Dreamy Las Vegas

DID YOU HEAR?  The price of Super Bowl tickets dropped this week!  That’s right, you and me will pay less for seats today than those jump-the-gun fans who got theirs ten days ago.  The game’s in three days so we’ve got no time to lose!  Let’s make our travel plans!

I’m gonna surprise my wife.  I mean, I’m the bigger football fan, yes, but she’ll be so proud of me for getting our game tickets for less!  And to celebrate “all things her” I figure, why not splurge on the rest of the trip since I’m saving money on the game?  Once in a lifetime, I’m telling myself.  Heck, by the time the Super Bowl comes to Vegas a second time she and I could be dead!

FIRST, new luggage.  I want the two of us to be those people, where just a glance at their bags has you thinking, “Whoa, who are they?”.  So, a quick trip to Tumi for a couple of their hard-shell packing cases ($1,500 per) and matching carry-on’s ($750).  Getting the gold finish too, because you’ve got to look the part if you’re going to Vegas.

SECOND, airfare.  I got me an itinerary lickety-split on Expedia, flying American.  Leave Thursday, return Tuesday. Turns out we can’t get there direct since we live in the middle of nowhere but at least we can fly first class, for just $6,826, with only $600 in taxes and fees.  Score!

THIRD, transportation to the hotel.  I’m not about to show up at the front doors with Tumi luggage in a rental car so it’s limo service for us!  My choice: a modest SUV for two (well, three, including our private driver).  I know, I know, I could’ve gone with the BMW stretch limo that seats twenty-five, but what are my wife and I gonna do – run laps around the inside of it?  Besides, the SUV is described as “… for the VIP who prefers discretion” and that’s a great way to describe my wife.  Round-trip: $375, with $75 in tips.

NOW THEN, the hotel.  Gotta be big and flashy, right?  Can’t be going to Vegas and the big game and staying at a Motel 6.  Let’s go with the Bellagio.  I don’t need a suite but I’d sure like a view of those lovely fountains.  The hotel website quotes five nights for a “1 King Bed Fountain View” at $10,113, including $3,144 in resort fees.  Yeah, I winced a bit with the five-figure quote but then the website flashed, Jackpot! This is today’s low rate! so I felt much better. The website also added a ten-minute timer on the rate but no worries – I booked it in less than five!  Makes the $300 room service dinners seem like nothing, doesn’t it?

Bellagio Hotel

In the days leading up to the game I’ll pamper my wife a little.  In fact, since I love the view of those Bellagio fountains so much, guess what?  I can order up a couples massage right there in the room! Only $650 for the two of us, including $110 of gratitude to the masseuses.  Then we’ll be nice and relaxed for a dinner at, say, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris Hotel (and another view of those fountains).  We’ll start with Casco Bay scallops ($32), followed by mixed greens ($38) and the “Queen’s Cut Beef Tenderloin Filet Mignon” ($138), with a plate of accompaniments and sauces ($42).  We’ll finish up with a couple of the house special “Eiffel Tower soufflés” ($44), and wash it all down with a nice enough bottle of red ($80).  Another $110 in tax and tips calls it a night.

Paris Las Vegas

Now wait a sec’. Since when does anyone in Vegas “call it a night” after dinner?  So I thought about taking my wife to a big-name concert at the new Sphere but then it hit me. ‘O’ by Cirque du Soliel is right there in the Bellagio hotel!  Two orchestra-center seats: $657, and only $93 tax/fees!

FINALLY… what I’ve been building to for hundreds of words now – Super Bowl XVIII.  I’ve never been to Allegiant Stadium before and this’ll probably be my only visit, so…  No, I didn’t go completely off the rails (like seats on the fifty or a sky box) but I do want to see the plays up close and personal so it’s got to be lower bowl, at least the 20-yard line.  Oh man, what a relief!  I found the last pair of tickets in Section C137 for $29,000 out the door (only $5,000 in service fees!)  A flame emoji and a blinking “selling fast” sign had me sweating but I managed to get ’em before the next guy!  Don’t forget, these same tickets would’ve cost me even more just a week ago.  Can I find a bargain or what?

(Yawn… stretch…)

Oh, uh… hey… it’s Dave, your, uh, “weekly blogger”.  Holy cow, let me tell you, I just woke up from the craziest dream.  I was headed to the Super Bowl last-minute, see, and everything about the trip was the best Vegas had to offer.  Hotel, dinner, show, game tickets – the works.  Now that I’m awake, I’m wondering what all that fun would’ve cost me.  $53,598 comes to mind for some reason but I’m sure I didn’t “spend” anywhere near that amount.  Just a crazy dream.  Anyway, sorry to write and run but I’ve got to return a call to my bank, asking about unusual activity on my credit card.

