Ka - Originally Published 2010

Someone reading this is thinking to himself, “Ka?  Why would I spend good money to watch some French Canadians jump around?”

You should do it because leap they do, as well as a lot of other incredible things like fly and sword fight.  The stage alone is worth the price of admission.

Now, I would love to show you some of the pictures that I took during the show.  But I can’t.  Because I didn’t take any.  They wouldn’t let me.  And even if I could have, they would have come out cruddy because it’s a huge theater with a lot of movement.  I don’t think that the Coolpix could swing it.

What I can show you are pictures of the Ka bar.  You see, this is Vegas, not Broadway.  They drop the pretenses in Vegas and know that there are going to be some real chazzers in the audience.  Yup, you can get a giant drink and then head into the show.

All cynicism aside, this was a great show.  I think my wife spent her money well and I would not hesitate having her spend some more on a future Cirque Du Soleil show.

Hash House A Go Go - Originally Published 2010

Vegas prides itself on going big without any hesitation.  Buffets, big margaritas, remember those Rosewood Grill signs?  It’s easy to get over saturated with the whole “big” thing.  If this ever happens, I recommend heading over to the Hash House A Go Go.  Quite honestly, the size of the food there is jarring.

 On our most recent excursion to Las Vegas found us taking breakfast at the Imperial Palace location.  After seeing the size of the portions, we opted to share an omelet and get a pancake to go.  If you’re not a professional competitive eater, I would recommend going this route.

 Call me jaded, but bigger does not always mean better.  How was it, you ask?  It was pretty good, says I. 

Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas - Originally Published 2010

Once again, Animated Meat ventures into the underbelly of the city and pulls back the curtain on places you’ve wondered about but never bothered with.  In this installment, Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas.

Madame Tussaud’s bills itself as an interactive wax museum.  What does that mean?  It means that they have dropped the velvet rope and allow visitors to stand right next to the sculptures and take pictures.  That’s pretty much it to the interactivity of the museum.

The quality of the sculptures is remarkable.  Wax museums in my past have left me jaded.  To Madame Tussaud’s credit, I never once wondered to myself, “Who is that supposed to be?”

Bring your camera, because this is a museum that you need to check all your coolness at the door in order to really enjoy.  The museum is populated with celebrities both current and former and from all professions, just waiting for you to make a fool of yourself in front of. 

I’ll give them a whole lot of credit for making a statue of Chuck Liddell.

M & M World - Originally Published 2010

M&M World gets referred to in publications as a museum.  I’m not sure if this is a mistake on the consumer’s part or if the blame lies on M&M corporate.  We wandered into it because I had seen it billed as a “museum”.

However, a museum it is not.  It’s a colossal emporium where you can get anything M&M oriented you would like.  Just don’t go there looking for a history lesson on the brand.

We went midweek and the place was packed with visitors.  That’s an accomplishment because this store is no less than four stories stocked to the rafters with the smiling spokes-candies stamped, embroidered, embossed, and extruded on items that run the gamut of price points.  Speaking of prices, I wouldn’t recommend going there looking for a bargain.  Even the candy seemed pricy.

If you have a couple grand lying around, they have some trinkets for you.

They even have M&M dog items.  This is a bold maneuver because chocolate is toxic to dogs.

I think the thing that fuels purchases at M&M World is something known as the guilt factor.  Mom and dad have gone to Vegas for some adult fun and forgot for a while that they’re parents.  As a result, they go and buy an overpriced M&M plush item to smooth over things with their little princess who had to stay in the hotel room all night.

Bonanza Gift Shop - Originally Published 2010

Somewhere in China, there is an industrial town where all of the local residents are employed by the local factory.  Every morning at dawn, they rise and go through their routines.  They file down the streets and through the iron gates of the grey industrial complex.

I suppose there are signs on the wall that translate to phrases such as “Work is Our Pleasure” and “The People’s Party Makes Us Free”.  The complex is filled with miles of tables where the locals sit for sixteen hours a day and produce so that the Chinese government will grow stronger.  The workers’ reward for their labor is knowing that the people of China are free from the yoke of capitalism and greed.

So what is it that these nameless drones produce?  Las Vegas ashtrays and shot glasses for the Bonanza Gift Shop.  Enough is produced in this factory town to fill this robust store. 

The Bonanza Gift Shop is 40,000 square feet of any kind of Las Vegas trinket one could ever hope to lay hands on.   You name it and they have it.