[mobike008]

Prelude

Who does not like to travel, we are no different. I like it more than my spouse, so I am the one who is always planning trips.

I anyways travel quite a bit on work (at least once a month) but, they are usually boring trips that are work related and leaves no time to throw in any personal stuff (except once in a while, I drive my rental cars to nice places whenever I get some time off work).

Travelling out of state/country needs lot of time and planning in advance. Hence, it’s hard to plan vacations that are outside the state/country often.

When my wife mentioned she had a day off due to Columbus Day (Gosh, these Americans imagine up something to create a holiday- Well, can’t blame them they don’t have the yearlong festivals that we have in India, so they need to cook up something to give themselves a holiday, don’t they? Haha!)

Anyways, due to the long weekend on Oct 9th. We planned just a few days earlier that week that we should make a trip to Las Vegas. Honestly, due to family in Boston, most of our trips are concentrated in that area (Covered entire East Coast) and we haven’t gone on real vacations to other places in US.

This was our first ever trip to the “Sin City” and we were excited. The plan was simple :

Seattle to Las Vegas: Saturday flight.
Las Vegas to Seattle: Tuesday morning flight.

I had to be back to Seattle on Tuesday as I had a flight later in the afternoon to San Francisco for a work trip for rest of that week. So, it was a hectic week of travel.

Tickets booked, Hotels Booked (2 Nights in Hilton, 1 Night in Rio) with one night free and other night at 50% off due to the points that I had, the next thing to do was to book a rental car.

I’m a gold member at Hertz and normally use that for official purpose. I checked with my membership and was shocked to see that run of the mill cars (Small compact SUV’s or Sedans) were priced about $100/day, better cars were even more expensive.

I immediately discarded the thought of using HERTZ and decided to check out “TURO” which is a popular rental app platform where individual car owners put their cars out for rent.

Typically, TURO is also quite expensive. Best part about Turo is there are plenty of expensive car choices (you can rent a Porsche, Ferrari, BMW’s etc.) if you can afford those high-cost rentals.

I browsed and shortlisted the following 2 cars:

1. 2017 BMW 440i which was an open top costing $120/day ++ taxes & insurance
2. 2023 Dodge Challenger that was listed at $85/day ++ taxes & insurance

Wifey wanted us to get the BMW as she was not comfortable with a Challenger wanted an open top BWM. But I chose the Challenger obviously due to its lower price (there was a deal on it).

Thank God for my decision, as we anyways could not have used the open top as Las Vegas was scorching hot with temps hovering between 90-95F. Imagine, going from a 50F temps in Seattle to that scorching heat.

With all bookings done, it was decided we will park the Blau Rakete at SEATAC as I was comfortable to park it for 3-days and not any longer.

With this plan set in motion, we were excited for our trip.

I will break up this photoblog into different sections and keep the dialogue to the minimum.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and videos taken from iPhone 13 Promax and iPhone 14 Promax.

[mobike008]

Oct 7th, 2023 (Day 1)

We landed in the afternoon and the Dodge Challenger was waiting for us in the parking lot at the LV International Airport with the keys inside the car. It was a smooth experience of getting hold of the car. After settling down in the car, we made our way out of the airport and headed straight to the hotel to check in.

It was a Hilton and we made sure to select the hotel away from the “Vegas Strip”.

We wanted to stay in one of those fancy hotels (Bellagio, Venetian, Aria etc.) but being a long weekend, they were all exorbitantly priced and were selling at $450-$600/night.

Otherwise, if you travel on regular weekday or weekends, they can be had for as little as $250/night.

After checking in and freshening up, we decided to drive to the famous “Vegas Strip.”

What is Vegas Strip?- It’s a 5-miles (8 kms) long strip that is full of the fancy hotels and full of glitz and glamour. I heard about it so many times and thought it was over hyped but, when we walked the strip, it just blew our mind away as it’s absolutely beautiful, glamorous, and super vibrant full of tourists and choc-o-block with folks walking the streets and fancy cars driving the streets strutting their stuff. It’s a place to show off your wealth.

Now the problem was where to park the car? We searched and decided to park in “Hotel Venetian”. Most of these large hotels have “Self-Parking” options and we parked in the hotel, and it costed as us a cool $60 for 4 hours. That was ridiculous.

For the next 2-days, I found a solution- Realized the “Treasure Island Resort & Casinos” allows FREE PARKING but, since it was at far end of the strip, it needs a bit more walking towards the strip. I reckon this will add at least 5000 steps to the pedometer.

