309/365 - The Group Photo

You can't go to Vegas with a group of people and not take a group photo.

I had the group pose outside the hotel, in front of the water wall.

And as Scott can attest, I can't just take one picture - there has to be multiple ones. That applies even if I'm not taking the picture. I asked an unsuspecting Asian man to take our picture. After he agreed, he didn't know what hit him - I looped the camera strap over his head and instructed him on how to take the shot.

"You see the rectangle in the viewfinder? I need you to place the rectangle on the man in the orange shirt.... Yup, just push that button..."

After the shutter was actuated, I said "Wait!" (Scott predicted this and muttered to our friends "look, she's going to make him take the picture again").

I had the nice man take the picture again. This was the result:



And the 2nd shot was much better than the first.

Read more...

Day 308 - Spa and Love

After a full Friday, much of Saturday was spent relaxing. All the ladies indulged at the Aria Spa in the morning - I had an hour long massage, then soaked in the hot tub, then the steam room before jumping in the cold jacuzzi.

I had never experienced a cold jacuzzi - it's like an jetted ice bath! The ice cold right after a hot steam really gives you a jolt. I think my pores have never been so confused!

In the afternoon I walked South of the Aria, taking in the daytime sights:

The M&M Store


Part of NYC


Our home for the weekend - City Center and Aria

We enjoyed dinner at Sensi in the Bellagio, and took advantage of the lovely Bellagio decor, taking pictures:


I had the sea bass - prepared with Tuscan beans:


After dinner, we walked over to the Mirage and took in the Cirque Du Soleil show, Love, which features songs by the Beatles.

Lisa and Jeff managed to snap their picture in front of the Love sign, but Amy and Dan are just about to get busted by security in this picture.

The show, as expected was fabulous. I wish I could take pictures during the performance, but I understand why that isn't allowed. I was just happy they let me bring my camera into the theatre.

And some more Vegas neon from our evening:

I'm a sucker for the older establishments. A Total Classic.


Harrah's next to the Flamingo

Read more...

The Rest of Day 307 - Vegas At Night

First, dinner in Paris!

Well, not the real Paris, but a pretty good replica....


We enjoyed a birthday celebration dinner at Mon Ami Gabi where Scott ordered Country Style Pate (I haven't been able to find pate back at home) and Seared Sea Scallops. I ordered a daily special - rare tuna (totally yummy!).

As the guest of honor, Jill was presented with a cute birthday profiterole:


After dinner, we roamed the strip, checking out the Venetian:





Lisa and Jeff

We ended up at the Wynn and enjoyed the warm outdoor lounge overlooking the Wynn's Lake of Dreams. We even caught the end of the frog that pops up on top of the wall of water. Sorry, no picture, I thought it was a little weird.

Instead, here's picture of the parasols at the Parasol Up Lounge, just inside:


After the Wynn, we caught the Treasure Island "Sirens of TI" performance that combines pyrotechnics, bad acting and dancing. Oh, there's a cool pirate ship that sinks. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure our entire group thought it was tacky.

Scott and I decided to walk the rest of the way back to the Aria, and we stopped in at the Bellagio and caught the fountain show:


It was well past midnight when we got back to the Aria. We couldn't find the rest of our party on the casino floor, so we called it a night.

Read more...

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead Tour

Scott and I ventured away from the neon strip and took a tour out to the Hoover Dam. We ended up with a personal tour guide, Dean, from Dean's Outdoor Adventures. If you ever want a great tour experience, I highly recommend Dean - his company specializes in adventure-oriented excursions like white water rafting and as a result, the tour groups are smaller (10 people or less). This allows for a very personalized tour experience.

Our trip to the Hoover Dam included a visit to Lake Mead, Boulder City, the new O'Callaghan-Tillman bridge and the Hoover Dam power plant.

The Hoover Dam, taken from the O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge:


The O'Callaghan-Tillman bridge:


Lake Mead:

It is amazing to see how low the water level is in the lake and the waterways feeding the dam. You can see the distinct change in color from dark to light - that represents the highest level of the lake in 1983.

And our tour guide, Dean, who was so knowledgeable and accommodating.

Next time we go out to Vegas, we're going to hire Dean to take us to the Valley of Fire.

Read more...

306/365 - Arriving in Vegas

We left the cold and windy mid-west this evening for a weekend in warm, sunny Las Vegas - a total of five couples, celebrating our friend's upcoming 40th birthday!

Scott and I have never been to Vegas and what better way to enjoy it than with some good friends - Buck and Jill, Amy and Dan, Lisa and Jeff, and Jen and Bill.

With the exception of Jen and Bill (Jill's sister and brother in law from Minnesota), we all took the same flight out and were able to travel via limo from the airport to the Aria Hotel in City Center.


Dan, Jill and Buck
A Stretch Limo - big enough for all eight of us. And Buck is already counting out the cash (really, he's just collecting money to pay for the limo ride)

Jill's the one turning 40 later on this month. Sorry about the blurry photo - it's hard to take a clean one without a flash.


Even though it is 11pm (that's 1am Central time - WAY past our bedtimes!), we went out for a late night snack at the Todd English pub, where we met up with Jen and Bill.


Bill


Amy and Jill

Scott ordered Ninja Snacks, a decadent crispy won ton fill with Nutella and sliced banana. Totally yummy.

I'd like to say that after our snack, we all felt energized enough to hit the Strip and paint the town red, maybe even pull an all-nighter, but we're over 40 and therefor need our sleep in order to function properly. So we all hit the sack.

Read more...