Journal Entry for Saturday, Oct 29th

Alpin Hong Tonight we had tickets for Alpin Hong at the Henderson Pavilion up the street. A one-man piano show, he has to be one of the most gifted pianists we have ever seen.  We first saw him give a free recital at the Henderson Events Center back in September of 2009, and were both blown away. We both agreed that we had never heard anyone play with such passion.  Tonight’s performance, featuring the music of Mendelssohn and Bach, was no exception. He is not only a great musician he is an excellent showman as well.  He actually makes the piano sound almost liquid. After a couple of performances with special guest Simon Boyar, a renowned percussionist who played marimba and drums, he shared the stage with the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra. He performed several sets that showcased some of the more talented young performers. Though we would have liked to see him play more, the performance was exuberant. Click here to view a collage of concert pictures ... Alpin Hong Alpin Hong is a native of Michigan and made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at the age of ten. He moved to Los Angeles soon after and garnered competition victories at a young age with wins at the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition, the 1993 SYMF Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards Competition. He was the winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 2001. His teachers include Mark Richman and Emilio del Rosario. He completed his Master’s degree as a student of Jerome Lowenthal at The Juilliard School.

Journal Entry for Thursday, Oct 27

Hiking Day Today was another one of my regularly scheduled Thursday hikes with the rock hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Center. That means up at 5:30am. Connie gets to stay home alone and read and watch movies while I go traipsing around the Nevada desert. Today we traveled to Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area and Keyhole Canyon. Even though Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area turned out to be a ‘bust’, Keyhole Canyon was a very pleasant surprise. With literally hundreds of ancient petroglyphs scattered high and low on the surrounding ledges, it was a photographer’s dream. Check out the postings on my Photography Gallery here … Ireteba Peaks Wilderness Area and Keyhole Canyon.

Journal Entry for Monday, Oct 24th

Killer Elite The other movie we saw last week was, Killer Elite, staring tough-guy Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. Supposedly  based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world's most elite operatives for hire - Danny, an ex-special ops agent (played by Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime friend and mentor (played by Robert De Niro) - against the cunning leader of a secret military society (played by Clive Owen). Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse where the predators become the prey. Once you’ve seen more than one Jason Statham movie, you know what to expect – a good ol’ slam-bang action movie with Statham kicking some serious butt. "Killer Elite" is no different. Though panned by a lot of critics, this action packed movie was just up our alley. We gave it 3-Stars.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Oct 23rd

The Ides of March Thought I would use today’s post to talk about one of the two movies that we took in while vacationing in Laughlin last week - The Ides of March. The story takes place during the frantic last days of a heavily contested presidential primary. Up-and-coming campaign press secretary (played by Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency. Though not exactly a revelatory story, it is a supremely well-acted drama. Though we both like George Clooney, Ryan Gosling was excellent in his part as the Governor’s press secretary. Some reviewers noted that it “moves at a calm, confident clip”, we both referred to it as just “slow paced”. We only give it 3-1/2 Stars.

Journal Entry for Saturday, Oct 22nd

East Coast Eats Since our arrival home from last week’s ‘mini-vacation’ in Laughlin, we haven’t done anything special; just getting back into our normal routines; me on the computer in the morning while Connie reads, then out for a little gambling and dining. Today we picked up dinner takeout from our new favorite restaurant, East Coast Eats. This the third time we’ve eaten here in the past two weeks. The last time we had the hot roast beef sub and onion rings – both outstanding. Today we picked up the Steak Bomb. It was the best we’ve ever had. The steak was extremely tender, and it had just the right amount of cooked onions, green peppers and cheese.

