Halloween, a bittersweet day in my world.
As a child, Halloween was always an exciting time. Yes, there's a historic, religious origin that gave way to the commercial silliness of today. Be it the promise of candy, the creepiness of the afterlife that dwells in the hallways of haunted attractions across the United States or the convenient excuse for adults to showcase their creativity and be anything other than who they are, Halloween is fun for all ages. If you're into any of those sorts of things.
I can't explain my attraction to horror, the undead or the creepiness that lurks down a dark corridor of an abandoned building, but as a kid I was drawn to the challenge of bravely navigating the local haunted house during my earliest years living in Small Town, Indiana. There were years in my life when Halloween came and went without much fanfare, but more often than not, partaking in the Halloween festivities became an important part of my fall. And for the past 15 seasons, I have worked in the haunt industry. All but one of those years as an employee of a corporate amusement park's Halloween weekends. That's another story for another blog.
For the seventh time in 11 years, I spent my Halloween in Las Vegas. I won't recount all of those trips, either, but I will note that my first was in 2011, prior to this blog.
This year's Halloween trip wasn't a sure thing. Under different circumstances, perhaps I would have skipped Halloween in Vegas this year. I haven't made them all since 2011, obviously. But it was a wedding I was not obligated to attend that prompted my trip to Sin City for Halloween weekend.
After a late night playing cheap keno and drinking cocktails at the Plaza, I had a hard time rolling out of bed before 9 a.m.
No big deal, I had nowhere to go that morning, but I did want to wager on some early NFL game. I am rarely in town on a Sunday morning, particularly during the football season. After not betting on college football Saturday, I had to have a little action on Sunday morning. Having lost $60 on two UFC fights on Saturday, I wagered a healthy $20 on Sunday morning. Buffalo was hosting Miami, favored by plenty, and by 7.5 or 8 at the half. Figuring Buffalo was going to score a bunch at home, I wagered $20 on Buffalo to cover the first-half spread.
And the score at halftime was 3-3.
I don't bet on a lot of sports. And I usually bet something simple, often against the spread. I swear I win less than 20% of the sports wagers I make. I need to pull a George Costanza and bet the opposite of every sports instinct I have.
Wager placed before kickoff, I ventured out of downtown. I wanted to take a little time and just drive around, seeing the areas tourists never see. Or roll down Boulder Highway on a Sunday morning, before traffic was heavy. Maybe have breakfast at Klondike Sunset. But I was slow to get going, so I had two objectives Sunday morning: Supplement my cash at a non-casino ATM and grab a fast food breakfast, preferably from somewhere I don't have access to back here in Minnesota.
And where did I end up grabbing breakfast from? McDonald's. At least I knew what I was getting.
Back to the Plaza, it was time to clean up for the wedding. While I was staying at the Plaza, solo, my life partner and her sisters are getting ready at Golden Nugget, where the wedding party is also staying.
The wedding party went to the wedding chapel via a limo, I picked up the sisters. I have been going to Vegas for nearly 25 years, but never for a wedding. On Halloween 2021, it was time for my first.
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| It's a block or so off Las Vegas Boulevard, and it's a nice place to get married if you're not getting married at your casino. |
The chapel of choice was The Little Vegas Chapel. No fancy casino chapel for this party. We went to some nifty little building a block or so off Las Vegas Boulevard, a couple of blocks away from Dino's Lounge.
The wedding couple chose the Elvis wedding. The chapel was a nice little room and Elvis did a nice job of running a wedding ceremony. There were several elements to the ceremony, including a few songs by Elvis. We were invited to dance with the newlyweds during the final song of the ceremony, and thanks to the insistence of a few in our group of 16, including the bride and groom, we all danced during the final song.
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| The King doesn't get a lot of love in Vegas these days, but you can count on him to be performing a wedding somewhere in Vegas on any given day. |
After the ceremony there were a few pictures outside the building, along with those that were taken inside the building prior to the ceremony. I think that was plenty. Most folks want 1,000 pictures from their wedding day, and there's value in having those, but probably not as much as people spend for them. The photo collection the newlyweds amassed seemed to be plenty.
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| A pre-wedding photo inside The Little Vegas Chapel. |
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| This must be a classic Cadillac, right? |
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| Not sure how often these cars hit the streets, or what they're used for, but I suspect they send them when you don't have a wedding party to pick up, and therefore don't need the stretch limo. |
Ceremony is over, it's back to the casinos, and vacation mode.
There were two children in attendance. Young kids, too. Elementary school age. They're the niece and nephew of the bride. So it was kind of important that they be there for their aunt's unorthodox wedding. They were not staying at a casino. Their family was at a timeshare off the strip, down from Ellis Island.
The problem on Sunday afternoon was finding a place where a group of 12 or 14 people can assemble for food and drink, with two children in tow. With no plan, our destination ended up being Saltgrass, the modest priced steak house at Golden Nugget.
My overpriced chicken sandwich wasn't anything to go back for, but add a large beer to that, and a good one, not that Bud Light I usually drink, and a bill for about $25, or slightly less, wasn't obscene. The service was efficient, and the staff was quite accommodating to our large group spread out over two giant tables. I'd order something a bit fancier if I dine there again.
Late afternoon is upon us and it's time to go change clothes, after a stop upstairs. The sisters were discussing their Sunday evening plans, and they had yet to be finalized, so I went up to their room, awaiting their plan. That plan didn't involve me, technically.
With that Sunday night plan yet to be finalized, it was time for me to head back to the Plaza. No more Sunday church duds for me. It's time for casual clothes prior to some of us reconvening at Circa, where the bride and groom want to watch their Minnesota Vikings take on the Dallas Cowboys. There was no set plan for the remainder of the evening, other than the bride and groom planned to remain downtown and take in the Halloween atmosphere. I planned to do that, too. And eventually I did.
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