All these fancy hotels are right next to each other, and we exited the garage and walked on the strip. Mind you, everything looks visibly near but, there is just too much of walking on the strip and we clocked about 18,000 steps each day and in my opinion, we didn’t even walk half of the strip.

By the time we are back at night, my legs would crumble and give away from all the beating it took during the full day/night walk. LOL!!

All these fancy hotels have casinos on the ground floor, tons of premium shopping options, restaurants and their rooms for stay are in upper floors. Anybody can walk into these fancy hotels (no dress code) and walk around and enjoy the stunning and larger than life ambience and walk over to the next one.

Every hotel has a different theme, and their interiors are next level. It's hard to describe in words but, the glamour, decor and interiors is to be seen to be beileved.

"Hotel Venetian" for example has canals inside the hotel where you can take a Gondola ride (a.k.a Venice) and there is a musical fountain outside Hotel Bellagio (If you remember the famous movie Oceans 11, it was shot in this hotel) and this draws people like anything.

This world famous "Bellagio Fountain" plays every 15-minutes from 8:00pm to midnight.

We enjoyed this day getting acclimatized to the “Vegas Strip”, gambled a bit at Venetian, Bellagio and lost about $150 in Roulette and other games.

I dislike gambling and never did it in my entire life. I don't even know how to hold cards. But, my wife was keen on this activity. Can you say no to that???

We kept a budget of $100/day to “lose” in gambling.

It is well known that the “house wins” all the time. So, it was just for experience, and it was super-fun.

I noticed that most of the folks at the casinos (dealers and players) are mostly Chinese and they play mostly at “high stake” tables that usually starts at $5000.

We called it a night at around 2:00am after an exhilarating day at the “Strip.”

Note : This post has pictures of "Hotel Venetian" "Vegas at Day & Night"

Hotel Venetian View from outside.

https://youtu.be/tAhYOUhT1so

View of STRIP by the night.

https://youtu.be/vnlINIkPnVo

Vegas STRIP drive by in Daylight.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=a2M2MQs57IU?feature=share

[mobike008]

Oct 8th, 2023 (Day 2)

Next day, we got up leisurely and headed out at around 10:00am and thankfully found a Dunkin’ Donut nearby (We miss this place as Washington does not have DD stores) and drove through to grab some amazing sesame bagels with cream cheese and coffee.

I had initially planned to drive to West Rim of Grand Canyon but, wifey was more keen on spending time at the STRIP as this was our first trip and a short one at that. She suggested for us to keep the Canyon for next visit. I agreed but, I need an excuse to drive the Challenger so found another interesting spot that many people don’t visit.

Red Rock Canyon- Scenic Drive

This place is just 25 miles from the Vegas Strip, and we headed there and bought the ticket to enter this scenic 13-mile drive which we did in about 3-hours stopping at multiple scenic points to enjoy the truly marvelous scenes of nature.

The mountains and rocks were of different colors ranging from brown, red to cream color.

We headed back to hotel around 4:00pm, rested, freshened up and back on the strip for a late night walk, dinner and general checking out the casinos until midnight.

This post has pictures and videos from this scenic drive.

Slowly making our way through the scenic drive.

https://youtu.be/PJoiJfUmlic

Check this video out, the mountain terrain so creepy and massive.

https://youtu.be/HWhOQwPtu5g

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FMezraITSlg

[mobike008]

Oct 9th, 2023 (Day 3)

Yet again, got up leisurely and headed out at around 10:00am and repeated our Dunkin Donuts breakfast.

Today, we planned to visit the famous “Hoovers Dam” which was about 40 miles away. Drove through the broad highways, desert and rough mountains looming ahead to reach Hoovers Dam around 12:30pm. The scenery is so different from Washington. We are used to winding roads, lush green, tall beautiful trees and snow capped mountains everywhere. When I see this desert, it sank my heart and was in awe of this large expanse of land which was brutally sparse with respect to trees or any form of greenery.

What you need to understand is Vegas is HOT. It was not even summer but, it was 95F (34 C) and we were coming from a 50F (10 C) Seattle weather, and it was simply unbearable. Here in US, 34C is equivalent to 40C in India.

We could not stay outdoors for more than an hour as we got exhausted and preferred driving around the dam area in the coolness of the car (Switched on the AC).

We have a centrally air-conditioned home but, never switch on AC, so that too was a new experience. Haha!

A little about Hoovers Dam:

Interestingly, Hoovers Dam falls in both states of Nevada and Arizona. There is a spot in the area (Picture of the big clock in this post), where you cross the time changes from Pacific Time (PT) to Mountain Time (MT) which is Arizona time zone. Crazy, huh?