Journal Entry for Friday, Oct 21st

Christmas Tree Pass On our drive back to Las Vegas, I decided, much to Connie’s chagrin, to leave the highway and take Christmas Tree Pass Road for a picture taking adventure. Although much of this road is like driving on a washboard, with occasional deep ruts and protruding rocks, careful and slow driving will allow a passenger car to traverse the full length of the road. With occasional stops for picture taking, this 15-mile stretch added two hours to our drive home. Fortunate, I was able to capture some nice scenic pictures of the surrounding landscape. Check out the Daytrip entry on my Photo Gallery site for more info and pictures … Daytrip - Christmas Tree Pass

Journal Entry for Thursday, Oct 20th

Three More Free Nights On our last night we stayed at the Colorado Belle Casino; and what a night it was. For some apparently ‘unknown’ reason the fire alarm in our room started going off at around 12:45 am and continued to do so about every half hour. I finally went down to the desk, where there were several others with the same problem, and ended up getting an upgraded room for the rest of the night. Needless to say, by the time we moved over to it and finally got back to sleep, we didn’t get much sleep that night. Upon checked out, I made it a point to complain about this and a couple of other problems we had encountered and ended of getting a comp for three free nights in a river-front room, usable anytime in the next 12 months.

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Oct 19th

By The Pool Over the course of our five days in Laughlin, we spent many hours reading and relaxing by the pool at Harrah’s. One of the great things about this place is that they have two separate pool and spa areas, one being “adults only”. They also have covered cabanas offering shade on a first come first use basis; meaning if you get there early, you are always guaranteed getting one. We usually stop by McDonald’s on the way down for some breakfast sandwiches and coffee and have breakfast by the pool with the morning paper or a book.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Oct 18th

Motown After Dark The highlight of our second day in Laughlin was the Nathan Owens Motown After Dark R&B show we attended at Harrah’s. With music of Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and James Brown, groups like the Spinners and others who made serious contributions to the R&B music of the era. Steve Baldwin, who is not only blind, but also looks like Stevie Wonder, did a great tribute to Stevie Wonder. Stephanya Barranti was excellent doing Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. It was a very energetic non-stop show that lasted for nearly two hours. Though overall we both thought it was a little too loud, we both enjoyed.

Journal Entry for Monday, Oct 17th

Comedy On The Edge Our first night in Laughlin we attended the Comedy On The Edge show featuring Vicki Barbolak and Cindy Burns in the Inferno showroom at the Edgewater Casino showroom. Cindy Burns was the “lead-in” for Vicki and was very funny. She mocks everyone including herself by finding peoples imperfections and turning it into humor. Vicki’s humor is based partly on her life as a three times married Mom living in a trailer park in San Diego, struggling with finance, family and relationships, and is genuinely funny. her humor has a Universal quality that all types of audiences relate to and love.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Oct 16th

Check-in at Colorado Belle This morning we packed up and headed to Laughlin again for the second time this fall. This time we had free nights at both the Colorado Belle and Harrah’s and double booked them both. As you can see from the picture on the left (click to enlarge) the Colorado Belle is a replica of a 19th century Mississippi paddlewheel riverboat. Set in the water on the west bank of the Colorado River, it offers some great river views, however, because the Belle isn’t up to the standards of Harrah’s, we booked the same three nights at Harrah’s so we would be able to use their pool and beach. Weather wise this is the best time of year to visit Laughlin and we just love sitting, reading and relaxing by their pool, and they have the best beach on the river. After checking in at both places we headed over to the Golden Nugget for the Sunday brunch at Harlow’s. Voted the best Champagne Brunch in Laughlin we thought we would give it a try. We were not disappointed! With more than three dozen items to choose from, we tried the frogs legs, escargot in a garlic butter sauce, crab legs, sliced breast of duck in a cherry reduction sauce, the largest shrimp I’ve ever seen on a buffet, made to order waffles w/ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream, steamed asparagus, prime rib, and cherries jubilee for dessert. It was an unbelievable feast. After brunch we went back to Harrah’s where we did some gambling until it was time to head out to Edgewater comedy club where we saw Cindy Burns and Vickie Barbolak. After the show we drove back to Harrah’s, went to our room and called it a night.

