What Didn't Stay In Vegas...

I'm home!

Did you miss me?

No.  Well, that's good.  Because....

The best part is, I only wore these socks for part of the day, so the rest is mine for the telling.

Well, let me start by saying that I have, in fact, consumed my quota for alcoholic consumption for the next five years.  Yes my friends, I consumed a whole FIVE tropical fruity drinks during my four days away.  FIVE!  Tony has no idea who he married I tell ya!  The strongest of the five was ironically in the St. Louis airport on the return flight home.  What can I say?  Chili's can make a mean margarita.

We left home at the unholy  early hour of 3:45 am. I smooched the kids, and we were off.  The airport was uneventful, as was the two hour layover in Chicago.  After 12 hours, we arrived in Vegas and checked in to our hotel....

We were upgraded to a tower room.  These are usually more expensive so we were very excited, until we realized that the room was not in the pyramid.  What is the fun in that? But in all honesty, we were too tired to ask for a new room, and in the end, we really didn't care.

After a brief stop in the room, we were off to explore the Mandalay Bay Resort adjacent to the Luxor.  We visited the Shark Reef aquarium and rain forest zoo...

Kimono Dragon

Everybody loves the Jellies...

While small, it didn't have as much to offer as I'd hoped.  The enclosed tube that allows you to walk "through" the shark tank was pretty cool, and I was told that for a price you could scuba with the sharks. Um, no thanks...been there...done that...

Tony could be eaten.

We went for a brief walk, checking out the Excalibur...

This hotel was absolutely beautiful if you love the renaissance feel.  On our last day, we took in the tournament of Kings... a medieval dinner theatre complete with jousts, horses, fair maidens and buckets o' ale... or in my case a souvenir mug o' pina colada.  Dinner was soup, broccoli, potatoes, and a whole chicken, to be eaten with your hands. No worries, it also came complete with the authentic mid evil wet nap.

We had tickets to Chris Angel back at our hotel.  If you've never seen his illusions, feel free to click on the link.
http://youtu.be/fauAiHoF7lk

 It was very theatrical, involved a lot of adult humor, and used alot of pyrotechnics.

Some was explainable, some was VERY freaky. All of it was a good time.

Day two was our day for exploring the strip....



First Up... the MGM.

The entire front lights up in green at night...

The center of MGM hosts a Lion's Den....
and these two babies.
Above which (about a foot above, actually) is a sign that reads
"No Photos Please"
Whoops.

Next up the New York...
We never got the chance to ride the roller coaster which sports a 50 degree drop.



Jelly bean anyone?





The above three pictures are from Caesars Palace and the Flamingo.  Tony just loved being surrounded by pretty girls...

These were taken in the Venetian.  It has water ways that run through the hotel.  Looks like it was a beautiful day for a gondola ride, right?  Wrong.  The ceiling is painted to look like sky, so realistically done that it appears to move with you.  We went for the gondola ride, and were serenaded by a fabulous singer, who treated us to an old Dean Martin song in Italian, "Bella Noche", and the song from the Godfather in which some guy gets killed. Very romantic, no?

The Paris was fantastic, the tower trip views were especially great.  At night I'm sure the view would have been phenomenal, but at day, we found Avern, our guide to all of Vegas, who regaled more details and specs about old Vegas vs new Vegas, how much things cost, how much it's changed, and some little known "stays in Vegas" facts. 

We. Loved. Him.

We did a lot of shopping, and took in the views from the top of the Stratosphere...

At 1000 feet up, there are few things more beautiful.  On the very top of the tower, is a free fall drop, a ride that drops you off the side, and even better... a free fall bungee off the building.

Yes.  People jumped, and screamed all the way down.  No.  They weren't us.

Perhaps my most favorite of all the hotels was of course the Bellagio...

Each one of the windows is actually four rooms.  The design of the building was to be more majestic and less massive.  The pool in front is home to the famous water show that goes off about every ten minutes each night.  The swirl pattern is actually the water cannons that shoot hundreds of feet into the sky, perfectly choreographed to "Viva Las Vegas" and classical concertos.

The entryways and hallways were filled with lavish topiaries and unique treats for the eyes.  The first two pictures were of ceilings, one of painted parasols hanging at various heights, and the other of the front lobby's Murano glass flowers.

The Bellagio is home to the cirque de soleil show "O" which we also took in. 
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/o/default.aspx?splash=http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/o/media/official-video.aspx
The theatrical, choreography and music was amazing.  I just wish I had understood the storyline. It's very hard to explain, but definitely something worth seeing at least once.

But after cruising the strip many times over, and ducking into the casinos when the August heat became unbearable (108-103 every day), we found what will be our new Vegas hotel if we ever return...


Home to just enough neon, but not too much opulence, it was comfortable enough for us to walk through and not feel out of place.  They are one of the few hotels with a Keno room, and of course, home to "I Love This Bar"...

Where you can drink beer from a mason jar and enjoy some good 'ol chili fries at a semi reasonable price.
We also took in the Mac King comedy show, as an impromptu afternoon event. The least expensive thing we did the entire time we were there, and perhaps the most memorable...
http://youtu.be/sa7RgM6HuNE

When he asked if there were any newly weds in the audience, I forced Tony to raise his reluctant had Tony raise his hand, not realizing that we'd both be pulled on stage.

I laughed until I cried. 

On stage. 

Like an idiot.

Awesome.

Well, my pen pals... that's all the details you're getting...

unless I think of something else, not pictured here...

which is entirely possible, since I can't even tell you what day it is right now.