Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Worrying across the pond
Looks like i will be moving again! Even from Deutshland, I have to worry about this stuff. My sister is really fed up with our town, she thinks it is too boring, and cant take it anymore, so we are putting the house up for sale. She apparently has not been staying at our home since I have been in Germany so that is very telling. I sercretly think it has to do with moving in with her boyfriend but I don't want to speculate or judge her. All I know is now I have to think about getting a new place on my own and how I will afford all of that. My friends have been super stars and have been looking around for me. I feel so blessed to have people who love me like this as being over here and having to deal with this is not fun! There will be more updates on this when I get home. Less than 3 weeks to go. Booh!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
In Deutschland
Right now, since the beginning of April, I have been living in Germany. The south that is. Join me via my German blog as I work, travel and enjoy life, Deutsch style!! I will be back in my home and native land in July.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Las Vegas: Day Three & Four
<--Part of the strip by day.Waking this morning was just as easy to do as it was on day two. Still on the vacation high, we were ready to head our pretty early. I can’t remember the time but it was still early for vacation time to be out of bed. Instead of having the hotel buffet today, we skipped out and decided to check out one of the café’s in the hotel. We had seen it the night before on our hotel exploration. It turned out to be another expensive place to eat. I ordered a chicken Panini, banana and orange juice and my bill came to $18.00! This place is not for the frugal. Even though the prices were high, the atmosphere was perfect. I felt like I was in some little café tucked away on some street corner of Italy. Really nice.
<--This is Miss. Virgin Island. We saw the women of Miss. America while eating at the Thai restaurant!
Fueled, we headed out again. This time, we had a destination in mind. The Premier Outlet Mall, to be exact. This mall came highly recommended by a few friends so we boarded the slowest hop-on, hop-off bus in the world, The Deuce. Damn, the strip is under a myriad of construction so getting from point A to point B by car/bus is truly annoying and long. After connecting to another bus, we made it to the mall. At this point, I was hot but still enjoying myself.
<--Outside Paris Hotel.
Premier Outlet is amazing, if you like to shop. There are some really good stores, like Lucky 7, all the Ralph Laurens, The Gap, Burberry, Prada (I think) etc., all offering nice things at discount prices. I was on a budget so I said no to purchasing anything at this mall. This did not apply to my friend though who went wild there. She bought her son 8 Ralph Lauren polo’s (they were $16.00/each-too good to resist), a pair of Lucky 7 jeans for herself, some work out clothing. There was a lot more, I helped carry all those bags, but I can’t remember now.
<--Caesar's Palace
Once again, we were too full from breakfast to have a full lunch so we opted for Dairy Queen instead. Lol. I had a medium cone and she, a banana split. Personally, I think banana splits look gross. Too many flavors in one dish. After “lunch”, we walked and shopped some more. At this point, I caved and got my family some key chain souvenirs. I didn’t like the super cheap ones, so I bought 6 chains for $21.00.
Around 2pm, we had enough of the mall and went to find the bus stop. But, we couldn’t find it. We didn’t see the stop nor did we see people waiting around for a bus. We started to panic at this point as a cab to the hotel would not be cheap as it is some distance from the mall. After talking to some people, mildly panicking and running around, we finally saw some people converging at a stop not too far away. At the same time, we saw a bus coming. Taking off, we sprinted and made it to the stop with good time to spare. Man, I was sure happy that I started running and working out last year.
<--Part of the strip at night.
The day before, we promised that we would check out Caesar’s Palace Hotel so we hopped off the bus a few stops from our hotel and ventured in. I have to admit at this point, I was not in the mood for Caesar’s. It is not like I didn’t want to be there but I had spent hours following my friend from store to store and my fingers and back were sore from hauling bags around. Rolling my eyes, I entered the Palace and almost dropped the bags as we made our way around. This place is HUGE!! It is a bit intimidating but we both agreed that we wish we were staying here instead of the Bellagio. It was hip, cool, and loud and had a lot more to offer. Don’t get me wrong, the Bellagio is a sight to see and very comfortable and pretty but it caters to a different crowd. Older, moneyed people. Caesar’s is for young (and young at heart), cool, fun, happy, loud, adventurous people.
<--New York, New York Hotel. Yes, this is one hotel.
