Anniversary #42

This summer we traveled west to attend a baby blessing and baptism. Because we would be out of town for our anniversary, I decided it would be a great excuse to actually stop in Las Vegas rather than just drive through (on our way between Salt Lake City and Mesa). While not necessarily a high priority on the bucket list, I'd always thought it would be fun to experience The Strip at least once. For the record, once was enough, but we did have a very enjoyable overnight stay, and it was fun researching how best to stretch our vacation budget dollars.

Hotel rooms on the Las Vegas Strip are actually inexpensive! Or, at least they can be. (They can also be outrageously expensive if you want, as well.)  Most of the hotels do have some sort of theme to help set them apart from one another. We decided to try the Excalibur, a sister to the Luxor, but with a "knight" theme vs. an "Egyptian" one. Although it's one of the older hotels (built in 1990), we were pleasantly surprised with a nice room for a decent rate. (The view left something to be desired, but we weren't there for the view.) Even walking through the casino area to get to the room elevators wasn't as bad as I feared it could be.

Food, on the other hand, was extremely expensive. I originally thought a buffet would be fun, but the prices and hours have changed from my childhood recollections, probably due to pandemic restrictions, and that wasn't an option. We walked a couple of miles along the strip looking for someplace to have our anniversary dinner, and nothing was appealing for the price it cost. We ended up ordering hamburgers and shakes at the Johnny Rocket's near our hotel lobby; they were good but not really "special celebration" worthy.

High on my list of things to experience were the fountains at the Bellagio, along with the conservatory inside the building's atrium, neither of which cost anything. Both activities were quite enjoyable despite the crowds, and if we ever go back, it'd be fun to see them again.

Remember that it's hot in Las Vegas in August. Fortunately, we didn't need to do a lot of walking and there were plenty of opportunities to step into hotel lobbies to cool down. We quite enjoyed our short visit. However, since we're not fans of gambling, expensive meals, or even entertainment shows, we won't go out of our way to plan a return visit. It was a great way, though, to celebrate this year's wedding anniversary.