Vegas and Vancouver, Summer 2017
Aug. 6th, 2017 11:59 pmWell, I managed to put off this entry for a long time. I found a point form synopsis, so I'll just crib from that.
Preamble
I was complaining that I wanted to do basically the same road trip that I did last year, only with about half the driving. That basically meant I had to get the car to Vancouver without me, so that I could drive it back. Wendy ended up volunteering to take my car out there, since it was also convenient for her. Thanks again Wendy!
While this was going on, Steph bought me tickets to see Steve Martin and Martin Short in Las Vegas, so now the plan was to fly to Vegas for a few nights, then fly to Vancouver, then drive back.
Las Vegas
Highlights of Vegas include an easy flight, meeting up with Steph and checking into our cheap-ass rooms at the Monte Carlo. We wandered over to the North Outlet mall and did some window shopping, then came back to watch a double-bill concert: Tears For Fears and Hall & Oates.
As far as the music was concerned, I'm a much bigger fan of Tears For Fears than I am of Hall & Oates. I loved the first half of the concert, and the second half was pretty decent too, except where they took a half an hour to play the last song, in a process I like to call "wanking". But what was really amazing was the people watching. There was a row of patrons that could have novels written about them.
There was the couple (the female half I kinda fell in love with, as she was luminous) that sat together, leaning into each other with an easy familiarity that spoke of a deep love and comfort in each others company. The concert could have existed just for the two of them. I'm a little envious.
A few seats over was the sour-faced couple. They scowled the whole time they were there, frowning and brows furrowed, but still bopping to the rhythm, almost against their will. Steph invented a backstory for them. Basically, just before they left for the concert, she caught him screwing the maid, and they're late to get to the concert, but by god, they are going to be having a discussion when they get home!
But the winner was the old guy in the trilby with a date. He was a couple rows ahead of us, and notably in the front row of our section. This meant he could stand and dance. And by "dance", I mean stand in front of his date, facing her (and away from the stage) swaying with his hands in his pockets. He did this for basically the entire concert. He wasn't quite in our line of vision , but he was close. Not so for a lot of other people who got to watch Tears For Fears And Some Dude, and Hall and Oates and Some Dude.
Seriously, he could have not watched the bands at home for cheaper.
The next day we had lunch at Holsteins (where I convinced Steph to split a milkshake and burger with me, since each of us getting one would have lead to suffering) and a few hours off the strip at the Pinball Hall of Fame, with a side trip to Nerdgazms (a geeky memorabilia store). Along the way, while deciding what to do in the evening, we decided to get "discount" tickets for the Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson: One. This lead to a comedy of errors, because I bought the tickets 121 minutes before the show, but you had to pick the tickets up two hours early. I failed to read that part of the fine print, and we ended up rushing Mandalay Bay to throw ourselves on the box office's mercy. I shouldn't have worried - they were very understanding, and we got our tickets. A quick drop off/wardrobe change at the room and we were back in time for the pre-show (always go to Cirque shows early).
And Michael Jackson: One? It had Cirque's usual outstanding acrobatics and dance. It also had possibly the best melding of wardrobe/props/fx that I've ever seen in a live show. Well worth it. The plot, such as it was, involved four teen agers being chased around the Neverland mansion by security and chanelling Michael's spirit through articles of clothing (hat/glove/jacket/shoes), all while regaining a sense of wonder. In short, it was like Michael Jackson was actually a lich, like Vecna.
We rounded out the evening with vodka cocktails and caviar at Red Square.
After Lunch on Sunday (Tequila Taqueria), Steph and I split up to do our own thing. We met up again that evening with special guest star![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
othelianna and made our way to Caesars Palace to watch the show we came for: Steve Martin and Martin Short in an Evening You'll Forget For the Rest of Your Lives. You can watch it on Netflix now (since it took me nearly a year to finish writing this entry). It was a lot of fun, and we had a blast. After the show, I treated the ladies to my (current) favourite Vegas restaurant: China Poblano, a Chinese/Mexican fusion restaurant in the Cosmopolitan. It did not disappoint.
And on Monday we all went back to Vancouver. Found my car a mere two blocks from Port Wood.
