"O" these crowds are insane

Back tracking a bit. On Valentine’s Day, we played disc golf, and Frank worked on the Jimmy while I tidied up the yard. We got cleaned up and then I made us my favorite meal to whip up Gouda Pork Chops.


We expected the strip to be busier than your average Sunday night, but we didn’t expect Bellagio to be an absolute madhouse. If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought it was New Year’s Eve. We weren’t able to park in self parking or valet, both were filled. I hopped out in the valet lanes to run and grab the tickets; it took me four minutes to work through the crowds to reach the lobby entrance. Meanwhile, Frank went to CityCenter to park. He called to say he valeted at Aria and would be over as quickly as possible. It was already 10:00; I knew it would take at least ten minutes so I accepted that we’d be late to the show.

I waited by the gift shop and enjoyed the parade of couples who were also late to the show… Men dragging their woman behind them, women throwing daggers of disgust at them, while they stagger in heels, short skirts or tight dresses. It was rather amusing.

Finally, Frank arrived; we were ushered toward our seats by a couple incompetent handlers. But we found our seats and let out a sigh of relief. We missed the first 12 minutes or so, but we were able to follow along without issue. Like all the other cirque shows the performers are extremely talented. We must employ more contortionists and unicyclists than any other city. Aside, from Love (Viva or Believe-haven't seen those) the “O” soundtrack was my favorite, the music was simply wonderful. Additionally, I liked the fire and water elements of the show best.

My only complaints were in regards to the theater itself. The seats were terribly uncomfortable. The humidity level was a slap in the face when first entering the theater and the fire segments reeked of lighter fluid. They could’ve benefited from the pina colada scent used to mask the gas from Mirage’s Volcano.

I’ve also seen Le Reve at Wynn so I couldn’t help but compare the two. No doubt “O” is far more technical and astonishing. But I much prefer the Le Reve theater. I like that seating is 360 degrees and it’s very comfortable. Plus, you feel like you are part of the show that way. I believe Steve Wynn recognized the flaws of the “O” theater and improved upon them when designing Wynn Las Vegas.

After the show we walked through the conservatory. It must be the ugliest display I’ve seen. I took two photos. Two. The rest was so dark or a repeat of years prior it wasn’t worth fighting the crowds for snapshots.




We walked through Vdara. Now that was a ghost town. As was Aria. I suppose neither scream romance like Bellagio.

I should have thought of that when I realized “O” was booked on Valentine’s Day. Lesson learned and that’s a mistake I will not make again.

I'll end with Nancy Rubins, Big Edge, outside Vdara. I appreciate the irony of canoes in the desert, but I'm not certain that's what was intended.