Even though I really liked this hotel, I was at my limit right now. I could hardly walk in that hotel without someone bumping into me or visa versa and it was getting old real fast. I was so impatient and not pleasant at this point. We decided to eat at one of the numerous Wolfgang Puck restaurants in that hotel later that day.
<--Part of the Luxor.
Back at the hotel, we dumped our bags, changed and got ready for dinner and our last Vegas show. Since it was out last night there, we decided to make the best of it and head out. I was in better spirits after having lost the bags and drinking some water. When I am dehydrated (no water intake all day in that hot sun), I get really irritated and annoyed very easily. Heading into Caesar’s again, I was calmer and soaked in the scenery. We took a few pictures and then settled on Spago for dinner. I had read somewhere that this restaurant was one of the top 10 places to dine on the strip. The food was nice but I was not hungry for some reason. I think my stomach had enough of the overindulgence of the last few days and was rebelling. In any case, I ordered their fresh pasta and bolognaise sauce and my friend got the fresh pasta and chicken. My meal was horrible. It was so salty. So salty that it slightly burned the roof of my mouth. Yuck. The waitress replaced my main with the fresh pasta chicken meal and it was very nice but I ate very little of it. I just wasn’t hungry. The drinks (I had the Ginger snap—YUMMO) were fabulous though. Also, the calamari appetizer was wonderful. Fresh, and crisp. I really enjoyed that.
After dinner, we walked over to the Bally Hotel see the show, Jubilee. Now, as a disclaimer, I read that this show was really good and is a “must see” while in Vegas but when we saw the stage, we knew it was going to suck! And SUCK it did. This show was horrible. My friend said it was a cheap knock-off of Moulin Rouge. I was so embarrassed since I chose this horrible crap but we chalked it up to the whole Vegas experience. There were a few good parts of the show (3 to be exact) but I was mostly bored and in awe that this show still exists in this day and age. Please, please, PLEASE don’t waste your money if you are ever in Las Vegas and looking for something to do. I want my bloody $70.00 back!
After leaving the show and having a great laugh at its cheapness, we decided to keep moving. Now, we are not big club goers but if you are, Vegas is the place for you. We boarded The Deuce again (we had bought a $7.00/each 24 hour pass) and saw many people either on the bus or walking on the strip, dressed to the nines ready for the hype party life. If you are going, pack some nice clothing for night as no one looked shabby for the hot clubbing scene.
As I said, we are not into clubbing much and I was not about to do any of that in Vegas so we took the bus to the Luxor Hotel and decided to walk down. The Luxor was amazing. Really fun Egyptian style place. It was nice but not as nice as Caesar’s Palace. We took a few snaps, walked around and then moved on. We took in a few more hotels and battled off fatigue at the same time. Since it was our last night, we had to see as much as we could but after you see one casino style hotel, you’ve seen them all. Around 2am Vegas time, we had enough. We waited for the bus and then made our way back to the hotel.
Since I was still parched (the hotel was really dry), we went to one of the hotel’s numerous stores and bough some water. $5.00 later. We looked around and window shopped along the way to the elevators. One of the stores had this hot to death yellow dress that was so elegant I was salivating. It was $750.00 so I just sighed and moved on. In our room, we packed up, chatted a bit and then hopped into our respective beds. I was tired tonight so I fell asleep relatively quickly.
Day Four:
Time to go home!
Like all trips I have been on, I am always excited to explore but ecstatic to return home. We received our wake up call at 6:15am as our shuttle was coming around 9:20am. I was so excited about getting out of Vegas that I literally pirouetted to the bathroom and I was grinning as I lathered up. We hit up the Buffet today for breakfast as it was convenient for us. Being Sunday though, it was brunch and the price had increased. We hadn’t banked on that but at this point, we were both out of cash (only a few dollars to tip the room maid and the shuttle driver-not me as I carried my bag on instead of having him stow it in the back) so we carried credit cards. Thank goodness as the Buffet was now $25.99/person instead of $16.11. We had no choice really, we figured all the other restaurants in the hotel would have some sort of Sunday brunch thing happening, so we paid the fee and entered. Again, we were not able to get our monies worth but the selection was beautiful. There was lamb, roasts, more rice dishes, more desserts, and a plethora of other foods not offered when we first ate there. After eating, we lounged a bit and talked.