Hoover dam is one of the largest man-made dams in US and supplies power to both states.

Fun Facts about Hoover Dam:

• It was built in 5-years and opened in 1935 and was considered the highest dam when it was inaugurated.
• Considered as architectural marvel.
• Nazis tried to blow up this dam in WWII.
• Provides power to 1+ million people in Nevada, Arizona & California
• 1+ million visitors to Hoovers Dam each year.
• Free to visit but, funnily at security they always ask you” if you are carrying any guns” LOL!!
• Hoovers Dam is a National Historic Landmark

We returned back to the strip and drove to another end and had to take a picture at the historic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”. After that mandatory touristy picture, we headed back to hotel to rest.

That evening was special as we had booked in advance for a dinner at world famous chef “Wolfgang Puck” restaurant “SPAGO” which is located in Hotel Bellagio.

If you are lucky, you get an outdoor seating and enjoy an exquisite meal watching the “Bellagio Fountain.” And, I had to literally plead the hostess to get us a table outside as they normally give you an indoor seating.

We enjoyed the fine meal with martinis and cognac and despite a limited order the bill for 2 pax was around $250. Well, the experience is more important than the meal itself and we enjoyed the views tremendously and spent a leisurely 3-hours on the meal.

Since this was our final night, we spent some more time at the roulette table and lost another $100 bucks and decided to call it a night around midnight.

We had early morning flight on Oct 10th (Tuesday) and it was a smooth process of returning the car and we left the car in the departure terminal and headed back to the grind.

I will skip title'ing the pictures and hope you enjoyed reading the photoblog of our short and sweet trip to one of the most popular destinations of America.

As they say “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” but, unlike the HANGOVER guys, we normal folks never do anything that makes this tagline work. Haha!

A birds Eye view of the Hoover Dam.

https://youtu.be/wOVECKk_MIc?si=CcoOkVEyDSIXg7XT

A beautiful drive-by the Hoover Dam. Check out the amazing construction.

https://youtu.be/Jg_GMl_cT1g

[mobike008]

That evening we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant " Spago" at Hotel Bellagio, Las Vegas.

As you can see the ambience and the view was to die for and we enjoyed this experience a lot.



A short video to enjoy the ambience. Can you guess the song playing in the background? One of my all time favorites.

https://youtu.be/dm-Zsq_D05M

P.S : We also enjoyed another meal sitting below Effiel Tower which is opposite to Hotel Bellagio which had a fabulous vantage point of viewing the Bellagio and the fountains from that location. We discovered it accidentally and decided to enjoy a meal to sink in the sights with strip down below with traffic passing.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jaKfR7nKGaE?feature=share

[mobike008]

Post dinner we stepped outside and yet again enjoyed the fountain show (We may have viewed this fountain show at least 4-times in our 3-days visit).

There is a huge crowd that builds up and it's hard to get a good spot near the railing to get an unobstructed view of the fountain show but, if you wait long enough, it's not hard to get one.

As this hotel is at such a vantage point that you get a 360 degree view of all other fancy hotels nearby and combined with the musical fountain show it's truly a spectacle not to be missed when you visit Vegas.

Spectacular Show.

https://youtu.be/utCc6y4kZXk

Here is another video from a different day.

https://youtu.be/kWNNloIQsys

[mobike008]

Bellagio Botanical Garden, Hotel Bellagio, Las Vegas

Post the fountain show, we stepped inside the hotel and walked past the hotel reception and lobby which is the prettiest that we saw in any hotel till date towards the Botanical Garden that's situated at the back side of the hotel.

Trust me, this garden is a sight to behold. These are all fresh and real flowers that are changed periodically. And, each time there is a new theme for this garden. I can only imagine the amount of hardwork that goes into replacing these flowers.

There is also a restaurant inside that must be quite expensive to dine which has some amazing interior decor as you can see in the pictures which obviously need advance booking and will probably also empty the wallet.

Truly a magnificent sight and must-experience.

P.S : Pics don't have a pink tint or over saturated, the entire atmosphere inside was so PINK that even iPhone camera which usually captures "true to life colors" couldn't come up with less vivid colors. LOL!!!

https://youtu.be/gYRMtxvFV5w

[mobike008]

Madison Square Garden SPHERE, Las Vegas

As many of us must know or have followed the news that created waves about the launch of MSG SPHERE in Las Vegas in February 2023 which is a state-of-the art venue to host musical concerts and sporting events. It's like never before seen structure and possibly the first entertainment center oozing with never before seen technology.

