I was back at SFO today for yet another voyage, but this flight only lasted an hour. I flew to what my sister calls the Disneyland of the Desert to join the family for a few days in Las Vegas.
i have been here before but always stayed on the strip to join the circus atmosphere of excitement which comes with all the glitz and glitter. This time we are staying off the strip, at their timeshare in a quiet area called South Point, where there is a casino with all the usual amenities: gambling, restaurants, a multiplex movie theater, a bowling alley, pool..their timeshare is across the street and is called Grandview. It’s huge. Fortunately, each building has a number and a name. By some complicated points system, my sister was “given”a second suite, so here I am, ensconced in NOT a room, but many rooms: living room, dining area, full kitchen, bedroom, bathroom with shower and a huge bathtub to boot!
I just had time for a brief chat and time to unpack when we were off to see the evening’s entertainment: the Déjà Vu show band. The leader of the band and lead singer is one of the foremost Elvis imitators, who is invited to Graceland to perform twice a year, on Elvis’ birthdate and death date. He had two female backup singers -one is his wife – and a four-piece band. The songs ranged from the 50s on and the act continued for three hours, with one break.
An interesting feature of the performance was the audience. They all seemed to be locals “of a certain age” who loved to dance. They all knew each other and were very effusive in their greetings. They danced well with great enthusiasm and seemed to be in their element. My sister has talked to the ladies before on past visits and she said that they don’t go to the strip any more – “it’s not like it used to be” so they’ve claimed this place and this group as their own. The evening was definitely a slice of local color. I thought I was watching a silver haired equivalent of “American Bandstand,” where everyone was dancing and having a blast. To be fair, there were also younger folks there, practicing their fancy dance steps and mixing and mingling with their young-at-heart senior friends.
After the show we had a light dinner then toured the casino. The tables were much busier than I’d thought they’d be, since it appeared to be a low-key place. We checked out what was playing at the movies. We looked at the menus at the restaurants. There appears to be a wide variety of choices. I got my yogurt and muesli combination and fruit for breakfast tomorrow.
What will we do tomorrow? Not sure. There are many options.