After breaky, we got our bags, did an express check out and headed out to wait for our ride. We met and chatted with some people from Iowa who had been to Vegas four times since summer 2008, they love it that much. People like that always baffle me as I would rather spend the money on seeing a new place and experiencing new things but, to each their own. The ride to the hotel was quick and fun. Our driver had on some taped Sunday gospel music. He told us that he plays it on Sunday’s as he never gets to church as he has to work but it often uplifts his passengers. He was right. I think everyone enjoyed it.
After checking in, the lines were long this time, we sat and sat and sat in the airport waiting room for our flight. Our plane was originally supposed to depart 12:15pm but it was delayed until after 1pm. Not wanting to be too hungry when we got home and during the flight, we decided to get lunch. My friend bought us a tray of nachos and guacamole and some drinks. We laughed when we saw the serving of the cups. We asked for small and were indeed given a “small” cup but it looked like a large to us. Shaking our head and chuckling, we walked back to our seats and ate. I was not too hungry so I only picked at my chips.
Finally, we boarded the plane. It was packed! Not a seat was available when we took off. I sat beside 2 ladies (my friend and I both wanted window seats so she sat behind me) but didn’t chat with them. I basically slept, and watched CSI: Miami the entire way down.
Customs was easy and straight forward. I had nothing to declare but some key chains. After retrieving our bags we parted ways. My friend’s husband and baby came to pick up her up and my sister came to collect me. It was now after 9pm Ontario time. I was pooped but had no appetite so we headed home. After getting in, I told my family about the trip, played with our pet dog (he is so cute) and climbed into bed. Of course, I slept through my alarm the next morning and had to run like hell to get to work. I was late but no one noticed or cared.
<--Arieal view of the Colorado mountains as we flew home.
Overall: My trip to Las Vegas was an experience. It was crazy, loud, wild, fun, exciting and I consider it a trip of a lifetime. Did you know you can drink alcohol on the streets? So appropriate for Vegas. Would I ever return? Telling you the honest truth, I would have to say no. Vegas was cool but I have no desire to be there again. Like, ever. I saw, I did, I played now it is time to move on. At least I can say I have been but will never return.
<--This is Miss. Virgin Island. We saw the women of Miss. America while eating at the Thai restaurant!Fueled, we headed out again. This time, we had a destination in mind. The Premier Outlet Mall, to be exact. This mall came highly recommended by a few friends so we boarded the slowest hop-on, hop-off bus in the world, The Deuce. Damn, the strip is under a myriad of construction so getting from point A to point B by car/bus is truly annoying and long. After connecting to another bus, we made it to the mall. At this point, I was hot but still enjoying myself.
<--Outside Paris Hotel.Premier Outlet is amazing, if you like to shop. There are some really good stores, like Lucky 7, all the Ralph Laurens, The Gap, Burberry, Prada (I think) etc., all offering nice things at discount prices. I was on a budget so I said no to purchasing anything at this mall. This did not apply to my friend though who went wild there. She bought her son 8 Ralph Lauren polo’s (they were $16.00/each-too good to resist), a pair of Lucky 7 jeans for herself, some work out clothing. There was a lot more, I helped carry all those bags, but I can’t remember now.
<--Caesar's PalaceOnce again, we were too full from breakfast to have a full lunch so we opted for Dairy Queen instead. Lol. I had a medium cone and she, a banana split. Personally, I think banana splits look gross. Too many flavors in one dish. After “lunch”, we walked and shopped some more. At this point, I caved and got my family some key chain souvenirs. I didn’t like the super cheap ones, so I bought 6 chains for $21.00.
Around 2pm, we had enough of the mall and went to find the bus stop. But, we couldn’t find it. We didn’t see the stop nor did we see people waiting around for a bus. We started to panic at this point as a cab to the hotel would not be cheap as it is some distance from the mall. After talking to some people, mildly panicking and running around, we finally saw some people converging at a stop not too far away. At the same time, we saw a bus coming. Taking off, we sprinted and made it to the stop with good time to spare. Man, I was sure happy that I started running and working out last year.
