What Happens in Vegas

What Happens in Vegas….Stays in Vegas.... Goes Directly Into My Blog.

Just got home from Vegas. Yall, I need a minute. A minute to decompress. This was my first real visit to Las Vegas, Nevada—not an oh, look there it is visit, but a staying in a huge hotel on the Vegas Strip 4-night adventure. Folks, Vegas is a lot. A lot to take in. A lot to comprehend. It is intense.

This was one of my annual tag-along-with-Rob-on-a-work-trip adventures. Rob & I scheduled our travels so that we had a few days to play around in Vegas before he had to report to his convention. You can drop me into any city in the world, and I will always find something fun to do. Vegas was no exception.

Walking down the Vegas Strip gawking at all the elaborate hotels, fancy displays, and garish paraphernalia is an activity in and of itself. I endured that for about 2 minutes, and then I had had enough. Sin City in all of its over-the-top glitter. It's a bit much for me. Yet, we very much enjoyed the Bellagio Fountains choreographed water show and the Bellagio Conservatory Lunar New Year “Year of the Horse” botanical display.  Both were amazing.

The Bellagio delivered.

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After a day and a half of doing Vegas proper, we needed to get out of the city. Get away from the glitz and extravagance. Get some air. We loved excursions to surrounding sites, such as our trip to see The Hoover Dam, less than an hour away. The Hoover Dam, harnessing the power of the Colorado River, was a magnificent engineering feat that commanded attention. Speaking of commands, I have never seen as intense security as that surrounding the dam. We “yes ma’am”-ed and “yes sir”-ed continuously as guards directed us and ushered us through multiple driving and walking security gates and checks. All eyes on us all of the time. Headcounts around every corner. Ain’t nothing sinister gonna happen over there. Keeping America safe.

While Rob worked one day, I toured Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park. Although I really wanted to rent a car and forge my own path, I decided to book a small group tour instead, so that I wouldn’t be hiking around solo. That was a great decision, as I bonded with a dozen fun-seekers. Our tour guides led us down desert paths, through a slot canyon, climbing around rocks, and more. We stopped to marvel at 4000 year-old petroglyphs etched all around the rocks. We had a wonderfully informative tour that satisfied the itch to explore outdoors. Valley of Fire was an amazing natural landscape with stunning red rock and white rock desert formations. As picturesque as any National Park in the area. Do yourself a favor and explore, if you find yourself over that way.

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The main attraction of our weekend trip, in fact, the thing that cinched our decision to take this trip to Vegas, was snagging tickets to see The Eagles perform The Long Goodbye Tour at The Sphere. Pricey, but well worth it.

The Sphere Is one of the most technologically innovative venues in the world. The graphics, the acoustics, the immersiveness—it’s all astounding. Nothing can compare. Being a 1970's enthusiast, I’ve always enjoyed Eagles music. The harmonies, the easy nature of the melodies, and the heartfelt lyrics all combine to create timeless gems. Historically, The Eagles went through some rough times, conflict, personality clashes, creative differences, and arguments that led to their breakup in 1980. When asked if the band would ever play together again, Don Henley famously declared “Not unless Hell freezes over.”  Fourteen years later, bridges mended, The Eagles reunited for the Hell Freezes Over Tour. Ya gotta love humor in show biz.

These days, The Eagles tour around occasionally, including acclaimed runs at The Sphere in Las Vegas, where the music is choreographed with elaborate visual effects.  Their show was truly mind-blowing. A must see. As the boys ripped through familiar song after song, we sang in chorus, and our smiles grew wider and wider. I was thrilled when Don Henley broke into “The Boys of Summer,” one of my top fav songs by any artist, because it reminds me of me. Or, rather, me in years past. In the 1980s, when the song was popular, I was a young tanned babe—Brown skin shining in the sun—driving my red Dodge 600 convertible— top pulled down, and radio on, baby— wearing my shades—hair slicked back and Wayfarers on, baby— and earning the nickname “Hollywood.”  Many happy memories—After the boys of summer have gone. Listening to Henley sing in 2026 was pure bliss —A little voice inside my head said, “Don’t look back, you can never look back.”  Music can take us to so many places.

Legendary band member Joe Walsh delivered with enthusiasm. He was recovering from a horrible bout of Covid followed by the flu, and had to pick his moments, but he performed with energy in his own quirky manner. Country singer Vince Gill, who joined the band after the death of founding member Glenn Frey, fit perfectly into their relaxed style. He, along with Glenn’s son Deacon Frey, shared duties on the songs that Glenn had so masterfully vocalized. As mentioned, Don Henley, sounded like he stepped right out of 1980.

Such a FANTASTIC show.

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Interestingly, today I read an article in Time Magazine by Kelly Corrigan about the importance of experiencing AWE in our lives. Referencing research work by Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, she wrote that "awe allows for a neurobiological reset in which hormones are released that lower pro-inflammatory cytokines — metabolically expensive molecules linked to stress, depression and chronic disease." And, furthermore, that beholding an awe-inspiring event "takes — and causes — a smallness of self. (You will) Make yourself an agendaless intake machine and be cured, for a moment, of the nagging self-interested ego.”  Additional measured research results "included flooding your system with dopamine, which creates that sense of wanting to look more, and endorphins (the brain’s natural opioids), which contribute to what researchers call aesthetic chills." In short, experiencing AWE is good for you.

Between beholding the AWE-inspiring concert and being AWE-struck in the magnificent desert landscape, I would say that my emotional and mental health received a big boost over the weekend.

I can’t talk about Vegas without mentioning gambling. Sad to say, we didn’t gamble at all. Although there were casinos and lone gambling machines everywhere we went, we never found the time to sit down and play. Rob was hoping to hit a blackjack table, roulette wheel, or craps table. I was less enthusiastic about having to make pressured wagering decisions in front of a dealer and other patrons, because I wasn’t a seasoned gambler (read: would have no idea what I was doing). What I really wanted was to sit down at a slot machine, pull down the big metal lever, and watch a sea of coins pour out into my lap while lights flashed and alarms dinged. Rob rolled his eyes at me, shook his head, and said that I’d have to go back in time a few decades. Apparently, one-armed bandits are a thing of the past. Oh well. No gambling for me.

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We had a delightful adventure in Las Vegas. We didn't take advantage of some of its pleasures. For instance, the food scene is apparently strong, but we didn't hit upscale restaurants to check it out. I'm sure that the greater Las Vegas area has much to offer. But, it’s not a city that I would rush back to visit. In the touristy section, with all the neon, flashy extravagance, and hoop-la, it’s rather In Your Face. And, a tad exhausting. Even so, we found many ways to enjoy ourselves, as we always do. And, we checked the bucket list on an incredible concert experience at The Sphere. Viva Las Vegas!