Toastmasters Speech #9- Persuade with Power
What Vegas Offers
Recently, I took my 9th annual trip to Las Vegas. My husband and I go for 7 days each year, and I would recommend Vegas for an adults-only vacation. Often people ask me how much money I have won or lost on my trips, and this year was a whopping $2.20! There are many more things to do in Vegas besides gambling! I’d like to tell you about some of the reasons why you should visit Las Vegas: you can eat very well, there are experiences visiting animals and nature there that you can’t get elsewhere and there is plenty of spectacular entertainment, much of it free, making Vegas a place you can actually have an economical vacation, if you can avoid the gambling. :)
A popular notion about eating in Vegas is the cheap buffets. Over time, the buffets have become much more expensive, but are still a good choice for a big variety of food to try. The two best buffets to visit are Bellagio and Paris, with Bellagio having a very wide variety of good food, and Paris for a slightly more economical buffet, with great-tasting food and a good variety. In fact, on my last visit, we ate at Paris buffet 3 times in one week, to show you how good it was! Gourmet restaurants also abound in Las Vegas and vacation is a great time to splurge one very good, yet a more expensive meal. I highly recommend Emril Lagasse’s Delmonico restaurant, where I had the best steak I’ve ever had. Emril has other restaurants there and other popular gourmet chefs have restaurants in many of the hotels. Do your homework before going on your vacation and pick some recommended places to eat and you should never have a bad meal!
Most people do not think of animals and nature when visiting Las Vegas. Yet, just a short 30 minutes away is Red Rock canyon. Another 1-2 hours away from the city, you can find the Valley of Fire, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and Death Valley. We always make sure to take a day out of the urban experience to visit one of these places. There are also a few good exhibits for animal viewing. One is the Sigfried and Roy Secret Garden zoo at the Mirage. For just $15, you can see several dolphins, white and gold tigers and lions and gold and black leopards. I am a fan of big cats and so I can spend a few hours here, just observing the cats. I was also allowed to pet one of the dolphins a few years ago and they currently have a 1 yr old baby dolphin and 5 young tigers, which are so adorable and playful! :) If you are more into marine life, Mandalay Bay has a shark reef where you can pet a manta ray at an exhibit, see jellyfish, sharks and many other fish. And, at MGM, a free lion exhibit lets you view their lions through a glass habitat right inside the casino. I think the variety of animals and nature is a neat change of pace from all the chimes and lights of the casinos.
There are many types of shows in Vegas, however the shows that I think are well worth the $100 price tag are Cirque du Soliel shows. I wouldn’t have believed it worth it to pay that much per person to see anything, but this really is a unique show experience that you won’t find elsewhere. The show is extremely specialized acrobatics with unbelievable feats that will amaze you. I recommend the Mystere Cirque show at Treasure Island. Many hotels have little outlandish things they do every ½ hour or so. The Mirage has a simulation of a volcano erupting that is pretty realistic and fun to see. Planet Hollywood rains and storms from the ceiling, which is painted like the sky with clouds. The Venetian is built with a moat going through the INSIDE of the hotel and you can buy tickets to take a Gondola ride and be serenaded by your Italian dressed guide. Most impressive of the free exhibits is the Bellagio fountains, which plays day and night, and “dance” to songs in front of their hotel. From free bird shows and light shows, to people dressed in costumes and as statues, there is an abundance of entertainment and things just to look at all around Vegas.
As you can see, there is much more to to in the city that never sleeps than just losing money at the casinos! With so many other things to do, I have gone the last several years without gambling more than $5 in a week. It is a great place to visit for a relaxing vacation- the good food, visiting animals and nature and fun entertainment keep me coming back year after year. I hope I’ve shown you that Las Vegas has lots to offer as a vacation destination!
Recently, I took my 9th annual trip to Las Vegas. My husband and I go for 7 days each year, and I would recommend Vegas for an adults-only vacation. Often people ask me how much money I have won or lost on my trips, and this year was a whopping $2.20! There are many more things to do in Vegas besides gambling! I’d like to tell you about some of the reasons why you should visit Las Vegas: you can eat very well, there are experiences visiting animals and nature there that you can’t get elsewhere and there is plenty of spectacular entertainment, much of it free, making Vegas a place you can actually have an economical vacation, if you can avoid the gambling. :)
A popular notion about eating in Vegas is the cheap buffets. Over time, the buffets have become much more expensive, but are still a good choice for a big variety of food to try. The two best buffets to visit are Bellagio and Paris, with Bellagio having a very wide variety of good food, and Paris for a slightly more economical buffet, with great-tasting food and a good variety. In fact, on my last visit, we ate at Paris buffet 3 times in one week, to show you how good it was! Gourmet restaurants also abound in Las Vegas and vacation is a great time to splurge one very good, yet a more expensive meal. I highly recommend Emril Lagasse’s Delmonico restaurant, where I had the best steak I’ve ever had. Emril has other restaurants there and other popular gourmet chefs have restaurants in many of the hotels. Do your homework before going on your vacation and pick some recommended places to eat and you should never have a bad meal!
Most people do not think of animals and nature when visiting Las Vegas. Yet, just a short 30 minutes away is Red Rock canyon. Another 1-2 hours away from the city, you can find the Valley of Fire, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and Death Valley. We always make sure to take a day out of the urban experience to visit one of these places. There are also a few good exhibits for animal viewing. One is the Sigfried and Roy Secret Garden zoo at the Mirage. For just $15, you can see several dolphins, white and gold tigers and lions and gold and black leopards. I am a fan of big cats and so I can spend a few hours here, just observing the cats. I was also allowed to pet one of the dolphins a few years ago and they currently have a 1 yr old baby dolphin and 5 young tigers, which are so adorable and playful! :) If you are more into marine life, Mandalay Bay has a shark reef where you can pet a manta ray at an exhibit, see jellyfish, sharks and many other fish. And, at MGM, a free lion exhibit lets you view their lions through a glass habitat right inside the casino. I think the variety of animals and nature is a neat change of pace from all the chimes and lights of the casinos.
There are many types of shows in Vegas, however the shows that I think are well worth the $100 price tag are Cirque du Soliel shows. I wouldn’t have believed it worth it to pay that much per person to see anything, but this really is a unique show experience that you won’t find elsewhere. The show is extremely specialized acrobatics with unbelievable feats that will amaze you. I recommend the Mystere Cirque show at Treasure Island. Many hotels have little outlandish things they do every ½ hour or so. The Mirage has a simulation of a volcano erupting that is pretty realistic and fun to see. Planet Hollywood rains and storms from the ceiling, which is painted like the sky with clouds. The Venetian is built with a moat going through the INSIDE of the hotel and you can buy tickets to take a Gondola ride and be serenaded by your Italian dressed guide. Most impressive of the free exhibits is the Bellagio fountains, which plays day and night, and “dance” to songs in front of their hotel. From free bird shows and light shows, to people dressed in costumes and as statues, there is an abundance of entertainment and things just to look at all around Vegas.
As you can see, there is much more to to in the city that never sleeps than just losing money at the casinos! With so many other things to do, I have gone the last several years without gambling more than $5 in a week. It is a great place to visit for a relaxing vacation- the good food, visiting animals and nature and fun entertainment keep me coming back year after year. I hope I’ve shown you that Las Vegas has lots to offer as a vacation destination!
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