<--Part of the strip at night.The day before, we promised that we would check out Caesar’s Palace Hotel so we hopped off the bus a few stops from our hotel and ventured in. I have to admit at this point, I was not in the mood for Caesar’s. It is not like I didn’t want to be there but I had spent hours following my friend from store to store and my fingers and back were sore from hauling bags around. Rolling my eyes, I entered the Palace and almost dropped the bags as we made our way around. This place is HUGE!! It is a bit intimidating but we both agreed that we wish we were staying here instead of the Bellagio. It was hip, cool, and loud and had a lot more to offer. Don’t get me wrong, the Bellagio is a sight to see and very comfortable and pretty but it caters to a different crowd. Older, moneyed people. Caesar’s is for young (and young at heart), cool, fun, happy, loud, adventurous people.
<--New York, New York Hotel. Yes, this is one hotel.Even though I really liked this hotel, I was at my limit right now. I could hardly walk in that hotel without someone bumping into me or visa versa and it was getting old real fast. I was so impatient and not pleasant at this point. We decided to eat at one of the numerous Wolfgang Puck restaurants in that hotel later that day.
<--Part of the Luxor.Back at the hotel, we dumped our bags, changed and got ready for dinner and our last Vegas show. Since it was out last night there, we decided to make the best of it and head out. I was in better spirits after having lost the bags and drinking some water. When I am dehydrated (no water intake all day in that hot sun), I get really irritated and annoyed very easily. Heading into Caesar’s again, I was calmer and soaked in the scenery. We took a few pictures and then settled on Spago for dinner. I had read somewhere that this restaurant was one of the top 10 places to dine on the strip. The food was nice but I was not hungry for some reason. I think my stomach had enough of the overindulgence of the last few days and was rebelling. In any case, I ordered their fresh pasta and bolognaise sauce and my friend got the fresh pasta and chicken. My meal was horrible. It was so salty. So salty that it slightly burned the roof of my mouth. Yuck. The waitress replaced my main with the fresh pasta chicken meal and it was very nice but I ate very little of it. I just wasn’t hungry. The drinks (I had the Ginger snap—YUMMO) were fabulous though. Also, the calamari appetizer was wonderful. Fresh, and crisp. I really enjoyed that.
After dinner, we walked over to the Bally Hotel see the show, Jubilee. Now, as a disclaimer, I read that this show was really good and is a “must see” while in Vegas but when we saw the stage, we knew it was going to suck! And SUCK it did. This show was horrible. My friend said it was a cheap knock-off of Moulin Rouge. I was so embarrassed since I chose this horrible crap but we chalked it up to the whole Vegas experience. There were a few good parts of the show (3 to be exact) but I was mostly bored and in awe that this show still exists in this day and age. Please, please, PLEASE don’t waste your money if you are ever in Las Vegas and looking for something to do. I want my bloody $70.00 back!
After leaving the show and having a great laugh at its cheapness, we decided to keep moving. Now, we are not big club goers but if you are, Vegas is the place for you. We boarded The Deuce again (we had bought a $7.00/each 24 hour pass) and saw many people either on the bus or walking on the strip, dressed to the nines ready for the hype party life. If you are going, pack some nice clothing for night as no one looked shabby for the hot clubbing scene.
As I said, we are not into clubbing much and I was not about to do any of that in Vegas so we took the bus to the Luxor Hotel and decided to walk down. The Luxor was amazing. Really fun Egyptian style place. It was nice but not as nice as Caesar’s Palace. We took a few snaps, walked around and then moved on. We took in a few more hotels and battled off fatigue at the same time. Since it was our last night, we had to see as much as we could but after you see one casino style hotel, you’ve seen them all. Around 2am Vegas time, we had enough. We waited for the bus and then made our way back to the hotel.
Since I was still parched (the hotel was really dry), we went to one of the hotel’s numerous stores and bough some water. $5.00 later. We looked around and window shopped along the way to the elevators. One of the stores had this hot to death yellow dress that was so elegant I was salivating. It was $750.00 so I just sighed and moved on. In our room, we packed up, chatted a bit and then hopped into our respective beds. I was tired tonight so I fell asleep relatively quickly.
Day Four:
Time to go home!
