Las Vegas… Solo! Entertainment

Entertainment is another thing that can be more fun with company, but there is an advantage to traveling solo here…

I was determined to do a couple fun things and to not be overly concerned with the cost of them.

The Wizard of Oz was playing at the Sphere. When I looked at the cost of tickets (minimum around $120), my first reaction was hell no. But after a couple days, I got more used to the idea. Plus a colleague had talked about people he knew raving about it after going to the premiere. That was the encouragement I needed. So I got a ticket for the night I arrived.

Getting to the Sphere was an adventure. I know people don’t walk everywhere in Las Vegas. But I could SEE it from where I got off the Monorail. How far could it be? Pretty far and not the most pleasant walk! But I did it. It was neat from the outside. Lots of fun Wizard of Oz themed images lighting it up. I was so glad I’d thought to check on what would be admitted inside. Very little! So I brought the bare minimum with me.

The seat I got was one of the cheapest and it was all the way at the top, center-ish. To get to them, I had to take many escalators up up up and then walk down a couple rows to my seat. The angle of that place is insane. It was hard to watch a lot of elderly people working their way down the steep stairs. Some people got nervous and dizzy and a little freaked out about it. Then some people ended up in the wrong seats and had to work their way back through people to the aisle. It was very difficult to get past everyone and when you’re walking, your knees are at about the level of the heads of the people in the next row down. So it looked as if you could just topple down over them. Nerve-wracking and a warning to people with a fear of heights!

When the show began, it felt a little magical. Hi, Kansas! But I was immediately distracted by the faces of the actors. They’d had to do a lot of work to make them big enough for this space. It felt pretty A.I.-y. I kept thinking “I KNOW what Judy Garland looks like. It’s not like THAT… Right?!” I tried to forgive it and to enjoy the experienve.

The tornado scene was a lot of fun! Our seats shook, There was wind throughout the venue, fake leaves swirled around the audience. It was a good time and the audience was delighted.

When everything turned color and Oz appeared, the colors were so vivid and beautiful!

But the faces!! Oh, the faces. The Munchkins’ faces seemed separated from their bodies. The treatment of them was inconsistent. It was all very distracting. Not in a good way. So… Scenery? Great! People? Not so great.

When it was almost time for the flying monkeys, some movement in the theater caught my eye. Someone…a real life actor?…was kind of crouching down behind some black fabric. They were costumed… Like a flying monkey? Sure enough, eventually, a couple people dressed as flying monkeys were attached to wires and v e r y s l o w l y moved from the top of the venue to the bottom. It wasn’t exciting. It WAS confusing. It seemed one hundred percent unnecessary. But I wouldn’t want to take away their jobs, I suppose. It’s like someone high up in the planning of the whole thing thought of it and no one could say no.

By the time the show ended, I was not ready to recommend it to anyone.

That being said, there was a woman behind me who was completely blown away by the whole thing. She was going on about how she would be talking about this for years. That made me happy. Just cuz I was grumpy about it didn’t mean other people couldn’t have a heck of a lot of fun.

On Saturday night I decided to do another thing I’d been eyeing. It also was best to get a ticket in advance, so I knew I couldn’t back out. A high school friend recommended it after I’d already been tempted, so again, someone not even there helped with my decision.

This one I ended up happier with than The Wizard of Oz.

What was it?

The Slotzilla Zipline over Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas! There were two options - one lasted a little longer (about 45 seconds instead of 30) and started a little higher. I picked that one. Plus, why do it without proof of having done it? I got the package that let me take video. They supply a camera, which you can hold in your hand and control yourself. They strap it to your wrist, so you can’t drop it on all the people you fly over. $89 all in.

I bought tickets online for a particular time and headed to Fremont Street a little early.

The time assigned was when I was supposed to get in line, so I showed up when I was supposed to and inched my way to the top over the course of an hour or so.

They gave me my camera and put me in the harness. I zipped my belongings into a bag provided, which was then strapped in with me when it was time to go. It was very nice not being separated from my bag and my things!

Four people were prepped at a time. We each laid on our stomachs on platforms next to each other. Our harnesses were attached to the ziplines and then the platforms were brought down so that we were hanging over them. We couldn’t see exactly what we were in for until it was time to go. At that point, a barrier opened up and we could see the length of Freemont street ahead of (and below below below) us. And we were off!

It was so much fun soaring along! There was a concert going on in one section with a huge crowd of people watching it. I played with the camera, switching between pointing it ahead, below, and at my face. Although it didn’t last very long, it was a lot of fun!

Personally, I recommend it more than the Wizard of Oz. And it’s cheaper!

That was the extend of my Las Vegas entertainment, but it was enough for a solo trip. Gotta save some fun for when I go back with friends.