We were dazzled to view the sphere up close as it's mammoth in size and is visible from almost a mile away due to it's girth and overall size.

What is the SPHERE?

It's a venue for musical concerts and sports events that is built like no other in the world. Here are some basic details and fun facts about the SPHERE.

--Sphere is 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide.

--It is the largest spherical building in the world at 875,000 sq ft.

--It has seating for 18,600 people, and all seats have high speed internet access.

-- Built with a whopping cost of $2.3 Billion dollars

-- It's lit up every single day & night and animations change as per the news, holidays and events.

-- I think U2 played the first concert to mark the opening of this unique venue.

-- Tickets are priced at $175++ per person to experience this venue. Expect to book way in advance.

-- This is a once in a lifetime experience (as quoted by a friend who enjoyed this venue) and "MUST SEE"

Drive-By Video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ccyZ66bIwSM?feature=share

Walk-By Video

https://youtu.be/9qdd5rzqut0

[mobike008]

Brief Driving Impressions- 2023 Dodge Challenger (Base Version)

How can I sign off this photoblog without a few pictures of the 2023 Dodge Challenger and a brief driving impression after driving it for 3-days and ~ 400 miles.

This was a base version and comes with a V6 engine pumping out 303 horsepower and 268 lb ft of torque that does 0-60mph in about 5.5 seconds.

These specs in the normal sense seems plenty powerful on paper but, being a heavy car, it does not feel that powerful, especially the torque is on the lower side.

I had driven a Scat pack (next powerful version in their line-up), so I knew what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised to drive this new model.

Engine is refined and smooth. There is no roughness in anywhere in the rev range. This was a pleasant surprise.

Acceleration is good. I particularly noticed that when you dap the gas pedal, it lunges forward with an immediate rush and then as it picks up speed that immediate rush of acceleration turns more linear and you need to step on the gas to get up to decent speeds. It's not a fast car by any means but, is an enjoyable car to drive for an enthusiast.

Handling is decent and much improved from previous versions. Steering feel isn’t the best or fast to inputs and does make you feel that you are navigating a big car.

Visibility is the biggest issue as you sit low and window sill starts high and due to its extremely long hood and low back windows, the all-around visibility is a challenge.

Features, Interiors materials are from fossil era, it’s not easy or intuitive to use any of the features and UI feels dated and touchscreen is neither smooth or fast to change screens.

I had an issue as I could not connect my iPhone to the system despite multiple tries and even with wired. This was a dampener. I reached out to the owner, and he mentioned he too faces this issue on and off.

Rear seat space is for a kid, and you need to fold the front seat to access the rear seat space.

Fuel average is dismal. Despite being less powerful than my BMW, this was averaging at around 19-20mpg. I know Scat packs average at 14-16mpg, so it was not a huge surprise.

Finally, my personal view is that muscle cars biggest scoring point is it's road presence (especially in this bright orange color) and it most certainly turns heads. It's reasonably fun to drive but, due to its size, weight, lack of comfort, below average fuel efficiency and features that feel dated is not a car that I can visualize myself living with on long-term basis.

Will I continue to rent muscle cars in future? Hell Yeah, it’s always good to enjoy them for short periods of time.

When I got back into the driving seat of my BMW (I must say with a sense of relief !!) which was parked at the Seattle airport, it felt refreshingly different and a whole different league with respect to performance, comfort, features, and everything else in between. Simply there is no comparison !!

Here are some pictures of this beautiful orange colored Dodge Challenger.

Hope you enjoyed the photos and feel free to ping me if you need any input on Vegas as I feel like an SME on "Sin City" post this visit.

Note : Please click all pictures to see them in full glory.

Cheers
Mobike008

https://youtu.be/qtlEsO8hRGM?si=b8UFAVjrd0PwsbWP

[benbsb29]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by mobike008

This was our first ever trip to the “Sin City” and we were excited.

Yet another great thread ! I was last there 5 yrs ago for CES and did spend time around. However, given the event footfall, it was crowded everywhere. Didn't seem like that in your pix.

The Sphere is a big attraction now and I'm really eager to go back to Vegas and check it out. did you get the go inside?

The Fountain at Bellagio - was there as Drone show as well? It was a great song and Drone show by Intel. I was told it would become a regular.

The Challenger - It is Raw. every Dodge feels like that in some ways.
I have driven it as rentals quite many times before but they were mostly the V6 which didn't appeal at any level except looks.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Yet another great thread ! I was last there 5 yrs ago for CES and did spend time around. However, given the event footfall, it was crowded everywhere. Didn't seem like that in your pix.