Like all trips I have been on, I am always excited to explore but ecstatic to return home. We received our wake up call at 6:15am as our shuttle was coming around 9:20am. I was so excited about getting out of Vegas that I literally pirouetted to the bathroom and I was grinning as I lathered up. We hit up the Buffet today for breakfast as it was convenient for us. Being Sunday though, it was brunch and the price had increased. We hadn’t banked on that but at this point, we were both out of cash (only a few dollars to tip the room maid and the shuttle driver-not me as I carried my bag on instead of having him stow it in the back) so we carried credit cards. Thank goodness as the Buffet was now $25.99/person instead of $16.11. We had no choice really, we figured all the other restaurants in the hotel would have some sort of Sunday brunch thing happening, so we paid the fee and entered. Again, we were not able to get our monies worth but the selection was beautiful. There was lamb, roasts, more rice dishes, more desserts, and a plethora of other foods not offered when we first ate there. After eating, we lounged a bit and talked.
After breaky, we got our bags, did an express check out and headed out to wait for our ride. We met and chatted with some people from Iowa who had been to Vegas four times since summer 2008, they love it that much. People like that always baffle me as I would rather spend the money on seeing a new place and experiencing new things but, to each their own. The ride to the hotel was quick and fun. Our driver had on some taped Sunday gospel music. He told us that he plays it on Sunday’s as he never gets to church as he has to work but it often uplifts his passengers. He was right. I think everyone enjoyed it.
After checking in, the lines were long this time, we sat and sat and sat in the airport waiting room for our flight. Our plane was originally supposed to depart 12:15pm but it was delayed until after 1pm. Not wanting to be too hungry when we got home and during the flight, we decided to get lunch. My friend bought us a tray of nachos and guacamole and some drinks. We laughed when we saw the serving of the cups. We asked for small and were indeed given a “small” cup but it looked like a large to us. Shaking our head and chuckling, we walked back to our seats and ate. I was not too hungry so I only picked at my chips.
Finally, we boarded the plane. It was packed! Not a seat was available when we took off. I sat beside 2 ladies (my friend and I both wanted window seats so she sat behind me) but didn’t chat with them. I basically slept, and watched CSI: Miami the entire way down.
Customs was easy and straight forward. I had nothing to declare but some key chains. After retrieving our bags we parted ways. My friend’s husband and baby came to pick up her up and my sister came to collect me. It was now after 9pm Ontario time. I was pooped but had no appetite so we headed home. After getting in, I told my family about the trip, played with our pet dog (he is so cute) and climbed into bed. Of course, I slept through my alarm the next morning and had to run like hell to get to work. I was late but no one noticed or cared.
<--Arieal view of the Colorado mountains as we flew home.Overall: My trip to Las Vegas was an experience. It was crazy, loud, wild, fun, exciting and I consider it a trip of a lifetime. Did you know you can drink alcohol on the streets? So appropriate for Vegas. Would I ever return? Telling you the honest truth, I would have to say no. Vegas was cool but I have no desire to be there again. Like, ever. I saw, I did, I played now it is time to move on. At least I can say I have been but will never return.
Las Vegas: Day Two
<--Outside one part of the Bellagio
<--some part of the strip
<--Inside the Venetian hotel!
<--A scene set to replicate Italy in the Venetial Hotel
<--Outside the V. Hotel
<--The actual hotel section of the Venetian (I think)
<--Outside the Venetian
<--Part of the Venetian and the Treasure Island Hotel building
<-Waterfall outside Caesars Palace (best hotel in my opinion)Getting up this morning was not a chore. I guess the excitement of being on vacation was setting in and I was feeling better. Well, marginally but I tried not to harp on it. We got up at 7am and wondered what was wrong with us. Lol. After all that travel, we were up bright and early. Showered and fresh, we headed out.
We first checked out the hotel buffet. So, nothing is cheap in L.V. and we didn’t expect our meals to be either. The Buffet on site was USD 16.11/person. Pricey but at this point, we didn’t care. We were on vacation and happy about it. The food was decent but we didn’t get out monies worth. There was no way we could have stuffed ourselves. I had an egg-white omlet, a slice of bread, a bit of smoked salmon, cream of wheat and a banana. After the cream of wheat (2 bowls) I was disgustingly full. I wanted to be full enough so that I wouldn’t need a big lunch and it worked!
