Photo TR: Adam's 2023 Las Vegas Adventure

[jedimaster1227]

While not on my planned trips for 2023/2024, when my wife found out that Kelly Clarkson was doing a limited residency in Las Vegas, before I knew it, we had tickets booked. This would be my second visit to Las Vegas to date (my first-timer report can be found here) and for this reason, the focus was less on rides and attractions (though I did squeeze in a few) and more on shows, Area 15, experiences and an underlying search for "Lost Vegas" along the way. I have been fascinated with the ebbs and flows of Vegas' attempts to offer family experiences and as such, looking at the legacy resorts on and off of the Strip to see what they tried (and in most cases, ultimately removed) to appeal to travelers with younger guests became a goal to seek out. 

It is worth noting that the weekend of the concert (Friday and Saturday) was also shared with a little-known sporting event...

We might have been the only people in town that came in for the weekend but not to end up here. We left on Saturday afternoon before the Sunday madness set in.

We scored a fantastic rate for a recently refurbished room at the Rio. The hotel itself was fairly standard, as was the casino, but as I was leaving the resort to head to their Uber pick-up, I noticed the peculiar structures in the ceiling that distinctly looked like some kind of track.

And I'd know a covered station anywhere... As it turns out, there was once an attraction called Masquerade in the Sky, a parade/show of sorts that guests and performers could ride along floats overhead the casino and throw beads from above. In ended its run in 2013 and the track is no longer in use.

We arrived late in the evening, but not too late to venture out for a quick stop at The Golden Tiki.

The Golden Tiki is filled with tiki decor throughout and features lots of fun surprises in each room.

Not unlike Trader Sam's on either coast, this bar does feature some effects that are triggered when guests order specific drinks.

Tiki flight for the win!

The space is truly gorgeous!

And yes, they have a real, working animatronic tiki bird perched above one side of the bar.

Fire makes all tiki drinks better!

I spy with my little eye, something Mary Blair!

The next morning we made our way to our next stop with our drive revealing lots of preparations for the Super Bowl under way.

I remember the Eiffel Tower being much larger the last time I saw it up close...

While delicious and refreshing, we didn't have time to visit the Coca-Cola Store during this trip. We really enjoyed it last time!

I went into this trip fairly confident I wouldn't be riding any coasters this time around, but I would end up being wrong.

Unlike our previous visit where the dry heat had us drowning in sweat, this time around we were graced with beautifully cold weather throughout our weekend. A pleasant surprise was the panoramic view of snow-capped mountains not too far off in the distance.

Our main objective for the day...

Liftoff was something I was very excited to try.

I can tell you I was VERY excited to finally get a chance to check out Area 15. We didn't have enough time during our last trip to stop by and especially after the Orlando location was announced, I was doubly eager to visit for myself.

I think people often underestimate just how much there is in the current Area 15 complex, not to mention how much more is coming in the year ahead.

I've seen VR simulators before but never ones where you can actually simulate the experience of bird-style flight first-hand.

The Sanctuary Lounge is a visual focal point inside Area 15 and looks like such a neat venue in which to hang out.

Asylum Bar & Arcade is a great place to get a drink and play some games.

Omega Mart was the biggest draw for us, having loved experiential explore at your own pace offerings like teamLab Borderless in Japan or City Museum in St. Louis. This would also be our first Meow Wolf installation.

Omega Mart starts off feeling very familiar but upon closer inspection, you'll notice little (and sometimes big) details that make everything feel "off."

A majority of the products on the shelves of Omega Mart are purchasable...

No, this image isn't corrupted.

The meat counter is full of fresh options that feel otherworldly and nutritious.

Pjork is the most kosher of meats.

Without spoiling the "how," you are able to escape the confines of the Omega Mart storefront to unlock worlds of technological, supernatural and multi-dimensional intrigue... Each room offers different experiences, many of them are hands on and interactive and others are passive but lengthy in that you can stay to experience a variety of content if you give it time.

Spaces throughout the experience can be as narrow as a tight crawl space (my claustrophobia kicked in at one point) to massive rooms such as this...

And visual effects such as projection mapping transform those spaces as you visit them, so exploration and re-visitation is recommended.

There is just so much to take in at Omega Mart.

And nothing is as it seems here!

There's an underlying story about a family who gets involved in an interdimensional produce business and that family's sinister intentions... 

Some rooms are just ridiculously cool to experience in person.

Paying attention to detail as you move between spaces can...

Yield some interesting visual payoffs.

You can buy Happles from the Omega Mart store if you so wish.

I watched this full video loop and I was absolutely engrossed.

Familiar but different.

Nothing is exactly as it appears in Omega Mart and there's lots to discover. I recommend giving yourself lots of time to take in the stories and explore. You never know what you'll find...

There's a lot of spaces within Area 15 that just look ridiculously cool!

And yes, the rails you see overhead are for a powered hang-gliding experience around the interior of the complex.

Museum Fiasco was an absolute visual overload!

Wink World is described as a "psychedelic art house" developed by Chris Wink, one of the founding members of Blue Man Group. 

I won't ruin the experience other than to say that as you progress from room to room, the effects and visuals (in sync with custom music) as mesmerizing to say the least.

Very Tron-esque.

 

While there are more scenes to be experienced, this earlier one was one of my favorites...

[Chiselphane]

Omega Mart is one of my favorite things on Earth.