MGM Grand Hotel - Las Vegas, NV -

MGM Grand by day…

Ah, Vegas. What a town. Both occasions I visited were on business. The first time I stayed at Excalibur. This was years ago and even then it was horribly outdated. So I was looking forward to my stay at the MGM Grand. While not the Bellagio or the Cosmopolitan, which seem perhaps more my style, the MGM is quite an entertainment and dining center. I also spent some time at Mandalay Bay, as the Licensing show was in their conference center. Since both are owned by MGM, the level of dining options there was equally impressive.

Check-In

Upon arrival, I got in line for check-in behind 5 young guys who immediately split up into three teams; drinks, cigarettes and check-in. The first 2 guys back came with strawberry slushy Bacardi 151’s in yard glasses. They couldn’t believe they had to pay $12 for a drink. For a yard of cocktail in my book that was a damn bargain. Next guy had the butts. $9! Here they’re $12, so another bargain. The rooms? $89/night. Another freaking deal. So I opted to upgrade on my own dime for $49/night. That got me a full suite with jacuzzi. And I think it guaranteed I wasn’t going to be in the room next to those guys.

New York New York from my window…right at home

Excalibur from my window…a reminder of the past

Next I grabbed a sorry lunch at the restaurant by the pool before heading over to Mandalay Bay Conference Center. I paid $23 for this…and true to form also lost the receipt for my expenses. But after my outrageous dinner bills I chalked it up as a deal and let it go.

I have photos of Mandalay Bay which will be included in my general Vegas overview. Let’s jump to the evening. The first day, I was wiped out from my flight and headed back at 5. I made a run for the pool area to check it out and hit a hot tub. It was over 100 degrees. From what I could tell there were about 7 pools, so I ran around taking pics with my iPhone and settled at the most remote hot tub.

At that point I was intrigued by the pool that they called ‘Backlot River’ which had a moving current people were moving swiftly through it in circles with their cocktails. Duly noted to check it out day 2!

Later that evening, after and early dinner at Nobhill Tavern, I took a walk around the casino. The crowd by that point had gotten my attention. I found myself surrounded by luxurious and expensive shops and fine dining, yet everyone was wearing shorts and really kinda looking like a bunch of slobs.

I was exhausted and by 8:30 or 9 and went to bed. If you’ve ever seen the MGM Grand at night, it is illuminated in green lights. I was kind of fascinated by the lighting in my room.

Day two, Mandalay Bay again. This time I had lunch over there at Border Grill, which was far superior for about the same price. I finished up the show by 4 and grabbed a cab back to MGM. By day 2 I realized walking 15 minutes in 106 degrees is not conducive to looking fresh! I planted myself right by the Backlot River and ordered a frozen margarita that melted inside of 10 minutes. I spotted a cloud. Nice.