2024 New Year Eve at Las Vegas – The Sphere, The Strip, The Buffet at Wynn, and more — credited to IMED

2月 5, 2024

In the early morning of December 30th, 2023, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for the day with huge yawns and a half-asleep consciousness. What was this occasion for which I forced myself out of a peaceful slumber? On this day my family and my friends were going to Las Vegas to view the Sphere and experience some very popular attractions.

After washing up, my family wolfed down a light breakfast meal and hurried out of the house to pick up one of my mom’s friends. On the drive to Vegas, time flew by as the four of us chattered on about some random but very intriguing things, such as college applications. Soon enough, we crossed California’s border line and entered Nevada.

In Las Vegas, we strolled along the Venetian’s Grand Canal, occasionally snapping a few pictures and talking to some staff there. Some time later, we found ourselves outside, near the Santa Ana Bridge. Thinking of going to our next destination, we started to cross the bridge.

The first sight I had ot the Sphere was while walking upon the bridge. I was just looking out of the Strip when I saw an odd spherical shape out of the side. Startled, I stared at it for a moment, uncomprehending, until it suddenly hit me. It was The Sphere! On its surface, it already portrayed a variety of animations, so seemingly cool that I was already expecting a full-on show of lights at night. In the end, we decided it was time to go. We headed to The Buffet at Wynn in Vegas.

The Buffet

If you ever go to The Buffet and don’t have a reservation, beware! Beware of two-hour-long waits.

In my case, we were stranded in line from about 2 to 4pm. By the time we got our table, my feet ached like never before. But the sight of food healed me.

I just simply walked around with an empty plate, feeling like a little kid confronted by a gallon of ice cream. Everywhere I looked, there were piles of food. In one corner, mountains of shrimp and crab legs awaited the hungry customers. On the opposite side, baked delicacies lined the walls, filling their corner with the delicious aroma of a bakery. In between these two stands, foods of all kinds tumbled, piled, and sloshed in every possible place you could see. There foods included but were not limited to ramen, sausages, lamb meat, pork, pizza, pasta, sushi, and tacos. Moreover, I more than gaped at the desserts, ice cream, cakes, cupcakes, and pudding filled the stands of this sweet part of The Buffet.

Grabbing at this once-in-almost-half-a-lifetime opportunity, I sampled at every single edible thing that was provided. Out of all these foods, my favorites were the seafood, especially the shrimp. After filling myself up, I decided to go on a hunt for ice cream. I took two bowls of this desert for myself before surrendering to the wrath of my bulging stomach. After all, we still had to enjoy one final ingredient to our day: The Sphere.

The Sphere

As I got closer and closer to The Sphere from Wynn, I discovered one of the most fascinating highlights to my trip. From afar, The Sphere’s vibrant animations seemed to be projected to one entire screen around The Sphere. However, the pictures on the exterior wall of The Sphere were produced from hundreds upon thousands of color-changing dots where were enscripted light bulbs to work together to create the scenes on The Sphere.

The inside of The Sphere was scarcely less intriguing. What I used to think was a simple theater but actually both a museum and a theater. Outside of the theater, human-like robots claimed stages of their own, each interacting with their own crowd of ecstatic people. Everything looked as if they came from future!

In the theatre, people sat on stadium-like seats overlooking a humongous screen. This screen is so big. It is impossible for me to describe in a way that is believable. Let’s just say, this screen contributes a lot to the overall glamor of the show.

“The Postcard from Earth” itself is one of the most fascinating shows I have ever seen. It mixes meaningful words with a well-formatted plot and a collection of picturesque recordings. The seats, which move and vibrate slightly in accordance to the event in the show, added the feeling of you actually “being there” and not just being in a theatre. Occasional effects such as wind also contributed to the wonder and gravity of this film. All in all, it is worth your money and a great experience.

Evening

In the evening, my family spent time studying the clips on the outside of The Sphere which range from cute furry monsters to satisfying patches of color swirling and splashing against each other. We played poker with our friends. The first day of our trip gradually rolled to an end.

Strolls on The Strip

The next day, we decided to go outside and took in the views of Las Vegas Boulevard. Walking outside was an ideal choice since it prompted WOWs at the beauty and glamor of The Strip. Although the Vegas air often has the smell of cigarettes, strolling along these streets was refreshing and pleasing. Around midday, we headed to our last meal in Las Vegas.

Gordon Ramsay’s Burger Restaurant

This burger restaurant was founded by the famous chef, Gordon Ramsay, and acclaimed, for me at least, one of the most pro burger restaurants. The waiters here knew exactly who ordered what, for one. For another, these burgers were the juiciest, most flavorful, and the most packed-with-ingredients burgers I have ever seen. Just taking a bite of the burger was quite difficult! You almost had to unhinge your jaw from your skull! But don’t worry, it’s quite worth it. Only, be warned, these burger are very big and some varieties are a bit pricey. Other than that, this place is worth a try.

The End

After our meal, we took a walk back to our cars. On the way, we passed some tourist attractions we were interested in but never experienced because of the pricey tickets. In the end, we got onto our ride back to  our sweet home.

This Las Vegas trip was a vacation full of surprises and experiences that were all very worthwhile and fascinating. I wonder, where will my family and travel to next?

1/6/2024

Posted in IMED