Vancouver
Tuesday I saw Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. As MovieBob says, the'll be showing the first ten minutes of that movie a hundred years from now when doing Luc Besson retrospectives. Pity about the rest of the movie though. Also spent the day with Rosie thrifting and wound up at Storm Crow Tavern with Lou.
Wednesday was #DNDLive, and if you ever wondered why my trips to Van were often at the end of the month, there's your answer.
Thursday was beer day, with a car trip to Deep Cove distillery, Filmgo. Later, on foot, a self-guided tour of some of East Van's breweries: Callister, Powell, Andina. All worth a trip,
Saturday watched Atomic Blonde with garething, then went downtown to watch the fireworks. These were easily the best fireworks I've ever seen - Japan deserved their win. Making it even better, I shelled out for reserved seating for the show (in the past, I've stood in the crowds) which meant snacks and drinks, our own biffies(!) and I just hung around for a half an hour after the show to let the crowds disperse. Finally, I walked across downtown, which was super pleasant, since there were light crowds, and good weather - they gave the evening a chill mood. It would have been nice to hold hands with a partner, alas. This is now my go-to way to watch these fireworks.
Sunday I went to Chambar with Athena, and we had a sausage party at Port Wood.
Monday I went to Cabrito with Athena, Lou and Ken, then went to the Rio to catch the Harry Potter's Birthday Burlesque. While waiting in line to get in, someone gave me an extra ticket. A phone call later, and Athena came to join me. decent amateur geeky burlesque, but the Rio's balcony was hot as BALLS. Afterward, we sat out on St Augustine's patio and enjoyed adult beverages.
Tuesday I checked out and said goodbye to Desmond, the guardian cat of the apartment where I was staying. That's where I learned his name, because I ended up chatting with Desmond's owner (and also giving her the rest of the cat treats I'd bought earlier in the week to feed him whenever I went by). From there it was off to Port Wood to pick up the furniture I'd acquired over the last few months and jam it into my car. Then I began my drive home through the smoke.
Okanagan/Kootenay
So the interior of BC was largely on fire. It was super smokey all through my drive to Penticton, and it got worse the closer I got. After several hours I found my hotel and set out to find some grub. I ended up at Bad Tattoo Brewing, where I sampled some of their beer and had a decent pizza. The walk back was smoky and after dusk, so now Penticton looked like Silent Hill.
There was also the mystery of Penticton's water. I passed three water jug filling stations. The hive mind suggested that there isn't actually anything wrong with Penticton's tap water (it's likely the filling station's source), it's that there are a lot of cabins in the Okanagan valley that don't have running water.
I spent the morning exploring Penticton, then drove to Osoyoos and stopped for lunch. Finally, I reached Nelson and checked into the Hume hotel, where I would spend the next three nights. I had earlier convinced Joel to join me, so he biked there from Calgary. We ate at the Main Street Diner, then met up with Rosie and Kelly and had a nightcap at the Savoy.
Thursday was spent wandering around Nelson's main drag. That evening Janette, Joel, Rosie and I had a philosophy meeting at the Library Lounge. Friday we visited Balfour, went to the Ainsworth hot springs, and had a fantastic charcuterie at the hot spring's restaurant. And finally, a tour or Kaslo. We wound the evening out at Torchlight brewing. Incidentally, Janette makes an excellent tour guide.
Saturday we checked out from our hotels, and checked out the hippiest farmer's market in the world. Joel opted to go straight back to Calgary (but ended up taking a ridiculously long and miserable ride home because they closed the highway due to fires. I went to Kimberley and discovered a very long stairway, had supper at the Pedal & Tap and breakfast at Stonefire pizza. Also got serenaded by Happy Hans, the yodelling cuckoo clock. It was madness inducing. Then I drove to Radium and spent a pleasant hour soaking in the hot springs.
The highway was open when I left Radium, so I took a hair-raising drive up highway 93. Along the way, I got to see multiple water bombers, and gouts of flame that went higher than the trees. And those fires were within a stone's throw of the highway. Alas, there were signs admonishing people to not stop their vehicles, and since I wasn't going to try driving and shooting a camera simultaneously, there are no pictures. I assure you, it was quite the terrifying spectacle.
Finally, I managed to hit Banff during the worst of the traffic. So much so that I couldn't find parking, and decided to just straight home.
