<--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.
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