Some content sourced from the CNN Business article, “Super Bowl ticket prices have dropped but they still cost a fortune”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

Unknown's avatar

Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

25 thoughts on “Dreamy Las Vegas”

  2. 🙂 It would cost all that and more. Just a note on tipping in Vegas – if tipping in cash you use single notes, rounded up to the higher denomination. So if you wanted to tip $15, you’d just give a 20 so your $75 tip should be a $100 dollar bill. Now if you’re pay with a credit card, then you just go by percent so there you might get away with just $75 because it’s likely the drive won’t see the tip amount until you leave.

    But heck even if you spend a bit more than you’re thinking, say $60,000, it’s still a deal.

    Personally I’m watching the game on a budget. Yup, on Monday I’ll check the scores on-line to see who won.

    and if you know anyone who really is spending that much money on a game, let me know I have some investment properties near Los Vegas to sell them …

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Vegas tipping protocol is new on me, though not at all surprising the way the cash flows. Kind of like slipping the venue host a $20 (or is it $50 now?) for a better table. Shows you how much (little) time I’ve spent in Sin City. I’d love to challenge the tipping rule by sticking to my $75 and see if someone has the nerve to challenge me. “I’m sorry, didn’t you mean to make that $100”? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We have resisted the idea for several decades – but what with all the company we get here at the AZ house and how people use a TV to stream from their electronic devices – it seemed like a great idea to have TV’s in two locations of the house!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. This was a fun post about living high on the hog to enjoy the big game. I had no idea of the costs associated with attendance. Dave, you will appreciate this … many Michiganders are foregoing watching the Super Bowl at home because we lost. They will catch the rundown of commercials on Youtube later. They usually sneak out a few throughout this week. I thought of you yesterday as you mentioned the Sphere in Las Vegas a few posts ago. Someone scaled it to the top to raise money for a cause (a pregnant homeless woman). He used a GoPro camera to videotape himself and then authorities wondered how to get him down.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh my goodness, is nothing sacred? Leave the Sphere alone, people! It’s disappointing to hear about Michigan’s reaction to the Lions falling short. Granted I’m a true sports fan, but the Super Bowl is a distinctly American event. I feel like people should watch, if only to be in the conversation over the ensuing weeks about whatever ends up making headlines.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, isn’t that amazing Dave? I had only seen the Sphere in still shots, but it was pretty amazing seeing the guy scaling it. Yes, it is petty by the Lions’ fans to do that – it is a big event, so big that some federal lawmakers are looking to make it a federal holiday. I’m rolling my eyes at that because that’s not really necessary and also the day off just for federal workers only.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I’m surprised dream you would fly regular instead of private ha! Perhaps the runway space was already taken ump by the billionaire already. I am just hoping I win some of my Super Bowl squares, the buy in was a very reasonable $1 per square haha.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hope my wife doesn’t see this comment heh. Little Augusta Regional Airport is all set up for charter flights thanks to The Masters. Never considered that approach but it’s definitely an option if I insist on flying direct and paying through the nose. As for Super Bowl squares, for a second I thought you meant some kind of creative Lyssy/Jon appetizer for the game 🙂

      Like

      1. We are still deciding our Super Bowl spread, but my money is on Jon making some sort of Buffalo Chicken Dip. Last year I worked on some food related campaigns but we were forbidden to say “Super Bowl” we could only refer to it as “The Big Game” or something similar, the NFL really doesn’t want anyone profiting off it.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I was going to make a joke about the NFL’s supposed trademark of “Super Bowl” but you already knew ha. Also, any idea what makes chicken dip “buffalo”? Those two don’t go together in my book.

        Like

      3. I know a lot of random things 😂 I know the chicken dip is buffalo because of the buffalo sauce as the main ingredient , but I am not sure how Buffalo sauce got its name. I don’t picture buffalos being a little hot and spicy

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Love this. I cannot fathom paying the prices you dreamed about yet some people are. The only proviso to that statement is that I could see me investing in some Tumi luggage… that I could use over and over again. Still, even then, maybe I’ll save my pennies and watch the whole shebang from afar.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Quick math, Ally: 65,000 Allegiant Stadium seats x $8,600 ea. (avg price) = $559M. I had to run my calculator twice to believe the number. That’s just the seats at the game. Throw in all the other expenses incurred by those fans and the total outlay must be truly mind-boggling.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Wow. Even if you tried to go cheap, it sounds like attending the Super Bowl in Vegas would have cost a lotta mullah. What I loved most about this post? How thoughtful you were of your wife, what with all the pampering you included!! Well done, Dave!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.