The View From My Beer
A glass of local lager at Delmonico Steak House (Venetian) to celebrate Michelle’s birthday. I am not permitted to say which specific birthday it is, but you’d never guess by looking at her!
Las Vegas
Michelle turned 60 this year. She decided she would like to celebrate the event in Las Vegas. We have been to Vegas many times and it was a good venue to get together as a small family group away from the distractions from life. I interrupted my cruise schedule allowing me to return to the US for a week. My sister, Jenny, had also decided to join the celebrations. Jenny and I met up at Brisbane Airport and we flew to Vegas together (via LAX).
It was my role to plan the weekend. There would be five of us: Michelle, Ashley, Tyler, Jenny, and me. After doing some research, I determined that a new special version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was just starting at The Sphere. I felt that would provide a special moment for everyone. I left Ashley with the task of identifying and booking a nice restaurant nearby to celebrate the special occasion.
Our Stay
Treasure Island
I booked our accommodation at Treasure Island. It has a central location that would allow us to enjoy our weekend without the need to get in/out of the car.
Wizard of Oz (The Sphere)
The movie was awesome. IThe 1939 classic opened on August 29 and been specifically adapted to take full advantage of Sphere’s technology, including its 16K wraparound LED screen, immersive audio, and 4D effects. Artificial intelligence was used to remaster and expand the film to fill the massive 160,000 square-foot interior display, creating a fully immersive environment. The experience included haptic seats that vibrate, wind arrays, atmospheric fog, and bursts of fire to engage the audience. The original score was re-recorded and remastered to use Sphere’s 167,000 programmable speakers.
During the scene where the apple trees start throwing apples at the cast, a whole bunch off foam apples fell from the ceilings into our laps. Jenny was lucky enough to grab one. Apparently fights would break out in the crowd over ownership of these items, so they decided to sell them for $10 each (plus tax) for those disappointed in not getting one for free.
The Venetian
After the show we took a walk at the nearby Venetian casino, walking along the Grand Canal. We found a nice donut shop (Donutique), where we decided to celebrate Michelle’s birthday with a birthday donut.
Vegas At Night
We walked back to our hotel, taking in the spectacular Vegas nightlights. This included a few shots of The Sphere.
Peggy Sues (Yermo)
We decided to break up the four-hour drive to Irvine with a stop st Peggy Sues, a classic 50s diner that Jenny had not visited before.