Next, we headed out to the STRIP! Deciding to see as many hotels as possible, we started with the Venetian hotel. Very nice and mush like Venice (accordingly to my friend who has been to Europe and Italy on many occasion). We spent maybe an hour there because there is so much to see and then headed out onto the strip again. We ventured into a few side vendors and poked around. I didn’t buy anything but my friend purchased a CSI hat for her hubby. At this point, we had crossed many a bridge, ridden a few escalators and seen a lot of the strip. But, we had barely even scratched the surface. It was now close to lunch but we weren’t really hungry so we had a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cone (since everyone seems to rave about it) instead of a meal. 2 for the price of 1. It was still $7.90 for 1 scoop on a waffle cone. So expensive. Personally, I don’t think that ice-cream has shit on Breyer’s. It was just okay.
Then we ventured into some more hotels and walked and walked and walked. It was a nice warm day, perfect for exploration so this was fantastic. At around 2pm, we headed back to our hotel room to wash up and change for dinner and our first Vegas show, Cirque de Solier’s, “O”. we were still on the Vegas high but the walking and jet lag had kicked in. at the hotel, we decided to crash for a while to rejuvenate ourselves.
As a sidenote: My friend and I said we were not going to stress too much at all during this trip. We had a rough itinerary but we weren’t going to kill ourselves running from place to place. We wanted this weekend to be fun yet relaxing.
We walked over to Planet Hollywood hotel for dinner as a friend of my friend (who has been to Vegas like 20 times), recommended a Thai restaurant. P.F. Changs (not in Canada) was really good. We had a chicken and lettuce wrap appetizer to split. So yummy. I had the pepper steak (HOT), my friend had a chicken dish and we split some rice. We passed on dessert as that was to come after the show. We also ordered two soft drinks and our bill came to under $27.00 each with tip! That is amazing. We didn’t even eat all the food, it was so much but so delicious. Next, onto the show.
I think of myself as a pretty cultured and well-rounded individual but seeing plays and live performances is something that is relatively new to me. I have only seen a few on stage productions and just as many concerts. So, getting the chance to see “O” was truly a joy for me. Wow, the show was just magical. I highly recommend this show to anyone who is into the Cirque period. Just, excellent.
By the time we left the show (which was at our hotel), we decided to head for dessert. I had read that Jean-Philippe Patisserie was to die for so of course, being on vacation, we h ad to indulge. We were a little shocked at the patisserie itself. I was imagining it to be very upscale and quaint. Well, the prices were high but it was not very elegant. It was just okay. we both ordered crepes. I had a nutella crepe and my friend ordered nutella, bananas and gelato. It was a nice way to end the day however. Instead of heading to our room immediately after dessert though, we made our way around this ginormous hotel to see what they offered. I took went outside (it was about midnight at this time-3am my time) to check out the pool and it was breathtaking. So gorgeous and romantic. If I had a man, I would have kissed him out on the bridge by the water. After rejoining my friend who was lounging in one of the numerous hallways, we sat and chatted for a bit remenising about the day. We then headed up.
In bed, I sat for a while thinking about Vegas and all I had seen and done. I was amazed that I was there but not overly impressed at this point. I couldn’t sleep so I settled in and watched CSI: Miami (my favorite show) until 4am. Yep, sleeping issues reared it’s stupid head even on my vacation.
We first checked out the hotel buffet. So, nothing is cheap in L.V. and we didn’t expect our meals to be either. The Buffet on site was USD 16.11/person. Pricey but at this point, we didn’t care. We were on vacation and happy about it. The food was decent but we didn’t get out monies worth. There was no way we could have stuffed ourselves. I had an egg-white omlet, a slice of bread, a bit of smoked salmon, cream of wheat and a banana. After the cream of wheat (2 bowls) I was disgustingly full. I wanted to be full enough so that I wouldn’t need a big lunch and it worked!
