NASCAR momento's in around the Cafe area, here, someone clearly didn't abide by the sign (yes, before someone lets me know it happened in race and it wasn't sat on, I know)

So now for a little revue of two Cirque Shows.

October 19, 2010: Viva Elvis. This show is located in the new City Center Aria tower and features the life story of Elvis Presley. The show opens with a bang with a stage reminiscent of Mel's Diner on two levels with the band on the lower level and Cirque performers on the upper levels. They have a character playing Elvis' manager who gives background information on how Elvis' started signing in church and then had a hard time finding a record label. They sing and perform to the classic Elvis songs like "Return to Sender" and move through his movie career, military draft, marriage, and passing. The show integrates well live music and signing combined with overlays of Elvis' voice. The stage is nothing short of spectacular with the latest in see-thru screen technology, sound, and lighting. The performers use a giant guitar to crawl thru, the chair stackers have moved over from the Mystere show, and a trampoline act that's indescribable. The set uses extremely large pieces some featuring what appear to be 35 foot tall statues of Elvis. 4.5 of 5 stars

October 20, 2010: Mystere. This is the first Cirque show in vegas, and is still a great show. Feature again live bands, singers, and circus style performers this show is even great for the kids. This is the second time I've seen the show which opens with a clown taking people to wrong seats, spiling popcorn on guests, and generally setting the mode. Performers leap off of poles, perform high in the ceiling on trapezes, and has a scene with a half sphere that rotates in which two men, who have incredible body strength, use each other's bodies to lift one another in the air from the ground to a hand stand beginning using their claves and rotating around to a handstand. Some may think it looks a little gay, but trust me, anyone who has that kind of strength and can do it over and over again night after night, can't be worried about their sexuality, nothing short of amazing. As per usual, the trampoline act is great and the finale, well, you'll just have to check it out for yourself. 4 of 5 stars

These shows are a must see and are real bargins at tix4tonite locations. Hint: Stay way from vegas tickets, they are run by Wingate Resorts (timeshare) and way overcharge. Stick with the original.

Now we are ready for our Bonus Credit on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. I was in town for several events, one of which was an NHRA national meet at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The day was plagued with track oil downs and down time, and after being at the track for 8 hours, I was over it for the day and snuck out of the track..

hmmm, so why are we here?

is it for the go carts?

for these?

maybe the tornado?

or is it the slide?

nope, not at all, in fact, it's time to ride a dragon!

it cost one half of a ticket, or 3.25, but you had to buy a full ticket

the ride op and ticket sellers found it comical I would ride it, but, it counts! You got an incredible four trips around the track!!!! And, as an added bonus, it very well could've out ranked Roller Coaster @ NYNY, LMAO!!

Sadly, the other Bonus Credit no longer exists.

Wow, been a VERY busy three day work week at work (yes, ha ha, off Veteran's day and as a bonus, Friday as well) after my return from Cali and Vegas, hope to finsih up tonight.

Halloween video of the variety of costumes worn over Halloween weekend.

Special Attention at the 2:05 mark - DOMO!!! And at the end....Smurfs, very entertaining answering the age old question of how do smurfs....

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNegJRrn0xg

BTW: This is the first video I've ever uploaded to youtube so it's presented some first time challenges for me. I've created hundreds of videos for the corporate environment with my job duties, but this was certainly different trying to work within their guidelines and getting rejected several times...Live and learn, so go easy on me, I had literally 6 hours of footage to sift through and I didn't sprend a lot of time tweaking it.

I almost forgot, Flash Pass for the Buffet!!!

So next on my extended vacation of coasters and more was a trip to Freemont Street to ride their new zip line!

So here we are at the zip line on Freemont Street. It's Monday, Nov 1 and not too much traffic, suppose they are all hung over, ha ha. This is the starting point. As you can see, this is not a very permanent structure. Basically you need a tall building with an elevator to the roof, scaffolding, and highway barriers to use as anchors to support the scaffolding.

they built a bridge that you walked over to get to the scaffolding. One note, I elected to wait until night time for the atmosphere.

noted. They open at 2pm, it's $15 until 6pm, then $20 until close which could be 11pm or 2am. They also sell shirts for $15. All day pass for $50, and they have a combo deal for a shirt and one ride for $35

after you strap up, hook up (this is vegas after all) you zip down about 800 feet

from the outside

to the inside

under the canopy and past him

and end up here where the dude in the red takes a photo of you which they offer for sale

noted!

you have to be at least 60lbs and can't be an ACE member to ride, too light and you get stuck, but not to worry, they will crawl out and get you

so time to go do this thing at night

the atmosphere is really MUCH better, I was willing to pay more for atmosphere

more lights

more characters

more gene simmons look a likes

more entertainment

and more boobs

told ya, more boobs

so in I go to pay up and sign the standard paperwork saying i won't sue them if I fall off

the office is near this catastrophe

and near the lamp, rub the lamp

up i went

I got harnessed up, and flew away dangling my arms and yelling at the fools below who yelled back, ride lasted around a minute and flew under the canopy a few hundered feet which had one of their hourly shows playing which was awesome. Never been on a zip line, this was really neat, I'd do it again for sure, especially with a group. Night time is a must, daytime wouldn't be so fun.

after your done, you can come down this way and look at some of the classic neon, or...

go here. Zip line, do it.

So finally, how about some bonus footage

Noted!

The Hoover Dam bypass bridge walkway opened while I was in town and was VERY popular. I went late in the day to get some shadow pics

it took me about 12 minutes to walk to the end of the bridge's pedestrian walkway.

you only enter from the Nevada side. I'm about 50 feet from bridge center at this point

then you look up and over!

pretty neat, never thought this thing would ever get finished. The view is amazing in either direction

Lake Mead also reached a record low while I was there.

the down side of trying to get a shadow shot is that the sun creates issues when shooting the other direction.

and for the car nuts, SEMA!!! This place is HUGE

recognize him? he was handing out free CD's, especially to those who were in line, but unable to get an autograph due to time constraints

Ford also had team Force

and you could see the pre-production Laguna Seca 2012 Mustang

wicked paint jobs on display

and drifting, where you could ride along (if you had connections or got there early enough, I got there early enough, totally AWESOME experience) A pro driver took you for a spin, literally.

and a tribute car, painted.

support our troops

Fords display simply blew anything and everything else at this massive show away

Recognize him, from TV maybe??? Hint: Overhaulin

and this guy, recognize him?

Anyway, you can see more on my facebook page, thanks for reading!