Thanks Avinash. CES typically happens each year in January and everyone from IT industry is there in Vegas. But, this was just another long weekend. There was quite a bit of crowd.

Vegas is always full with tourists. Just that footfalls quantity change over time periods of the year.

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

The Sphere is a big attraction now and I'm really eager to go back to Vegas and check it out. did you get the go inside?

No. We did not go. It has a long waiting for ticket booking (online) and as mentioned is about 200 bucks with taxes. Hopefully in our next visit if its well planned.

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

The Fountain at Bellagio - was there as Drone show as well? It was a great song and Drone show by Intel. I was told it would become a regular.

Nope. No drone show. But, the fountain show is really awesome.

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

The Challenger - It is Raw. every Dodge feels like that in some ways. I have driven it as rentals quite many times before but they were mostly the V6 which didn't appeal at any level except looks.

There is an aura around muscle cars and for a good reason. Agree these base engine (V6) is quite run of the mill in these muscle cars.

I would love to drive the Hellcat as my next rental.

[aditya_rao]

Nice Photos and always refreshing to see blue skies and sunny days (we have 6 months of winter in east coast Canada ).

I saw few more expensive orange cars in the photos (Lambo and an Audi). Would have been good if it was a group drive

Did the checkpoint at Hoover dam come up recently? I went there in 2017 and didn't encounter any check points, looks like a lot has changed there.

I've never stayed more than few hours in Vegas, so the night photos are a visual treat.

How was the 14 Pro Max battery? did it last whole day with all the photos or did you have to charge it constantly?

On the Challenger - Coming from an X3, what did you feel about the interiors, comfort and view from inside? I sat in a challenger few years back and except that it was super fast compared to other cars I drove, I didn't feel anything good about the interiors

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

Nice Photos and always refreshing to see blue skies and sunny days (we have 6 months of winter in east coast Canada lol

Something similar here. We get 6-months of rain but, I ain’t complain’n as the aftermath is just “Green” lol!

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

I saw few more expensive orange cars in the photos (Lambo and an Audi). Would have been good if it was a group drive

Haha! LV is a place to show off your wealth. Plenty of cars on the strip revving their engines and night is drowned in these howls, whines of the V6 and V8.

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

Did the checkpoint at Hoover dam come up recently? I went there in 2017 and didn't encounter any check points, looks like a lot has changed there.

No clue. First visit for us and as mentioned at the entry point they ask this weird question- “Are you carrying any guns?” LOL!

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

How was the 14 Pro Max battery? did it last whole day with all the photos or did you have to charge it constantly?

14 Promax is a pretty new phone ( 3-months old) and is my secondary phone and is sparingly used.

In this trip, it was used as a primary camera. At least 70% of the pictures were taken from 14 Promax and rest with my primary phone (13 Promax)

Battery of 13 Promax last 24 hours even till date with a battery health of 85%

Battery of 14 Promax lasts for over 48 hours with battery health at 100%

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

On the Challenger - Coming from an X3, what did you feel about the interiors, comfort and view from inside? I sat in a challenger few years back and except that it was super fast compared to other cars I drove, I didn't feel anything good about the interiors

Not sure if you read my brief impressions post in this thread.

I did a basic comparison between the cars.

X3M40i is a pure performance machine. It’s also a well rounded beast- Performance, Comfort, High Quality Interiors, Excellent Features, Next level fun to drive.

Challenger did not excel in any of the above listed parameters.

Next visit, I plan to drive this :

[aditya_rao]

Originally Posted by mobike008

No clue. First visit for us and as mentioned at the entry point they ask this weird question- “Are you carrying any guns?” LOL!

Interesting, It's not even close to Mexico border, so weird to see a checkpoint.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Battery of 14 Promax lasts for over 48 hours with battery health at 100%

48 hrs is good battery life

Originally Posted by mobike008

Not sure if you read my brief impressions post in this thread.

I did a basic comparison between the cars.

X3M40i is a pure performance machine. It’s also a well rounded beast- Performance, Comfort, High Quality Interiors, Excellent Features, Next level fun to drive.

Challenger did not excel in any of the above listed parameters.

You had so many photos, it was hard to scroll down and this was the 9th post in the thread
I would prefer the X3 over most similar sized SUVs, unless I'm carrying couple of bags and using all seats. It has the best mileage, good interiors, fun to drive over the so called economical ones I've driven. I get 17-18kmpl on highways, which is roughly 40MPG, so can't complain.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Next visit, I plan to drive this :

I will let you know when I'm in LAS, you can show me the city in this car