Next, we headed out to the STRIP! Deciding to see as many hotels as possible, we started with the Venetian hotel. Very nice and mush like Venice (accordingly to my friend who has been to Europe and Italy on many occasion). We spent maybe an hour there because there is so much to see and then headed out onto the strip again. We ventured into a few side vendors and poked around. I didn’t buy anything but my friend purchased a CSI hat for her hubby. At this point, we had crossed many a bridge, ridden a few escalators and seen a lot of the strip. But, we had barely even scratched the surface. It was now close to lunch but we weren’t really hungry so we had a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cone (since everyone seems to rave about it) instead of a meal. 2 for the price of 1. It was still $7.90 for 1 scoop on a waffle cone. So expensive. Personally, I don’t think that ice-cream has shit on Breyer’s. It was just okay.
Then we ventured into some more hotels and walked and walked and walked. It was a nice warm day, perfect for exploration so this was fantastic. At around 2pm, we headed back to our hotel room to wash up and change for dinner and our first Vegas show, Cirque de Solier’s, “O”. we were still on the Vegas high but the walking and jet lag had kicked in. at the hotel, we decided to crash for a while to rejuvenate ourselves.
As a sidenote: My friend and I said we were not going to stress too much at all during this trip. We had a rough itinerary but we weren’t going to kill ourselves running from place to place. We wanted this weekend to be fun yet relaxing.
We walked over to Planet Hollywood hotel for dinner as a friend of my friend (who has been to Vegas like 20 times), recommended a Thai restaurant. P.F. Changs (not in Canada) was really good. We had a chicken and lettuce wrap appetizer to split. So yummy. I had the pepper steak (HOT), my friend had a chicken dish and we split some rice. We passed on dessert as that was to come after the show. We also ordered two soft drinks and our bill came to under $27.00 each with tip! That is amazing. We didn’t even eat all the food, it was so much but so delicious. Next, onto the show.
I think of myself as a pretty cultured and well-rounded individual but seeing plays and live performances is something that is relatively new to me. I have only seen a few on stage productions and just as many concerts. So, getting the chance to see “O” was truly a joy for me. Wow, the show was just magical. I highly recommend this show to anyone who is into the Cirque period. Just, excellent.
By the time we left the show (which was at our hotel), we decided to head for dessert. I had read that Jean-Philippe Patisserie was to die for so of course, being on vacation, we h ad to indulge. We were a little shocked at the patisserie itself. I was imagining it to be very upscale and quaint. Well, the prices were high but it was not very elegant. It was just okay. we both ordered crepes. I had a nutella crepe and my friend ordered nutella, bananas and gelato. It was a nice way to end the day however. Instead of heading to our room immediately after dessert though, we made our way around this ginormous hotel to see what they offered. I took went outside (it was about midnight at this time-3am my time) to check out the pool and it was breathtaking. So gorgeous and romantic. If I had a man, I would have kissed him out on the bridge by the water. After rejoining my friend who was lounging in one of the numerous hallways, we sat and chatted for a bit remenising about the day. We then headed up.
In bed, I sat for a while thinking about Vegas and all I had seen and done. I was amazed that I was there but not overly impressed at this point. I couldn’t sleep so I settled in and watched CSI: Miami (my favorite show) until 4am. Yep, sleeping issues reared it’s stupid head even on my vacation.
Vegas, Day One
They day of departure to Las Vegas found me sick and miserable. I had been fighting off a cold for a few days but it hit the day before my trip full on. I went to work but left midday due to the symptoms. I was feeling really awful. When I got out of bed, I tried to convince myself that I was indeed feeling better and ready to head off to Vegas even though my stuffy head told me otherwise. However, instead of harping on how rotten I felt, I tried my hardest to feel better. I took loads of vitamin C, downed water and orange juice like a mad woman. I was dressed in my comfiest warm p.j.’s and tried to sleep as much as I could. I wasn’t very successful of ridding the cold or sleeping but at least I was not as tired as I was earlier that week. At 5pm, I was packed and heading to my parents house.
My sister drove me to the airport where I met my friend anxiously waiting for me in the check in line. Within 15 minutes, we had out tickets, went through customs and were waiting for our plane. We had time to spare at this point so we just sort of chilled and chatted. I was sick and phlegm but I didn’t want to ruin my friends’ good time so I basically faked being all excited. I think I was pretty successful.
<--A magnificent display Oriental display in part of the lobby of the hotel.
