The Cost Of Fun

    We just returned from a vacation out west, the highlight of which was seeing a Cirque Du Soleil production titled “Love”, inspired by the music of the Beatles.   That was in Las Vegas.  Vegas has a way of making it feel like fun to be spending your last dollar.  I was careful not to do that.

     As much as we were tempted on the Valentine’s Day menu at the Heritage Steakhouse there at the Mirage Resort where we stayed two nights, we passed.   And Heritage Steak belongs to Tom Colecchio, who created one of my wife’s favorite food shows, Top Chef.  You can see the prices for their Valentine’s Day meal on the sign here.

     When we gambled in the casino, I was very careful to spend a specific dollar amount, $40 actually.  If I won money, that went into a separate pocket so to speak.  And we actually came out ahead.  Spent $40, but won about $46.

      A guy next to us put $200 into his machine, pulling the lever and maxing his bet over and over very quickly.  He dropped that $200 in less time than it took us to spend ten quarters, that is play ten games of video poker.

      Maybe some of these folks can just afford a lot more fun than we can.  I wondered about this family who arrived in the parking structure to our hotel the same time we were returning ourselves after an outing.  They seemed confused as to where to go so my wife decided to try to help.  This family of four adults and three children appeared to be here from a foreign country since they spoke English with a heavy accent.  They were looking for the white tigers and dolphins, which are housed in a special garden at the Mirage.

     First, my wife told them to board the elevator with us, since the walkway directly from our level of the parking lot to the Mirage hotel was exposed to the rain (it rained heavily that day, the most on the particular day in recent history according to the Las Vegas weather report on TV).

     They had trouble maneuvering a twin stroller into the confines of the elevator, but they ultimately managed and we went down one floor.  The man with the twin stroller was first out and he said, “It’s the parking lot again.”  Wrong floor.  We needed to go down one more.  So we all boarded the elevator once more and this time exited on the correct floor where we could take a covered walkway to the hotel.

     A gentleman from that group asked me where the “white tigers” were and I told him I thought they were near the pool.  This fellow confirmed the location of the secret garden containing the dolphins and white tigers with the hotel doorman who quickly told him, “It’s raining.”  That didn’t seem to phase the man leading the group.

      As the secret garden was in the same direction we were going, returning to our room, I saw them following behind for a while.  Then they were gone.  It can very confusing in the cavernous public areas of the Mirage.  They may still be wandering here and there through the casino.

      Something else I hope they knew.  The cost per adult to see these dolphins and rare tigers is $22.  Children pay $17.  So this trip might end up costing them $100, not including parking.  And this attraction is outdoors.  And it was raining that day, all day.   Later I ran into a Mirage employee whose specific duty was to forewarn folks that, though they could certainly pay to see the tigers and dolphins, they would be standing in the rain to do so.

      I’m not sure there’s much that’s fun in Las Vegas for kids.  And the cost for that fun might be prohibitive for some.  Certainly would be for me.  I can see my own Detroit Tigers for less money.  And if it’s raining, I get a voucher to come back.