Journal Entry for Friday, Oct 14th

Moneyball This movie, based on a true story, is for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team. After the loss of three star players, he determines that all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane sets out to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams up with an Ivy League grad, and statistics genius, Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. Not only is this a good story, it makes you want to root for Billy Beane and the team all the way. Just a little slow at times, it is extremely well acted. We both really liked it and would give it 4-Stars. (M2-G1&G2-10/16/11)

Journal Entry for Wednesday, Oct 12

East Coast Eats Today we decided to try out East Coast Eats, a new restaurant only two miles from where we live. Located in a strip mall at 50 Valle Verde Drive, this place opened in mid-April and I don’t know what took us so long to try it out. It is a relatively small restaurant with a “fast-food” atmosphere where customers order at the counter and the cashiers deliver orders to the storefront's 10 tables. There are a large variety of sub sandwiches, pizzas, calzones, Italian dishes and seafood items on its extensive menu, with the “Boston's Own Roast Beef” and the “Steak Bomb” (featuring onions, roasted green pepper, mushrooms and cheese) being the most popular. With weekly shipments of fresh seafood -- including soft-shell Ipswich clams, haddock, scallops and shrimp – arriving on Wednesdays, we decided to share the Seafood Platter (with all of the above plus fries, onion rings and coleslaw). In addition to being plenty large enough for both of us to share, we both agreed that it was the best fried seafood we’ve had since coming to Vegas. Everything was cooked to perfection. I would definitely consider our meal as "high-quality restaurant food” even though it is served in a “ fast-food like” atmosphere. It definitely made us feel like we were back in New England; there is no doubt that we will be making many return trips to the establishment.

Journal Entry for 10/09/2011

bgfa | Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art As I noted in my journal entry for yesterday, we traveled down to the Bellagio to grab a little culture at the Gallery of Fine Art. Because it was free for locals, we had to wait in line for more than 40 minutes to see the bgfa’s latest exhibit, "A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney." This showcase included more than 30 artworks by artists including Claude Monet, David Hockney, Marc Chagall, Helen Frankenthaler, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Robert Rauschenberg, Christo, Vik Muniz and others. Though I had several favorites, I think these three topped the list. Top left is Alfred Sisley’s, "The Loing at Saint-Mammès," 1882. Oil on canvas from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Bequest of William A. Coolidge. And I just loved the vibrant color of David Hockney's "Garrowby Hill", 1998 - Oil on Canvas, again, courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It depicts an English country-scape of rolling hills and a winding highway ascending to an unfolding of farmland, its sections cut almost like diamond shards. Finally there was Eugene Louis Boudin's "Venice, Santa Maria della Salute from San Giorgio" from 1895. The softness of this painting’s long shot of Venice's picturesque loveliness with gondolas floating upon crystalline aqua water fronting the city under a gentle, light purple-ish sky was just mesmerizing. This was also Connie's favorite. [Note: Be sure to click on each picture to view it full size]  (M2-G1&G2&G3-10/09/11)

Journal Entry for 10/08/2011

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Botanical Garden and Lobster ME Today I had two free tickets for the new exhibit entitled “A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney” at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Normally admission is $12/person, making this a great deal. While we were there we also stopped at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to view the new “2011 Fall Harvest” exhibit. Both were quite enjoyable and made for a lovely afternoon. Afterwards, we stopped at the Planet Hollywood casino to try out the new restaurant, Lobster ME. Their signature item is advertised as the world’s best lobster roll. Large pieces of lobster meat are prepared in their 'secret' version of the traditional fashion before being generously layered into locally made, freshly toasted rolls. Both were served with some delicious French fries and a Diet Pepsi. Though we both like a lobster roll with a little more mayo, it was filled with lobster meat and was without a doubt the best lobster roll we’ve had since leaving New England. Not cheap at $20 each, they still made for a very enjoyable dinner.

Journal Entry for 10/06/2011

Benise Concert The highlight of our day today was the Benise concert that we attended at the Henderson Pavilion just up the street from where we live. Benise is a Spanish, flamenco guitarist that puts on a fantastic stage show with musicians, dancers, singers all encased in with outstanding backdrops and lighting effects. We first saw him on a PBS special and really fell in love with him. He is like the Yanni of guitars. - If you get a chance to catch the PBS special, or a live performance, don’t miss it! He is a must see performer. Read more about him here ... http://www.benise.com/