Finally, we boarded the plane at 8:00pm Thursday night. The flight was 4 hours and 16 minutes long and it felt more like 6 hours. It was real torture. I was very uncomfortable and annoyed the entire flight. Two guys, who were speaking very loudly, sat in front of us and drank beer the entire flight down. They reminded me of my trip to Cuba where the man beside me started drinking alcohol as soon as the plane coasted which is no problem, but it was 9:00 AM!! In any case, the two guys in front of us were really annoying because one dude kept chatting about how little regard he held for his wife. I think he thought he sounded cool but in reality, he just sounded like a jackass. I was able to drown out his voice by watching Animal Planet channel. I love it.
When we landed I took a peek out the window and was really shocked at the sight in front me of. All I could see was tall hotels all bright and colorful. It was crazy that the strip was that close to the airport! Walking in the airport terminal was another delight. There were slot machines. In the airport! Like, seriously. I was so shocked. We had a good laugh on that one.
<--Part of the hotel lobby
After walking out of the airport, we took a shuttle bus to out hotel. USD 16.00 drop off and pick up. What a rip considering our hotel was literally 7 minutes away from the airport. Walking into the Bellagio was surreal. It was after midnight but the place was jumpin’ and loud. I would have sworn it was day light outside if I hadn’t been outside just minutes before. After the 2nd day there, this became the norm and the constant hum of people and things became background noise.
<--The Bellagio's $10 million ceiling. These are individual glass blwon shells. Very impressive.
Checking in was simple and quick. We made it to our room but couldn’t open the door. We weren’t pressing the handle hard enough, it turns out. Silly us. At this point, it was about 3am our time and we needed sleep in the worst way. We planned what we would do the next day, washed up and hit the sack. It was so nice to rest after a long ass day.
My sister drove me to the airport where I met my friend anxiously waiting for me in the check in line. Within 15 minutes, we had out tickets, went through customs and were waiting for our plane. We had time to spare at this point so we just sort of chilled and chatted. I was sick and phlegm but I didn’t want to ruin my friends’ good time so I basically faked being all excited. I think I was pretty successful.
<--A magnificent display Oriental display in part of the lobby of the hotel.Finally, we boarded the plane at 8:00pm Thursday night. The flight was 4 hours and 16 minutes long and it felt more like 6 hours. It was real torture. I was very uncomfortable and annoyed the entire flight. Two guys, who were speaking very loudly, sat in front of us and drank beer the entire flight down. They reminded me of my trip to Cuba where the man beside me started drinking alcohol as soon as the plane coasted which is no problem, but it was 9:00 AM!! In any case, the two guys in front of us were really annoying because one dude kept chatting about how little regard he held for his wife. I think he thought he sounded cool but in reality, he just sounded like a jackass. I was able to drown out his voice by watching Animal Planet channel. I love it.
When we landed I took a peek out the window and was really shocked at the sight in front me of. All I could see was tall hotels all bright and colorful. It was crazy that the strip was that close to the airport! Walking in the airport terminal was another delight. There were slot machines. In the airport! Like, seriously. I was so shocked. We had a good laugh on that one.
<--Part of the hotel lobbyAfter walking out of the airport, we took a shuttle bus to out hotel. USD 16.00 drop off and pick up. What a rip considering our hotel was literally 7 minutes away from the airport. Walking into the Bellagio was surreal. It was after midnight but the place was jumpin’ and loud. I would have sworn it was day light outside if I hadn’t been outside just minutes before. After the 2nd day there, this became the norm and the constant hum of people and things became background noise.
<--The Bellagio's $10 million ceiling. These are individual glass blwon shells. Very impressive.Checking in was simple and quick. We made it to our room but couldn’t open the door. We weren’t pressing the handle hard enough, it turns out. Silly us. At this point, it was about 3am our time and we needed sleep in the worst way. We planned what we would do the next day, washed up and hit the sack. It was so nice to rest after a long ass day.
<--Hanging ormanents from the ceiling in the hotel lobby.Thursday, January 1, 2009
Off to Las Vegas soon
That's right, I am off to Vegas for a short trip, January 15-18. Whoot! I can't wait. I have to say that I was never a fan of Vegas, never wanted to go actually but we got a really good deal on the flight and hotel so....why not?!? Will report, obviously, when I return.
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