I'm listening to Arthur wrassle a Milkbone. That's his thing. He's a biscuit banger.
And I just watched Comet take a few rolls in the bath sand. Never mind that he's gone old and palsied; he'll be one of those hammies that leaves with a victory lap. (Last week Comet was ahead of Stephen in the Rainbow Bridge Marathon, but apparently he has a few tricks left.)
We saw Mamma Mia last night at Mandalay Bay. There's a half-price deal for locals through September 9, and the later (10 p.m.) show on Saturday was one of two nights with seats in the first row. (Bonus: aisle seat!) The theatre is attractive and the seats are the best I've flopped into in town - wide with a recline.
The show made for a nice outing. It may not be quite my thing, though. I like ABBA, but I'm not big on watching people stare into each others' eyes and sing. Unless it's a parody.
(But you have to picture J. Peterman singing!)
But, Mamma Mia is pleasant. Even fun at times. And it's tolerable in the parts where the (excellent) actors just stand there and sing meaningfully. (I didn't know that was possible with ABBA tunes.) Also, the set is really just two walls that keep getting turned in one direction or another, so don't expect the dazzling Vegas-style show scenery, despite the ads with all the platform shoes and ensemble sequin-flinging. (Most of that is at the end.)
We had dinner at MB's Bayside Buffet, which has improved immensely since last year with the addition of kiosks to buy your meal before queueing. No more "which line to pick?" nonsense, then watching your line shuffle at the speed of weekend snails. (I know I've mentioned here before my wish that more people would do the kind of lining up where you form one line then go to the next available person.)
Also like last year, it was busy as heck. I ended up just going to the pasta station and not even trying to look at what else was on offer. (Mike said it was very fishy/meaty. I couldn't see for the throng.) Then a nice roasted tomato salad with shaved cheeses and the most awesome dinner roll ever (Mike had two!) and some Italian Rum Cake - just as good as last time.
After dinner, we made the mistake of going to see if the Luxor's "de-themeing" is as atrocious as people are saying.
It's worse. I can't convey how bad because 1) it's upsetting (the Luxor is where Mike and I stayed the first time he came to the States, so it was our special little property), and 2) the camera phone is pretty cruddy, so it can't speak for me. (I didn't bring the little camera because I like to keep my pockets as empty as possible in case the seats are crunched together. Purses? What are those?)
The replica of King Tut's tomb and the IMAX theatre have gotten the axe (literally, see holes in former Egyptian arch above) to make room for the a display of sports memorabilia and the Titanic exhibit. (Both "Bodies" and "Titanic" are coming over from the Trop, which makes me worry about that casino's fate.)
The entryway to the Luxor still has its Sphinx and statues, but the Egyptian murals are all covered with ads for Carrot Top and the topless revue. The wall facing check-in has been removed, so you can hop right into the bar with the obnoxiously single-word lowercase sans serif glowy brand: "aurora."
The casino itself is about 70% de-themed, so it's in a very ugly, awkward phase, as it transitions to what Mike calls "the poor man's Planet Hollywood." In other words, it's the very generic black/chrome look that those courting the Paris Hilton set have been cookie-cutter cultivating for the past year or so. There's even a straight-from-the-catalog one-word ultra-lounge - "Liquidity" - in the center of the floor. (And, as seems to be common for so many of these places, its little six-inches-off-the-ground chairs were empty.)
Giza Galleria is now a corridor of dark and shuttered shops. Oh, there's a generic gift shop, and "Jewels of the Nile" is somehow still in business, but gone are the souvenir Egyptian artifacts, ice cream, vintage fun stuff. The statues have been replaced with Criss Angel's motorcycles. And the Dandera Bath and Body shop, where I first saw loaf soap, has been replaced with a Criss Angel merch outlet. But mostly it's all just empty.
The Atrium level, where Tut's tomb and the IMAX used to be, is in the process of being pillaged. "Mandalay Place" - an attractive walkway of shops between MB and Luxor - has led right up to this part of the Luxor for awhile, but now its sleek modern look (which I liked, back when the Luxor/MB border was 50 feet back and there was a sense of personal styles transitioning) feels like a cruel invasion on what was once a sacred Indiana Jones-style stomping ground.
La Salsa is closed and walled off, to be replaced with "Tacos and Tequila," whose logo makes clear that the T&T really just stands for "TiTs!" (I'm not a big fan of the La Salsa chain, but how many "be beautiful and drunk!" venues can one casino support?)
Pyramid Cafe looks the same. I couldn't stand to go downstairs and look at the former Pharaoh's Feast. (Now just called "MORE.") I just know the archaeological dig sites have been carted off.
Ugh. I wasn't going to start talking about this, then look. So much talking.
I'm not opposed to change in Las Vegas. I'm really not. But why turn the Luxor into a half-assed version of the same thing that's already up and down the Strip? Into a cheap knockoff of the trendiness that Mandalay Bay next door already does quite well? Why give up what sets it apart - its Egyptian theme? Sure, the execution of said theme was needed some new sparkle, but that doesn't justify killing it.
I'm reading the new bio of Siegfried & Roy right now, and there's a great quote at the beginning that I want to share. (Especially with those who have this crazy idea that Vegas was sophisticated and discriminating until the "Disneyfication" of the 1990s, that everyone was in tuxes and waving cigarette holders around the craps table.) Unfortunately, the book is in the bedroom, where Mike is asleep. I'll trot it out later. (It also has a quote from Steve Wynn that can't be allowed to pass without comment.)
ANYWAY. I didn't know Lush had stores in the US now! There's one in Mandalay Place, and it's really fun. Not so much the bath bombs (been there done that at Basin), but the "salad bar" of face creams and the hunks of honeycomb soap. The only downside was that the smell was pretty overpowering and perfumey for Mike, so I'll have to wait until next time to buy something.
(Next time? When will that be? They've killed off the Beach concert series.)
Oh, and we played one of those "ping pong ball"-type slots on a whim. Won six dollars off $2 of play. Whee!
Sorry for any unusual levels of incoherence. Unlike Mike, I'm having trouble sleeping. As it's nearing 10 a.m., I'm not sure where that's going to go.
Because I've been dreary in this post, I better link up another Mitchell and Webb! Since I have change on my mind, this one seems appropriate:
Nice blog about the Luxor. I couldn't agree with you more. I have always loved the Egyptian aspect of it and am very sad to see it going away. I went to the Luxor for the 1st time right after it opened in 1994, and it was SO Egyptian then. There was a little boat ride that took you around the hotel - just amazing and so much fun. I loved the Giza Galleria and am sad to hear that it was closed. My boyfriend loved it also. We have a little shelf full of statues of the Egyptian gods and marble pyramids that we bought at the Luxor stores. The nightclub Ra (now LAX) was amazing with a cool Egyptian theme too.
Posted by: Rochelle Hoffman | 23 October 2008 at 08:00 PM