I drank a lot of beer, hung out with lots of good friends, and had a fantastic time.
Preamble
I was complaining that I wanted to do basically the same road trip that I did last year, only with about half the driving. That basically meant I had to get the car to Vancouver without me, so that I could drive it back. Wendy ended up volunteering to take my car out there, since it was also convenient for her. Thanks again Wendy!
While this was going on, Steph bought me tickets to see Steve Martin and Martin Short in Las Vegas, so now the plan was to fly to Vegas for a few nights, then fly to Vancouver, then drive back.
Las Vegas
Highlights of Vegas include an easy flight, meeting up with Steph and checking into our cheap-ass rooms at the Monte Carlo. We wandered over to the North Outlet mall and did some window shopping, then came back to watch a double-bill concert: Tears For Fears and Hall & Oates.
As far as the music was concerned, I'm a much bigger fan of Tears For Fears than I am of Hall & Oates. I loved the first half of the concert, and the second half was pretty decent too, except where they took a half an hour to play the last song, in a process I like to call "wanking". But what was really amazing was the people watching. There was a row of patrons that could have novels written about them.
There was the couple (the female half I kinda fell in love with, as she was luminous) that sat together, leaning into each other with an easy familiarity that spoke of a deep love and comfort in each others company. The concert could have existed just for the two of them. I'm a little envious.
A few seats over was the sour-faced couple. They scowled the whole time they were there, frowning and brows furrowed, but still bopping to the rhythm, almost against their will. Steph invented a backstory for them. Basically, just before they left for the concert, she caught him screwing the maid, and they're late to get to the concert, but by god, they are going to be having a discussion when they get home!
But the winner was the old guy in the trilby with a date. He was a couple rows ahead of us, and notably in the front row of our section. This meant he could stand and dance. And by "dance", I mean stand in front of his date, facing her (and away from the stage) swaying with his hands in his pockets. He did this for basically the entire concert. He wasn't quite in our line of vision , but he was close. Not so for a lot of other people who got to watch Tears For Fears And Some Dude, and Hall and Oates and Some Dude.
"Do you suppose this is their first date?"
"If it is, she's learning something valuable."
Seriously, he could have not watched the bands at home for cheaper.
The next day we had lunch at Holsteins (where I convinced Steph to split a milkshake and burger with me, since each of us getting one would have lead to suffering) and a few hours off the strip at the Pinball Hall of Fame, with a side trip to Nerdgazms (a geeky memorabilia store). Along the way, while deciding what to do in the evening, we decided to get "discount" tickets for the Cirque du Soleil show Michael Jackson: One. This lead to a comedy of errors, because I bought the tickets 121 minutes before the show, but you had to pick the tickets up two hours early. I failed to read that part of the fine print, and we ended up rushing Mandalay Bay to throw ourselves on the box office's mercy. I shouldn't have worried - they were very understanding, and we got our tickets. A quick drop off/wardrobe change at the room and we were back in time for the pre-show (always go to Cirque shows early).
And Michael Jackson: One? It had Cirque's usual outstanding acrobatics and dance. It also had possibly the best melding of wardrobe/props/fx that I've ever seen in a live show. Well worth it. The plot, such as it was, involved four teen agers being chased around the Neverland mansion by security and chanelling Michael's spirit through articles of clothing (hat/glove/jacket/shoes), all while regaining a sense of wonder. In short, it was like Michael Jackson was actually a lich, like Vecna.
We rounded out the evening with vodka cocktails and caviar at Red Square.
After Lunch on Sunday (Tequila Taqueria), Steph and I split up to do our own thing. We met up again that evening with special guest star
othelianna and made our way to Caesars Palace to watch the show we came for: Steve Martin and Martin Short in an Evening You'll Forget For the Rest of Your Lives. You can watch it on Netflix now (since it took me nearly a year to finish writing this entry). It was a lot of fun, and we had a blast. After the show, I treated the ladies to my (current) favourite Vegas restaurant: China Poblano, a Chinese/Mexican fusion restaurant in the Cosmopolitan. It did not disappoint.And on Monday we all went back to Vancouver. Found my car a mere two blocks from Port Wood.
Vancouver
Tuesday I saw Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. As MovieBob says, the'll be showing the first ten minutes of that movie a hundred years from now when doing Luc Besson retrospectives. Pity about the rest of the movie though. Also spent the day with Rosie thrifting and wound up at Storm Crow Tavern with Lou.
