On a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon during our March trip to Las Vegas, we headed to Margaritaville for lunch. Nothing says vacation quite like umbrella drinks and cheeseburgers in paradise! After parking behind the Flamingo, we became distracted by a large, shiny object. The enormous High Roller Observation Wheel is a new-ish attraction in Las Vegas and one that we had not yet experienced.

The big question...night or day? I love the twinkling lights of nighttime in Vegas, but we decided to just go for it then and there, opting for a daytime ride. At twenty-six dollars a ticket, the daytime rides are ten dollars less than nighttime. The ride lasts for thirty minutes and we had the option of paying thirty-seven dollars for a ride in a cabin with an all-you-can-drink bar. We held out for Margaritas. It was the right choice too, because the cabins with a bar had a long queue. It seemed that it was the option that everyone was choosing. Not only did we not have to wait, but we ended up with an entire cabin to ourselves. Score!

Dan took some panoramas to show off all of our space. It was huge!

At 550 feet, The High Roller is the tallest observation wheel in the world. During the ride, there was a video presentation ( with a mega annoying host) giving facts about Vegas and the wheel. They showed a cool time lapse video of the construction of the wheel.

The view was good, but far from the best in Vegas. The wheel is located mid-strip, behind the Linq and Flamingo hotels, so it's off center. There are much better views to be had from many of the hotels actually on the strip. Still though, we had fun taking pictures.

When we exited, they had several bars ready to go. Drinking is popular in Vegas, who knew?

We also saw some pretty rock decor under the wheel.

Was the wheel worth the price? Meh.

Let me qualify my reaction by letting you know that I'm not a "view" person. Sure, I can appreciate a pretty view, but I get bored with it quickly. Thirty minutes is a lot of time to spend looking at a subpar Vegas view. However, the wheel itself is a bit of a marvel. I've done the London Eye, which was a similar experience. If you've never done anything like it, then absolutely add the High Roller to your Vegas itinerary.

Finally, here is a picture of me with a giant Flamingo that we found on our way to Margaritaville. Many years ago, I spent over two thousand hours gathering observation research on Greater Flamingos at the zoo.

On our March trip to Las Vegas, our first stop was a Tix-4-Tonight booth, where we were able to pick up some heavily discounted ticket to Cirque Du Soleil's Zumanity.

Zumanity has been running at the New York- New York Casino for ten years and although it was easy to find discounted tickets, the theatre was extremely, if not completely full. I don't think that the popularity is waning and the crowd reaction was very favorable.

Zumanity is Cirque Du Soleil's "sensual" and "sexy" show. It's eighteen plus, has a fair bit of nudity and a ton of sex related jokes. It's not for prudes, however nothing was too extreme or even gratuitous. I think that most people can handle it, if they go into the show with an open mind and good sense of humor.

The posters are almost more risqué than the actual show.

In the lobby, there was a heart shaped bed with red satin sheets. Valentine's Day sexy!

The red theme continues into the theatre. Here is a picture of us with the stage in the background taken after the show.

Truthfully, I'm not a huge fan of the Cirque Du Soleil productions. This is my fifth one ( I've also seen O, KA, Believe and Love). Of those, I thought O was dreadful and Love was outstanding, with the other two falling somewhere in the middle. Zumanity moves into my #2 spot, just because it was a lot of fun and different. The sets and costumes are less fancy and it isn't as "showy" as the other Cirque productions, but what it lacks in spectacle, it makes up for in entertainment value.

You must arrive for the preshow. A big reason that I disliked O was the clowns and the sense humor. Zumanity has a much less subtle sense of humor, relying more on dialogue and improvisation with audience members, than it does on physical comedy, like O. This appeals to me. Several characters wander in the audience, including two busty twins passing out chocolate covered strawberries and a horny couple cruising unsuspecting ticket holders. If you're in the front section, there is a fair chance you might be forced to interact. This is not limited to the preshow.

The master of ceremonies is a drag queen who calls herself the Mistress of Sensuality. She invites the audience to keep an open mind as the show proceeds with a series of acts. Some have a semi-story, like an aerial act of a woman who dreams of a man other than her husband. There is a beautifully choreographed scene with two naked women diving and swimming in an oversized fishbowl. The most memorable and impressive was a male contortionist. He was amazing. He could bend his body in the most impossible way and then just as everyone in the audience is cringing, he would give a big grin to assure us that he was okay.

Zumanity was a surprise. I was not expecting it to be so darn fun. It's creative, hilarious and filled with unexpected moments. It's a worthy addition to your next Las Vegas vacation.

Las Vegas March 2015- High Roller Observation Wheel

Las Vegas March 2015- Zumanity