A NOT SO GRAND DAY OUT

[defrog]

Yesterday we made a day trip to Macau, mainly just to have somewhere to go, seeing as how (1) I was off this week, and (2) I don’t need a visa to get in. We’d planned to go to the weekender in mainland China, but China keeps raising the cost of a visa, and at the moment a single-entry visa costs almost what we spent on three ferry tickets, lunch and almond cookies in Macau.

Anyway, the main thing we went to see was the new MGM Grand, which opened a couple of weeks ago. Verdict: the only thing “grand” about it was the big screen thing outside.



Maybe I’m a bit put off by the trouble we had at the front door (security didn’t like the looks of our water bottles and made us drink them first to prove they weren’t explosives – then when we went through the door, another security guard ten feet from the first guy told us we couldn’t bring water in). Or maybe it’s because one of the restaurant menus contradicted itself bilingually (i.e. the English menu promises fries with the tuna melt, the Chinese version says nothing about fries, and the waitress had no idea what “French fries” even were when we tried to point out the discrepancy). But hey, they’ve only been open for ten days, so I’m a fair guy.

No, in the end the MGM Grand is okay as casinos go, but basically it’s another high-end Vegas casino. So we went to The Venetian again, since I didn’t get too see too much of it last time, being on the job and all. Still comes across as a Disneyland attraction with a shopping mall and a casino in it.

On the other hand, guess who’s celebrating New Year’s Eve there?



How very ... Vegas.

Still, the Venetian seems to be the place where all the big music names who would otherwise skip HK are going to play. They had the Black Eyed Peas there last month. And here’s who they've got for the other New Year.



I probably won’t go (it’s expensive enough without figuring in the ferry tix), but it’s nice someone made the effort to book them round these parts.

It’s alright for you,

This is dF

FULL DISCLOSURE: I blew HK$20 on the slots in the MGM Grand.

Comments

[lorilori.livejournal.com]

You mean you don't want to pay the 125.00+ price they were charging here when they played Wrigley Field over the summer? Damnit, Jim, aren't you made of $ $ $.

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Are you referring to The Police or the Pussycat Dolls?

And if I was made of $$$, I'd have blown a lot more on the slots, woman. And I'd have been playing the HK$10 slots, not the 20-cent jobbies I lost my HK$20 (US$2.56) on.

[lorilori.livejournal.com]

I'm referring to the elderly threesome called The Police. I work w/ someone who lucked out and got to go twice in the three night run.

[bedsitter23.livejournal.com]

I was going to make a snarky comment about "a special solo appearance from Nicole", but I think it goes without saying.