Wednesday was #DNDLive, and if you ever wondered why my trips to Van were often at the end of the month, there's your answer.
Thursday was beer day, with a car trip to Deep Cove distillery, Filmgo. Later, on foot, a self-guided tour of some of East Van's breweries: Callister, Powell, Andina. All worth a trip,
Saturday watched Atomic Blonde with garething, then went downtown to watch the fireworks. These were easily the best fireworks I've ever seen - Japan deserved their win. Making it even better, I shelled out for reserved seating for the show (in the past, I've stood in the crowds) which meant snacks and drinks, our own biffies(!) and I just hung around for a half an hour after the show to let the crowds disperse. Finally, I walked across downtown, which was super pleasant, since there were light crowds, and good weather - they gave the evening a chill mood. It would have been nice to hold hands with a partner, alas. This is now my go-to way to watch these fireworks.
Sunday I went to Chambar with Athena, and we had a sausage party at Port Wood.
Monday I went to Cabrito with Athena, Lou and Ken, then went to the Rio to catch the Harry Potter's Birthday Burlesque. While waiting in line to get in, someone gave me an extra ticket. A phone call later, and Athena came to join me. decent amateur geeky burlesque, but the Rio's balcony was hot as BALLS. Afterward, we sat out on St Augustine's patio and enjoyed adult beverages.
Tuesday I checked out and said goodbye to Desmond, the guardian cat of the apartment where I was staying. That's where I learned his name, because I ended up chatting with Desmond's owner (and also giving her the rest of the cat treats I'd bought earlier in the week to feed him whenever I went by). From there it was off to Port Wood to pick up the furniture I'd acquired over the last few months and jam it into my car. Then I began my drive home through the smoke.
Okanagan/Kootenay
So the interior of BC was largely on fire. It was super smokey all through my drive to Penticton, and it got worse the closer I got. After several hours I found my hotel and set out to find some grub. I ended up at Bad Tattoo Brewing, where I sampled some of their beer and had a decent pizza. The walk back was smoky and after dusk, so now Penticton looked like Silent Hill.
There was also the mystery of Penticton's water. I passed three water jug filling stations. The hive mind suggested that there isn't actually anything wrong with Penticton's tap water (it's likely the filling station's source), it's that there are a lot of cabins in the Okanagan valley that don't have running water.
I spent the morning exploring Penticton, then drove to Osoyoos and stopped for lunch. Finally, I reached Nelson and checked into the Hume hotel, where I would spend the next three nights. I had earlier convinced Joel to join me, so he biked there from Calgary. We ate at the Main Street Diner, then met up with Rosie and Kelly and had a nightcap at the Savoy.
Thursday was spent wandering around Nelson's main drag. That evening Janette, Joel, Rosie and I had a philosophy meeting at the Library Lounge. Friday we visited Balfour, went to the Ainsworth hot springs, and had a fantastic charcuterie at the hot spring's restaurant. And finally, a tour or Kaslo. We wound the evening out at Torchlight brewing. Incidentally, Janette makes an excellent tour guide.
Saturday we checked out from our hotels, and checked out the hippiest farmer's market in the world. Joel opted to go straight back to Calgary (but ended up taking a ridiculously long and miserable ride home because they closed the highway due to fires. I went to Kimberley and discovered a very long stairway, had supper at the Pedal & Tap and breakfast at Stonefire pizza. Also got serenaded by Happy Hans, the yodelling cuckoo clock. It was madness inducing. Then I drove to Radium and spent a pleasant hour soaking in the hot springs.
The highway was open when I left Radium, so I took a hair-raising drive up highway 93. Along the way, I got to see multiple water bombers, and gouts of flame that went higher than the trees. And those fires were within a stone's throw of the highway. Alas, there were signs admonishing people to not stop their vehicles, and since I wasn't going to try driving and shooting a camera simultaneously, there are no pictures. I assure you, it was quite the terrifying spectacle.
Finally, I managed to hit Banff during the worst of the traffic. So much so that I couldn't find parking, and decided to just straight home.
I drank a lot of beer, hung out with lots of good friends, and had a fantastic time.
